41. BLOOD

The sudden blood-curdling scream pierced the air, cutting through the cheerful atmosphere like a knife.

Everyone froze, eyes wide with shock. Taliya's heart pounded in her chest as she quickly stood up. "What was that?" she exclaimed, already moving towards the door.

Her team followed, fear and confusion etched on their faces. "It came from outside," Carl said, his voice trembling slightly.

They rushed out of the cabin and into the open air, looking around frantically for the source of the scream. But there was nothing—no sign of anyone, no movement, just the unsettling quiet of the night.

"Do you see anything?" Rebecca asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Taliya scanned the area, her instincts on high alert. "No, nothing," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady. She turned to her team, forcing a reassuring smile. "It must have been a prank. Let's head back inside and finish up."

The team hesitated but eventually nodded, trusting Taliya's judgment. As they headed back into the cabin, Taliya lingered behind, her gut telling her something was wrong. Once everyone was safely inside, she slipped away quietly, making her way to the backside of the cabin.

The air was thick with tension as she moved cautiously, her eyes scanning the shadows. Suddenly, she spotted something that made her blood run cold—blood, fresh and dark, dripping from the wall. Her heart raced as she approached, dread settling in her stomach.

Taliya reached out, her hand trembling as she touched the blood. It was still warm. She looked up, her eyes tracing the source of the blood to a spot higher on the wall. Her mind raced with possibilities, none of them good.

"I knew it wasn't a prank," she whispered to herself, a mix of fear and determination in her voice. She knew she had to find out what happened, but first, she needed to ensure her team's safety.

Quickly, Taliya made her way back inside, her mind already formulating a plan. She needed to keep her team calm and safe while she investigated. The success of Ethereal Elegance had suddenly taken a dark turn, and Taliya was determined to uncover the truth behind the terrifying scream and the blood dripping from the wall.

Stomping inside, she smiles at her staff and announces, "I am having a headache. Haroon please help out the staff, I will be on the roof for a while."

Haroon nodded at her and went back to his work.

Taliya's mind raced as she slipped out the back door of the cabin, her senses heightened by the eerie silence that had fallen over the area. The blood she'd found dripping from the wall was a stark, horrifying clue that something was terribly wrong. Her heart pounded in her chest as she cautiously made her way to the roof, hoping to get a better view and perhaps uncover more clues.

The morning air was cool and sharp, and the rooftop offered an unsettling view of the dark, quiet surroundings. As she moved carefully across the roof, her eyes scanning every shadow and corner, she felt a chill run down her spine. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

Suddenly, her foot hit something slick. She looked down to see a glistening pool of blood. Her breath caught in her throat as she followed the trail with her eyes, leading her to a note scrawled in blood on the ground. The message was chilling: "You were after my life, now I am yours."

A wave of terror washed over Taliya, leaving her momentarily paralyzed. Her eyes widened as she stared at the words, each one dripping with malice and threat. She could almost feel the presence of the person who had written it, a cold, sinister shadow looming over her.

Her mind spiraled into panic. Who had written this? Why were they targeting her? The scream, the blood—what did it all mean? She felt as if she were trapped in a nightmare, unable to wake up.

Taliya's breathing quickened, each inhale shaky and shallow. She backed away from the note, her heart hammering in her chest. She needed to get back inside, to warn her team, to find safety. But her legs felt like lead, every step a monumental effort.

She stumbled to the edge of the roof, gripping the railing tightly as she looked down at the ground below. The world seemed to spin around her, her vision blurring with the rush of fear. "This can't be happening," she whispered to herself, trying to steady her nerves.

With a burst of determination, Taliya forced herself to move, her steps unsteady as she made her way back to the roof access door. Her hands trembled as she fumbled with the handle, finally wrenching it open and practically falling down the stairs in her haste to get back inside.

As she burst through the door into the main cabin, her team looked up, startled by her sudden entrance. She struggled to catch her breath, her eyes wide with fear. "There's... there's blood on the roof," she gasped. "A note... written in blood... 'You were after my life, now I am yours.'"

Her words hung in the air, the gravity of the situation sinking in. The team's faces mirrored her terror, the reality of the threat they were facing hitting them like a cold wave. Taliya knew they had to act fast. Whoever was behind this was close, and they needed to stay together and find a way to protect themselves.

The sense of triumph from their earlier meeting was long gone, replaced by a chilling fear that threatened to consume them all. Taliya took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "We need to stay calm and think," she said, her voice firmer now despite the panic still thrumming through her veins. "Let's lock all the doors and windows. We can't let whoever did this get inside."

The team sprang into action, their movements hurried but coordinated. As they worked, Taliya couldn't shake the feeling that their every move was being watched. The night was far from over, and she knew they were in for the fight of their lives.