Chapter 23
"The Footsteps"
(Arushi POV – Baek-Costa Penthouse, Sunday, 8:00 AM)
The moment I woke up, my mind instantly replayed that dream from last night.
The faceless girl.
Her laughter.
The warmth of the paradise.
It felt so real.
I sat up, running my fingers through my hair, trying to shake off the uneasiness.
With a sigh, I pushed myself off the bed and walked to the bathroom.
The cold water hitting my face helped, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling.
Parang may naiwan sa panaginip na 'yon—something unfinished.
As I dried my face with a towel, I suddenly froze.
Thud.
Footsteps.
Outside my room.
I turned off the faucet, listening carefully.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
It was soft but distinct—someone was walking outside.
No answer.
I slowly opened the door and peered into the hallway.
…Nothing.
Wala namang tao.
My room was at the farthest end of the penthouse, so it wasn’t like people would randomly pass by.
But I swore I heard footsteps.
I stepped out, looking left and right. The hallway was empty.
My stomach churned.
With a deep breath, I shook my head. “Baka iniisip ko lang.”
Trying to ignore the lingering unease, I made my way to the kitchen.
Kitchen – 8:10 AM
The moment I stepped inside, I saw Citrine and Auntie Amber sitting at the dining table, silently eating breakfast.
The air between them was… weird.
Citrine looked up at me and smirked. “Finally, gising ka na. Kala ko natulog ka ulit after mo magising kanina.”
I frowned. “What do you mean? Kaka-gising ko lang.”
Citrine raised a brow. “Huh? Eh, may narinig ako kanina parang naglalakad sa hallway. Akala ko ikaw.”
My blood turned cold.
Citrine nodded, sipping her orange juice. “Yeah. Kala ko nga lumabas ka ng kwarto mo tas bumalik ulit. Pero nung chineck ko yung room mo, sarado naman.”
My heart started pounding.
I turned to Auntie Amber, who had been silent the entire time, staring at her coffee.
She looked at me, her expression unreadable. Then she shook her head.
A heavy silence filled the room.
I looked between them, a weird feeling settling in my chest.
Citrine didn’t seem bothered, but Auntie Amber…
She looked tense.
Like she knew something.
Auntie Amber finally sighed and leaned back against her chair.
“This penthouse… matagal na ‘tong hindi natirhan before Auburn and Primo bought it. The previous owner—” she paused, as if choosing her words carefully—“left without a trace. Walang nagawang records bakit biglaan silang umalis. Walang explanation.”
I swallowed hard.
That didn’t sound normal.
Auntie Amber took a slow sip of her coffee before answering.
I sat in my gaming chair, eyes locked on the screen, fingers moving instinctively on the controller.
The room was dim, the neon RGB lights reflecting off the glass table beside me. The only sound filling the space was the occasional clicking of buttons and the faint hum of the air conditioner.
Citrine and Auntie Amber were outside by the pool, probably enjoying the sun, but honestly?
I just wanted to be alone.
Like always.
Distraction Mode: ON
I focused on the game, my character sprinting through the battlefield, dodging enemy fire, sliding behind cover—
Game Over.
I groaned, tossing the controller onto my lap. “Damn it.”
Leaning back, I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling deeply.
For some reason, I still couldn’t shake off the weird feeling from this morning.
The footsteps.
The way Auntie Amber hesitated.
The story about the previous owner of this penthouse.
It was messing with my head.
Message Notification
My phone vibrated beside me.
I lazily picked it up, glancing at the screen.
10+ Messages from ‘T-Gang’
Raegan.
Min-Jae.
Forest.
I rolled my eyes.
Group chat na naman.
I wasn’t in the mood for their usual nonsense, so I pressed ignore and tossed my phone onto the table.
Closing my eyes for a moment, I sighed.
Bakit ba ang gulo ng utak ko ngayon?
Usually, gaming helps me relax. Pero ngayon? It wasn’t working.
I glanced toward the door leading to the penthouse hallway.
It was slightly open.
For some reason, it made me feel uneasy.
Like… something was watching me.
_
I sat there, controller in hand, eyes locked on the slightly open door.
A strange feeling crawled up my spine.
Like someone—or something—was watching me.
I shook my head.
Pero kahit anong pilit kong i-ignore, my gut was telling me na something was off.
Checking the Hallway
I placed the controller on the desk and stood up. Slowly, I walked toward the door, pushing it open wider.
The hallway stretched in front of me, dimly lit by the natural light seeping through the penthouse windows.
Tahimik.
No sign of Citrine or Auntie Amber.
I glanced towards the kitchen—wala rin.
And yet, I still had this heavy feeling na…
May ibang tao dito.
A Soft Sound
Then, I heard it.
A faint creak.
Parang tunog ng floorboard na naapakan.
I spun around—pero walang tao.
I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. Maybe I was just overthinking.
Maybe it was just the penthouse settling.
Maybe it was just…
A dream bleeding into reality.
I pressed my temples, forcing my mind to calm down.
No. Hindi ako nanaginip.
Back to Gaming (Or Not)
I turned around, deciding na bumalik nalang sa laro ko.
Pero nung pagbalik ko sa gaming room—
My screen was on a different game.
I froze.
Hindi ito yung nilalaro ko kanina.
The character on screen was standing in a dark, empty field.
No enemies. No objectives.
Just… standing there.
And then, out of nowhere—
The faceless girl appeared on the screen.
A chill ran down my spine.
Eyes wide, I took a step back, my heart hammering in my chest.
This… This wasn’t part of the game.
I grabbed the controller, pressing every button to exit—pero walang nangyayari.
The screen flickered.
Then, a message appeared:
I dropped the controller.
And for the first time in a long time, I felt genuine fear.
__
I stared at the screen, chills crawling up my spine.
"I'm waiting."
The words glowed eerily against the dark field on the screen. The faceless girl stood still, her presence unnerving, like she was watching me through the pixels.
I swallowed hard.
This isn't part of the game.
I pressed the power button on my console—pero hindi siya nag-turn off.
I unplugged the whole damn thing.
Pero nag-on pa rin ang screen.
A deep, uneasy feeling settled in my stomach.
My hands trembled slightly as I backed away.
This wasn't just some glitch.
This was something else.
A Sudden Knock
Knock. Knock.
Napatigil ako.
The knock was soft, pero ramdam ko ito sa buong katawan ko.
Someone was outside the gaming room.
I turned my head slowly toward the door.
“Citrine?” I called out, trying to sound normal kahit na ang bilis ng tibok ng puso ko.
Walang sumagot.
Instead—
The screen flickered.
Then a new message appeared:
"Open the door."
Napatigil ang paghinga ko.
I took a step back.
Who the hell was messing with me?
I grabbed my phone and checked the penthouse CCTV.
The hallway outside my room? Empty.
Pero bakit may kumatok?
Why does it feel like…
Someone’s here?
The Air Turned Cold
Biglang lumamig ang kwarto.
Not just any kind of cold—bone-chilling cold.
I could see my breath fogging up in front of me.
A heavy pressure settled in the room, pressing against my chest.
Then—
A whisper.
Right. Behind. Me.
"Arushi."
My entire body froze.
Slowly, I turned my head, heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of my chest.
And then—
I saw it.
Reflected on my monitor screen.
A dark figure standing behind me.
No face.
No features.
Just standing there.
Watching me.
Waiting.
I spun around—pero walang tao.
Pero alam kong may kasama ako sa kwartong ‘to.
I could feel it.
I could feel her.
And she wasn’t leaving anytime soon.
__
Living Room, 6:00 PM
She was nudging me nonstop, her brows furrowed in concern.
When I finally opened my eyes, I saw her and Auntie Amber staring at me, their expressions a mix of worry and curiosity.
I blinked, confused.
Wait—nasa gaming room ako kanina, right?
Bakit ako nandito sa living room?
I looked around, trying to gather my thoughts.
Everything felt... off.
The last thing I remembered was—
That dream.
Or was it really a dream?
Citrine nodded. “Yeah, dude, you were mumbling something. Tapos pawis na pawis ka. Parang may demonyo kang kinakalaban sa panaginip mo.”
Napatingin ako sa sarili ko—tama nga sila.
My shirt was damp with sweat, and my hands were still trembling.
Shit.
It felt too real.
The knock.
The cold air.
The figure behind me.
The whispers.
Pero... kung panaginip lang ‘yon, bakit parang... may naiwan?
A strange, lingering pressure settled on my chest—almost like something was still watching me.
I swallowed hard.
“What was it about?” Auntie Amber asked, tilting her head slightly. “The dream.”
I hesitated.
Should I tell them?
Would they even believe me?
Citrine nudged me again, this time gentler. “Troney, tell us. Ano ba nangyari?”
I sighed.
Citrine’s brows rose. “Tapos?”
I hesitated again.
Telling them about the faceless girl felt... wrong.
Like I wasn’t supposed to talk about her.
Like she would know if I did.
I forced out a chuckle instead.
Auntie Amber didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t push me further.
Citrine, however, was still staring at me, her lips slightly pursed.
I nodded. “Yeah. I just need—”
Before I could even finish my sentence, my phone buzzed.
I glanced down at the screen—
1 new message.
From an unknown number.
I felt a chill creep down my spine as I unlocked my phone, my heart pounding as I read the message.