Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women
Chapter 821 - 823

Chapter 821: Chapter 823

Lisa let out a breath. "That’s not human."

Roy leaned back, his fingers tightening against the desk. "You bring this thing back with you?"

Jude didn’t react to the accusation. "It was already here. I just saw it."

Roy didn’t like that answer, but arguing wouldn’t change what they had just witnessed.

Lisa straightened. "If it was watching us, that means it knows we’ve seen it now."

Jude nodded. "It’ll come again."

Roy exhaled slowly, controlling his temper. "Then we deal with it before it deals with us."

Jude met his gaze. "We might not have that choice."

Roy didn’t like that either, but there was no time to sit around debating what came next. He turned to Lisa . "Double security. No one gets in or out without clearance."

She nodded, already pulling out her phone to issue the orders.

Jude watched them work, his mind calculating the next move. He had seen things beyond this world, things that couldn’t be fought with just strength or weapons. But Roy was a man who needed control, who needed to act. And right now, there was no convincing him that this was something far worse than just an intruder.

The night stretched on, the weight of unseen eyes pressing down on them even as the room remained still. They didn’t see anything else on the cameras. No further movement. But that didn’t mean it was gone.

Jude sat near the window, his eyes on the city beyond. It was familiar yet distant, like a memory that didn’t quite belong to him anymore. He had returned, but something had followed. And now, it was only a matter of time before it made itself known again.

Lisa eventually sat down across from him. "You never told me where you went."

He was silent for a long moment before answering. "Somewhere I shouldn’t have."

She studied him, her fingers tapping lightly against the armrest. "And now it’s coming after you."

"Maybe."

She didn’t push him further, but she didn’t look away either. "Roy won’t trust you easily."

"I know."

She leaned back slightly. "But I do."

He looked at her then, and for the first time since he had returned, something in his expression softened. "Thank you."

The moment didn’t last long. A sudden sound echoed through the building, sharp, unnatural.

Roy was already moving before the alarm finished its first ring. "Lisa , with me."

Jude was right behind them as they stepped into the hallway. The lights flickered, a pulse of electricity surging through the walls.

Something was here.

Security had already locked down most of the building, but the presence didn’t care about locks.

They moved quickly, Roy taking the lead, his instincts honed from years of dealing with threats. But this was different. The deeper they went, the heavier the air became.

Then they saw it.

It wasn’t just in the cameras anymore. It was here.

A shape shifting in the shadows, almost blending into the walls, but undeniably present.

Jude felt the weight of it pressing against his mind, something foreign, something wrong.

Roy reached for his gun, but before he could draw it, the thing moved.

A flicker of motion, a ripple in the air.

And then it was behind them.

Lisa reacted first, spinning and firing a shot. The bullet passed through nothing but air.

Jude turned, his body tense, his pulse steady. "It’s testing us."

Roy gritted his teeth. "Then let’s not give it the chance."

But before he could do anything, the thing struck.

A force slammed into them, sending them backward. The world blurred for a moment, and when Jude steadied himself, he saw something he hadn’t expected.

Roy was still on his feet, his expression furious, but Lisa was frozen. Not in fear, but literally frozen.

Her body was locked in place, her eyes wide, her breath shallow.

Jude moved toward her, but the presence pulsed again, and this time, it spoke.

Not in words. Not in sounds.

But in thoughts. In something deeper.

"You do not belong here."

The voice was everywhere and nowhere, filling the space like a whisper against their skin.

Jude clenched his jaw. "Neither do you."

A low, almost amused sensation rippled through the air.

And then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the presence vanished.

The lights returned to normal. The pressure in the air lifted.

Lisa gasped, stumbling forward as whatever had held her released its grip.

Roy caught her, his expression unreadable, before turning back to Jude.

"What the hell was that?"

Jude exhaled, his hands clenched into fists.

"The beginning."

The dim glow of the underground corridor flickered as footsteps echoed through the narrow space. Shadows stretched long against the concrete walls, swallowing the figure that moved with careful precision. The air was damp, carrying the scent of old stone and something metallic, something unmistakably tied to blood. The figure paused, tilting their head slightly, listening. There was no sound beyond the distant hum of machinery embedded deep within the facility.

A slow breath, steady and controlled. They moved forward again, their movements fluid, unhurried, but never careless. The corridor opened into a larger space, a chamber filled with outdated technology, rusted control panels, and broken monitors that flickered weakly, displaying distorted images. But the figure wasn’t here for the machinery. They approached the center of the room, where a single chair stood, chains coiled around its base.

A body sat in that chair, unmoving. The dim light cast shadows across their face, making it difficult to tell if they were conscious. The figure took another step forward, the sound of their boots against the concrete sharp in the silence.

"You’ve been waiting," they said, their voice even, devoid of emotion.

The person in the chair stirred, their head lifting slightly, though the effort seemed almost too much. A dry chuckle escaped their lips. "Took your time."

"You knew I’d come."

A slow nod, though the motion looked painful. "Eventually."

There was no immediate response. The figure simply studied the prisoner, their gaze unreadable. Finally, they reached into their coat and withdrew a small, silver device, no larger than a coin. They placed it on the armrest of the chair, pressing their fingers against it for a moment before stepping back.