Chapter 10. THE STATUS YOU DIDN'T POST by Abrar Nayeem Chowdhury. The Best Horror Thriller Web Novel
Chapter 10: The Silence That Chooses You
The sensation was worse than pain. Pain demanded attention. This did not. It was the quiet certainty that the world had already leaned away from her, eyes sliding past, fingers scrolling onward.
And somewhere deep inside the building, another phone vibrated softly, already preparing to ring.
The Devil did not rush.
He never rushed when he knew the outcome was certain.
The hallway hummed with a low electrical sound, the kind buildings make when they’re awake at night and pretending not to listen. Screens dimmed one by one, not shutting off, just…losing interest. Faces blurred. Comments slowed.
Mira realized with a sudden, sick clarity that fear had a lifespan.
And hers was expiring.
She whispered, “What happens when they stop watching?”
The Devil’s smile did not change.
“That,” he said, “is when it becomes real.”
The vibration turned into a ring.
Not loud.
Not urgent.
Patient.
The sound came from the stairwell below, where the light never quite worked, and footsteps echoed longer than they should. The ringing bounced up the concrete like a heartbeat climbing toward consciousness.
No one moved.
The crowd had learned something new tonight. Learned it well.
Do not answer first.
The Devil tilted his head, amused.
“You see?”
“They’re getting smarter.”
The ringing stopped.
For a moment, there was only breathing.
Then a notification tone chimed from Mira’s own phone.
She stared at it, confused. Her screen was black, cracked, dead.
The sound came again.
From inside her pocket.
Her hands shook as she pulled it out.
The screen lit up, smooth and unbroken.
New account. No profile photo.
One message.
“You didn’t think relevance was permanent, did you?”
Mira backed away until she felt the wall press cold against her spine.
“I already paid,” she said. “I told them everything.”
The Devil stepped closer, his presence bending the air, making the light around him dim as if embarrassed to exist.
“You paid for visibility,” he corrected.
“Not immunity.”
The stairwell door creaked open.
A girl stepped out.
Not injured. Not crying.
Smiling.
She was filming herself, phone held high, face perfectly lit by the screen’s glow.
“Guys,” she whispered excitedly, “I think I found where it started.”
The viewer count spiked again, not on Mira’s screen, but everywhere. Reflected in the eyes. In glass. In the Devil’s grin.
The girl turned, camera panning.
Mira saw herself appear on the screen, smaller than she remembered. Less sharp. Already labeled.
“Original Source.”
The Devil leaned close, his voice barely there, colder than before.
“When the story stops needing you,” he murmured.
Mira’s phone buzzed again.
“Final reminder,” the message read.
“Silence is also a confession.”
The girl with the camera stepped closer, excitement trembling in her voice.
“Can you tell us what really happened?”
The crowd leaned in.
The Devil stepped back.
And somewhere, far below, another phone began to ring.
Not for Mira.
Not yet.
The darkness smiled, patient as ever, waiting to see who would answer next.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 9 - https://storylinespectrum.blogspot.com/2025/12/chapter-9-status-you-didnt-post-by.html
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