Part : 6
Tittle : Located..
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Sarah shot Hazel a dramatic, teary-eyed look, silently pleading for rescue. Hazel, however, stood firm, her hands planted resolutely on Sarah's shoulders, effectively pinning her to the chair. With a sigh of resignation, Sarah faced the screen again.
"Like I said," she typed, trying to sound as convincing as possible, "I'm a writer. I'm working on a novel, and those quotes you posted... they just feel right for the story. I need to know their origin for research purposes."
The ellipsis on Wang's side of the chat lingered for what felt like an eternity. Finally, a new message appeared, stark and demanding: "WHO ARE YOU? I KNOW WHO YOU ARE."
Sarah's heart pounded. He knew? She took a leap of faith, her fingers flying across the keyboard. "Lord?" she typed, a hopeful yet terrified question mark hanging in the digital air.
Wang's reply was a curt, dismissive "Nah."
Frustration and a growing sense of unease bubbled within Sarah. "Then how do you know me?" she typed back, her fingers trembling slightly. "What do you know about me?"
Wang's response was chillingly calculated. "I don't know you. But I know you know something about those quotes. You fell right into my trap."
A wave of cold dread washed over Sarah. How could he possibly know? It was true, no information about the 'Lord' or their past life should exist online. They had been meticulous in erasing their digital footprints. Then it clicked. Hazel's earlier words echoed in her mind – "websites to lure the members back." This was it. A trap, designed to identify anyone who still remembered.
Wang's next message appeared, cold and direct: "Now that I know you know, would you mind telling me your information? Need to register you on the list."
Sarah's fingers hovered over the keyboard, a mix of fear and morbid curiosity churning within her. "What list?" she typed back, her voice trembling slightly. "Have you found others too?"
"Indeed," Wang replied, a hint of something akin to satisfaction in his tone.
"Can you send me the list?" Sarah asked, her hope flickering.
"Not yet," Wang stated firmly. "First, I need to know who you are. Then we can proceed."
"Why are you collecting people back?" Sarah pressed, needing to understand the purpose behind this digital gathering.
Wang's reply was laced with sarcasm. "Oh, you know, to play carrom. What else? To regenerate the team, of course. The one that once was."
He returned to his demand. "Now, your information?"
Sarah hesitated, a strong instinct screaming at her not to reveal anything personal to this menacing stranger. "I'm not giving you my personal information," she typed defiantly.
Silence stretched on the screen for over ten agonizing minutes. Sarah finally let out a frustrated sigh, closing her phone in defeat. "See, Hazel?" she exclaimed, a tremor in her voice. "I almost got myself killed online! He was so creepy!"
Just as the words left her lips, a simultaneous chime echoed through the room. Hazel's phone, Sarah's phone, and her laptop all pinged at once. A cold dread washed over Sarah as she instinctively reached for her laptop.
A new message had appeared on all three devices. It was the same, chillingly simple: "Gotcha."
On her laptop screen, a new image had been sent. Hesitantly, Sarah clicked on the banner to open it. The image that filled the screen was a stark, terrifying reality – a hacking screen screenshot. It displayed her full real name, her date of birth, her parents' names, and their home address in Jaipur.
Sarah leaned back in her chair, her breath catching in her throat. Her eyes widened in disbelief and horror. "Oh God," she whispered, the color draining from her face. "We are so cooked."
Wang's next message was a chilling ultimatum: "So, are you going to willingly give me the information now? Or do I have to resort to other methods? Let's just say, my ways can be... persuasive."
Sarah's blood ran cold. The threat, though veiled, was unmistakable. She had no doubt that this 'Wang' was capable of anything. With a heavy heart, she typed, "What do you want to know?"
"Do you know anyone else who remembers?" Wang's reply was immediate and direct.
Sarah instinctively typed "No," wanting to protect Hazel and anyone else who might be involved.
But Hazel, who had been watching the exchange with wide, anxious eyes, leaned closer. "Ask him if he's found anyone else who was one of us," she urged in a hushed whisper.
Sarah nodded and typed, "Have you found any other people... from our team?"
Wang's reply was swift. "Seven of our own. And two from Cosa Nostra."
"What was your team called?" Sarah asked, her curiosity piqued despite her fear.
"None of your business," Wang snapped back.
Swallowing her pride, Sarah pressed on. "What about the two from Cosa Nostra? Who are they?"
"A man named Raj. And the other one is Jay. They've already been... located." The word 'located' hung in the air, carrying a sinister undertone.