The precinct felt wrong the next morning.
Officers chatted, phones rang, papers shuffled—
but beneath all the noise, there was a strange tension,
a quiet pressure Luna immediately sensed.
As she walked in, conversations stopped.
Eyes followed her.
Detective Sato approached with a folder in hand.
He tried to mask his worry, but Luna noticed instantly.
"Luna… we need to talk. In my office."
She nodded silently and followed him in.
A Disturbing Discovery
Sato closed the door.
He hesitated.
That alone meant trouble.
"…We ran surveillance checks on the factory district," he said, sliding the folder across the table.
"Security cameras… picked up something last night."
Luna's pulse didn't change—
but her fingers subtly tightened.
She opened the file.
Images.
Blurry, distorted—but unmistakable.
Two figures on a rooftop.
One clearly Luna.
The other—
…Bren.
But what made Sato's voice shake wasn't the figure's identity.
It was how Bren looked.
Limbs elongated.
Shadow-like trails behind him.
Eyes glowing faint white.
Not human.
"Luna," Sato said carefully,
"what exactly happened last night?"
The Lie
She looked him in the eye—cold, steady.
"I saw a trespasser. He ran. I couldn't identify him."
Sato exhaled—
relieved, but unsure.
"You're our best officer. But… if anything is wrong, you need to tell me."
Nothing in her expression shifted.
"There is nothing wrong."
Sato nodded slowly and dismissed her.
But as Luna left the office, she sensed something new:
Suspicion.
Small, but growing.
Just like before.
The Hallway Encounter
As Luna passed the break room, she heard whispering.
"She was there last night—look."
"That shape next to her… what is that?"
"You think she's hiding something?"
"She solved 13 cases alone—how? No one is that good."
Luna paused outside the door.
Not hurt.
Not surprised.
Just… remembering.
She had heard these same whispers seven years ago.
Emotionless.
Creepy.
Dangerous.
Not normal.
She walked away without a sound.
A Message From the Dark
Her phone buzzed again.
Unknown Number:
You lied to them, Luna.
Another message followed immediately:
Just like you lied about us.
A picture arrived next.
It was from last night—
a close-up shot of Bren's twisted smile just inches behind her.
Taken from an angle no human could have reached.
Luna's breath slowed.
He wasn't just watching.
He was close.
Too close.
Nightfall
Luna returned to her apartment.
It was small. Clean. Minimal.
Nothing unnecessary.
Nothing personal.
She placed her coat on the hook.
Sat at her desk.
Opened the case file.
Then stopped.
A small paper had been slipped inside, one she didn't put there.
Her hand froze over it.
Five names.
Written in black ink.
Lili
Hart
Bren
Steve
Mira
And beneath the names—
A single sentence:
"We're coming home."
Behind her, something moved.
Slow.
Soft.
Like a shadow stretching across the wall.
Luna didn't turn.
Her voice was calm.
Cold.
"…Which one of you is first?"
Silence answered.
And in that silence—
Luna felt the past surrounding her.
The dead didn't stay dead.
Not anymore.