Devil's Whisper Chapter 105: Chants in the Dark

The woman’s words stunned Kate into silence for a moment. She stared at the stranger’s face, searching for any sign of deceit, but found nothing in her serene yet cryptic expression.

“If you truly want to know who I am or how I can help you, then you must come and meet me at Somerton Beach. I’ll wait for you there.”

Kate crossed her arms and stood her ground. “I’m not going anywhere. If you have something to say, say it now,” she shot back, her tone firm and serious. Despite the growing curiosity within her, Kate was reluctant to comply with the woman’s commands. The last thing she wanted was to walk into a trap or expose herself to unnecessary danger.

The woman tilted her head slightly, her expression softening. “You have to come,” she said, her tone patient yet insistent. “It’s the way of the world, my dear. A thirsty person must go to the well to quench their thirst. And in the same way, if you truly wish to seek my help, you must come to me and ask for it.”

Kate clenched her jaw, her frustration mounting. “I don’t need your help,” she said firmly. “Just because you’ve somehow found out a few things about me doesn’t mean I’m going to chase after you and give you a chance to exploit me.”

Her response was calculated, a deliberate attempt to provoke the woman into revealing more without requiring her to make the trip to Somerton Beach.

The woman sighed softly, almost as if she were disappointed in Kate’s refusal to understand.

“Kate Miller, I have no intention of exploiting you or taking advantage of you.” Then she leaned in slightly, her dark eyes locking onto Kate’s with an intensity that sent an involuntary shiver down Kate’s spine. “Listen to me very carefully,” the woman said, her tone carrying a weight that made Kate hesitate. “Baphomet is hungry. The fragile body of Sasha Paula will not satisfy its lust for filth and its hunger for human blood. It will go after another prey—and it will do so soon.”

Kate’s breath caught in her throat as the words hung in the air. The woman’s grave expression and the way she seemed to peer directly into Kate’s soul left her momentarily speechless.

“You need to trust me,” the woman continued, her voice softer now but no less serious. “Come to Somerton Beach. It’s time to unveil a few more secrets of nature to you.” Her tone carried a sense of finality, as though she had already decided that Kate would heed her warning.

Kate shook her head, snapping herself out of the spellbinding effect of the woman’s words. “How do I know you are not a scarmmer? ” she said, her voice defiant, though the doubt in her mind lingered. “You’ve probably been following me for weeks, digging up whatever information you could find to lure me in.”

The woman’s expression remained calm, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes—sadness, perhaps, or pity. “Ignorance and stubbornness often come at a heavy price. Kate Miller, I pray that you will realize how badly you need my help before you suffer a loss that you cannot bear.”

Kate’s jaw tightened, and she turned away. “I’m leaving,” she said abruptly, hoping her departure might push the woman to say more without imposing conditions.

But the woman didn’t chase after her or raise her voice. She remained where she stood, silent and still, watching Kate with an unreadable expression.

Kate strode to her car, opening the back door to place the paper bags containing her dinner on the seat. Then she climbed into the driver’s seat and fastened her seatbelt. With one last glance out the windshield, she saw the woman standing exactly where she had been, her eyes fixed on Kate.

To Kate’s surprise, she noticed the woman’s lips moving faintly, though no sound reached her ears. It was as if the woman were chanting under her breath, the rhythm of her lips almost hypnotic.

Kate quickly shook off the strange thought, starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot. As she merged onto the main road, leaving George’s restaurant behind, her mind churned with indecision.

Was the woman truly a well-wisher, some unlikely ally stepping out of the shadows to offer salvation? Her earnest gaze and steady voice suggested as much, but Kate had seen too many masks slip to trust so easily. Or was she something far more sinister—a predator cloaked in kindness, weaving a web of lies to ensnare her? The mention of Baphomet, the Rubaiyat, secrets Kate had guarded so fiercely—how could anyone know those things unless they’d pried into the deepest corners of her life?

The thought sent a chill skittering down her spine, cold as the ocean wind she imagined blowing across Somerton Beach. Her fingers clenched around the steering wheel, her knuckles whitening as she gripped it with a force that bordered on desperation.

Should she heed the warning and go to that desolate stretch of sand, where the woman had insisted answers awaited? Or should she dismiss the entire encounter as an elaborate scam? The rational part of her—the seasoned journalist who’d built a career on facts and steel—urged her to turn away, to chalk it up to paranoia and forget the woman’s piercing eyes. But the other part, her instinct, wasn’t so sure.

More importantly, should she make a call to Jason and discuss this matter with him?

His name surfaced in her mind like a buoy in rough seas, steady and familiar.

Thinking of this, Kate regretted she hadn’t asked the woman if she could bring any company with her. The oversight stung, a rookie mistake she wouldn’t have made in her early days.

She guessed it was just habit—her instinct to go it alone, forged in the crucible of loss after her parents’ death. Back then, no one could aid her; she’d learned to rely on herself, to chase leads through sleepless nights with only her own tenacity for company. Even now, years later, it lingered like a reflex. She’d faced shadows alone for so long that asking for help still felt foreign, a language she hadn’t fully learned.

But now, she had Jason with her. The realization settled over her, warm and solid, like a hand on her shoulder. He wasn’t just a sounding board or a colleague anymore—he was her partner, in ways she hadn’t anticipated.

She could call him, tell him about the woman, the warning, the nagging pull toward Somerton Beach. He’d listen, dissect it with her, maybe even insist on coming along. The thought of his steady presence beside her—of not facing this alone—eased the tightness in her chest, if only a little.

She will be used to this soon, she told herself. The idea of leaning on someone, of sharing the weight, was still new, still awkward, like a muscle she hadn’t stretched in years. But she wanted it.

I will get used to it, soon. Kate told herself.

With a slow, deliberate breath, she loosened her grip on the wheel, her fingers flexing as she reached for her phone. Jason’s number glowed on the screen, and for a moment, she hesitated, the old instincts warring with the new.

Then, with a resolve that felt both fragile and fierce, she pressed call.