Dark Whispers

11. The Hunters Arrive

The streets were deathly silent. Jamie's fingers clenched tightly around her phone as she stared at the blood-red countdown that had now hit zero. Yet, the livestream chat was still exploding with activity.

[The Hunters have arrived—Main Player, your escape begins now.]

A suffocating tension gripped Jamie's chest. She snapped her head up and looked out the car window—

At the end of the street, a shadowy figure stood perfectly still.

Its body was grotesquely contorted, arms unnaturally long, hanging past its knees. Its head tilted slightly to one side, as if staring directly at them.

Jamie's breath hitched. Her pulse pounded against her ribs.

"Start the car. Now." She whispered.

Sandra didn't hesitate. She slammed her foot onto the gas pedal, the tires screeching against the pavement as the car shot forward, tearing through the empty streets.

But the livestream on Jamie's phone continued to follow them.

As if an unseen camera had locked onto them, watching their every move.

Jamie's gaze flicked to the screen, fingers ice-cold.

The Hunter was still standing in the same spot, its body trembling ever so slightly.

"It's not moving yet…" Jamie muttered.

Then—

The chat exploded with a flood of frenzied messages.

[Countdown ended. The Hunt begins.]

Jamie's stomach lurched. She whipped around to check the rearview mirror—

And saw the shadowed figure suddenly lurch into motion.

It charged toward them, its twisted limbs flailing, closing the distance at an impossible speed!

"IT'S CHASING US!" Jamie screamed.

Sandra gritted her teeth, slamming the accelerator. The car shot past 120 mph, city lights blurring past. But the thing behind them wasn't slowing down—

It was gaining.

Jamie's phone buzzed violently as a new prompt appeared.

[Escape Countdown: 10:00][Survive within the time limit, or the game ends.]

Sandra swerved the car into a narrow alley, barely missing a lamppost, but the Hunter didn't slow down. It slithered through the darkness like a living shadow, its grotesque form warping and twisting as it pursued them.

"What the hell is this thing?! Why is it after us?" Jamie shouted.

Sandra's voice remained eerily calm. "If this livestream thrives on people watching us die… then as long as we stay alive, the game won't end."

Jamie's eyes widened. "So… we can't run forever. And we can't die."

Her mind raced. Then we change the rules.

She grabbed Sandra's wrist. "Stop the car."

"What?" Sandra's eyes flicked toward her.

"Trust me. Just stop."

Sandra hesitated for only a second—then slammed the brakes.

The tires shrieked, smoke billowing as the car came to a violent halt.

The Hunter stopped as well—only two meters away.

It tilted its head, as if confused by their actions.

And for the first time, the chat fell silent.

Jamie held her breath, gripping her phone tightly.

"If this is a game where death is the only outcome, we're going to break it."

Her fingers moved rapidly across the screen, navigating through the livestream's hidden admin panel—

And she found it.

The "Report" button.

[Reason: Violent content, illegal activity, death threats]

Jamie pressed it.

[Report Submitted. Stream will be terminated.]

A second later, her phone went black.

The chat disappeared.

The Hunter twitched violently, its body distorting, flickering—like a glitch in a corrupted system.

Then, as if something had severed its connection to reality, it began to dissolve into the night.

And then, it was gone.

Jamie's heart was hammering against her chest. She stared at the dark screen, her hands still trembling.

The car was completely silent, except for the sound of their heavy breathing.

After several seconds, Sandra finally let go of the steering wheel, exhaling slowly.

"You did it."

Jamie leaned back against the seat, laughing breathlessly. "Turns out… even death streams have rules."

[Stream Terminated.][Game Over.][Viewers: 0]

The screen shut off completely.

And in the quiet streets of the city, the nightmare had ended.

12. Epilogue

The next day, Jamie and Sandra reported everything to the authorities.

But when the police tried to investigate the livestream…

They found no records of its existence.

The server was never registered. No traces of the broadcast could be retrieved.

And the strangest part?

All the viewer accounts that had participated—had disappeared.

As if they never existed at all.

Jamie stared at the empty webpage, an unease creeping up her spine.

"Maybe… the people watching weren't really people." Sandra murmured.

Jamie stayed silent.

She thought back to the moment the Hunter vanished—how the chat had instantly cut off, how the audience had suddenly stopped reacting.

Had they been mere spectators?

Or had they been waiting…

For the real stream to begin?

She slowly closed her phone, exhaling.

"Let's just hope they never find a new target."

Outside, the city lights flickered in the deepening night.

Somewhere, in an unseen corner of the world—

A new mysterious link silently appeared on someone's screen.

[DEATH STREAM: NOW LIVE.]