THE "BUG".
"This has to stop… seriously," Hugo muttered, leaning against the wall.
I pretended not to hear him.
But I was sure it was him.
He came back with a furrowed brow.
Jaw tense.
And hung up the phone.
We kept walking in silence.
He said nothing.
I didn't ask.
We had breakfast in monosyllables.
The air in the kitchen felt thick.
Then he broke the silence.
"Tonight we're going out to dinner."
I almost choked on my juice.
"You mean… outside?"
He nodded.
"Outside, Isabella. Why does that surprise you? It's not like it's the first time."
Wait.
There it was.
It was some kind of glitch or bug between time and space.
Like I was floating between two realities.
Or like he was two different people.
One moment we were playing.
The next we had history.
I shivered remembering that night.
One of him fucking me.
Another with his hand around my neck.
"Of course it's the first time," I murmured, exhausted.
He didn't argue.
He just smiled while chewing his bacon.
"Make the most of today. And wear the black dress."
"The black dress?"
"The black dress," he repeated.
"Okay, Isabella. This is insane."
"Sure."
He finished breakfast and stood up.
"I'll pick you up at 8 sharp. Don't be late."
He walked away.
I didn't stop him.
My head was still a mess.
Ruminating.
Trying to find the end of the thread.
I was going to figure everything out.
If Hugo wanted to hurt me.
If the owner of that voice was real.
If Sue was his accomplice and that's why they killed her.
If the man with the black shoes from that morning was another player.
I stood up and left everything as it was.
I took a bath and went for the notes.
I went into Hugo's office but didn't stay.
I just grabbed the laptop and synced it with my cloud.
Whatever they thought I had, I was going to find out.
There was nothing but my old files.
But I was sure something was slipping away from me.
Security!
"Of course, idiot."
That night he had threatened to call them.
Why hadn't they shown up?
Shit.
What an idiot I was.
The old room in the basement.
Where the cameras were controlled.
It had to be full of recordings.
I had discovered it during one of my incursions.
But I couldn't spy.
One of those guys appeared and I had to leave.
Maybe someone was still there?
Hugo never went down.
He only received the reports.
I stood up to go.
My mouth tasted like metal.
And I had a bad feeling.
THE ABANDONED ROOM.
The place smelled of dust and mold.
The air was heavy, thick.
Tiny, oppressive windows with bars remained sealed.
My throat itched when I breathed.
I coughed a couple of times.
The peeling walls with traces of dampness were covered with monitors.
I counted them.
Eighteen.
A swivel chair sat alone in the middle of the space.
A desk with inches of dust on top.
Some folders.
And an old console.
It gave the impression of being an abandoned place.
As if no one had set foot there in months.
My skin prickled from a sudden cold that crawled up my back.
I turned around, feeling "that" presence.
I ran to secure the metal door.
Just in case.
A strange unease took hold of me.
Yes, I admit it.
There was too much silence.
And honestly, the place was creepy.
Suffocating.
I approached the operator's station hesitantly.
I needed a fourteen-character alphanumeric code to access it.
I stood there, biting my lip.
"Think, Isabella."
It wasn't necessary.
Because suddenly, the screen on the desk flickered.
I stepped back, scared, tripping over the damn chair that screeched.
Damn it.
On a faded blue background, the cameras appeared in rows.
Pulsing black icons.
Defiant.
Or better… threatening.
I had to laugh.
A laugh that ended in a dry cough.
I dragged the chair over and placed my palm on the mouse.
How disgusting.
It was damp.
My hand trembled.
And I slid the cursor toward the first icon.
Then another.
And another.
And another.
Like that, until I opened them all.
The screens lit up with a click.
Displaying images from different locations in the mansion.
The air grew even thicker.
Almost unbearable.
I looked at them one by one.
Three of the gate.
Four of the front entrance, different angles. One of the garden, panoramic.
Another of the side entrance.
Two of the kitchen.
One of the office.
Some hallways.
And…
I held my breath.
One of my bedroom, focused on the bed.
And the last one…
Of the room of mirrors.
My body started to tremble without permission.
Something grabbed my throat.
And a cold, irrational fear stiffened my limbs.
There had to be everything documented.
My entry that day.
The stranger.
The attack on Sue.
I swallowed.
A sticky lump lodged in my throat.
Shit, shit, shit.
There were terabytes of recordings.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead.
"Get a hold of yourself now. Just go to that night. Four days ago… when you arrived and never left again."
I did it slowly.
With the horrible certainty that I was going to discover something absurd.
Something that was going to change everything.
Two hundred ans seventy days… or just four?
Click.