The puzzle was shifting once more.

The legacy wasn’t just money.

It was a survival plan.

And we were only on the first step.

I held the key tight, waiting for the stranger to make the next move.

The silence stretched between us, thick and heavy.

A floorboard creaked near the door.

The shadow moved.

I braced myself.

The final game had officially begun.

The phone in my pocket vibrated one last time, its bright screen glowing through the fabric.

The caller ID lit up the dark room.

The name on the screen made my heart stop.

It was my mother’s name.

I stared at the glowing pocket, unable to move.

The stranger took another step closer.

“Answer it,” they said.

My hand hovered over my pocket, trembling.

The ringtone echoed in the small, pitch-black room.

Each ring sounded like a countdown.

I took a deep breath.

I reached for the phone.

And the screen suddenly went black.

The ringtone cut off mid-sound.

The silence returned, deeper and more terrifying than before.

But in that split second of light, I had seen the stranger’s face.