Chapter 1

After the family of three upstairs got murdered, a police officer came and asked if I heard anything strange.

I was about to answer when words exploded in front of my eyes.

[Don't open the door! The murderer is outside pretending to be a cop. He came to see if you witness anything.]

[Don't believe him! If you talked, you would be dead. He hid an axe behind his back. You're going to be hacked to pieces.]

[Although you died, your little sister survived by selling you out. Later she hooked up with the cop who solved the case and lived a happy life.]

*****

I wondered what was happening, and if I was hallucinating.

The flood of words was way too much for my brain to handle. I stood there, frozen.

Hacked to pieces? Was the killer really outside my door?

I definitely heard some strange noises coming from upstairs last night. It sounded like someone was hacking away at something all night long.

But I remembered the family upstairs never even cooked.

The knocking at the door just wouldn't stop. "Hello, ma'am, are you home?"

My hand was already gripping the doorknob.

If those words hadn't suddenly popped up, I would've opened the door right away.

I took a deep breath and quietly released my grip.

The knocking wouldn't stop, getting louder by the second.

With those words of warning flashing before me, I could even smell a faint metallic scent drifting in from under the door.

"For the sake of the investigation, please open the door and cooperate with the police," the voice outside called out.

I held my breath, not daring to breathe.

Then, a soft chuckle came from outside. "I know you're home. I saw the lights on just now. Please open the door and cooperate with the investigation.

"Did you hear anything strange last night?"

Words flashed before my eyes.

[What to do? The killer's got an axe. Even if she doesn't open the door, he might just smash his way in.]

[It's way too late to turn off the lights now. The killer already spotted the light coming from under the door. Pretending she isn't home won't work.]

[Maybe just play along for a bit? See if she can get the killer to leave?]

I forced myself to stay calm, but my palms were slick with sweat.

"I didn't hear anything. We went to bed early last night," I replied, trying to sound steady. "Sorry I couldn't be of any help."

After a brief silence, I thought the person had left.

I was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when the knocking came back, even louder and more intense.

"Ma'am, you really should open the door," the voice said.

I tried to keep my voice steady. "I swear, I don't know anything.

"I was sleeping like a rock all night. I have no clue what weird noises you're talking about. Seriously, just stop bothering me."

But the person outside just wouldn't let up, still trying to force their way in.

Doing exactly what the words told me, I pretended to be pissed off and yelled at the door.

"If you keep harassing me, I'll report you to the cops myself!" I shouted, trying to sound as intimidating as possible, "Do you wanna get fired or what?"

Saying this shouldn't make the killer mad, right?

I was so tense I could barely breathe.

After I threatened him, the hallway finally went quiet.

The man's voice softened, losing its edge. "Sorry, ma'am. I'll leave now. Please, don't go to the police," he said.

His footsteps slowly faded away down the hall.

I rushed to lock the door tight.

Suddenly, my sister, Christine Spangler came out of her bedroom, rubbing her eyes.

She yanked the door open without a second thought.

Christine called out, "Hey, you! Come back here!"

"Don't open the door!" I froze, totally caught off guard. It was already too late to stop her.

The door I'd just locked was yanked open.

Ever since we were kids, the more I told Christine not to do something, the more she'd do the opposite just to go against me.

She shoved the door open and gave me a smug, triumphant look.

The man who'd turned the corner rushed back and stuck his foot in the doorway.

I was sweating bullets, shoving the door with everything I had, trying to lock it again.

But the guy jammed his foot and hand in the doorway, blocking it so hard I couldn't close it at all.

No matter how hard I pushed, the door wouldn't budge an inch.

Christine lifted her chin, looking all high and mighty.

"I heard everything. You're a cop, right?" she said to the man. "I've got something to report."

I frantically shot Christine warning looks, trying to get her attention. But she just rolled her eyes at me, didn't care at all.

"Why do you keep making weird faces at me? I need to talk to the officer about something serious, so quit bothering me," she snapped.

The door was thrown open with brute force.

Goosebumps erupted all over me

Then the man barged in and locked the door behind him.

I couldn't hold back anymore and snapped, my nerves frayed, "I've got stuff to do. I'm heading out for work. Can't you just come back tomorrow?"

Christine folded her arms and gave me a side-eye.

"Quit pretending. There's nobody else here, so drop the act already," she sneered.

I reached out and grabbed Christine's arm, giving her a discreet pinch, hoping she'd get the message.

"Christine, stop messing around. Please, just listen to me," I whispered urgently. "Just this once, okay? Do what I say.

"I'll transfer you 1500 dollars later, deal?"

Christine gave me an impatient shove, rolling her eyes. "Don't try to buy me off with your lousy money. Think you're the only one with cash?" she shot back.