Chapter 2

"I couldn't sleep at all last night because of the noise. It was driving me crazy. Why did you stop me from complaining? The cops are right here!" Christine blurted out. "Now you're acting like you don't care?"

Before I could even cover Christine's mouth, she'd already let it all out.

I broke out in a cold sweat. All I could think of was how screwed we were.

A man's quiet laugh came from behind me. "Guess you all heard that, huh?" the guy said.

Ignoring my attempts to stop her, Christine continued loudly, "Of course we heard it! You need to haul the whole family upstairs off to jail. They were so loud last night, it was driving me insane! They were hacking away all night long. Are they nuts or what?

"I'm about to have a nervous breakdown here. Oh, and shouldn't they pay me for emotional damages? Not much, just 15 grand."

I shot Christine a frantic look, desperately trying to signal her to zip it.

Christine looked like she was about to enjoy the drama unfolding.

Seeing me squirm, she only got more fired up.

She pointed at me, practically beaming as she glanced at the guy. "I told you to go upstairs and check things out last night.

"So, what did you see? Did you actually tell them off for being so damn loud?"

I was sweating bullets. "Don't talk nonsense. That's a lie."

Frantic words flew before me, going wild.

[Oh no! The killer was about to leave, and then Christine just had to mess it up. She was told not to open the door, didn't she?]

[I'm not scared of a god-tier enemy, but a bad teammate is the worst. I'm speechless. She just wouldn't shut up, even when she was told to. What an idiot.]

[Just saying, though, even if Christine is an idiot, it's her sister who ends up dead. Her sister risked her life fighting the killer to save Christine and got her out.]

[Such a shame. Christine's sister saved a total ingrate. After Christine escaped, she fell for the detective who came to crack the case.]

[To get close to the hot detective, Christine even lied and said she didn't see the killer's face. She clung to him as a victim's family member and insisted on helping with the investigation. The detective, being a good guy, actually let her tag along, and in the end, they started a sweet romance.]

[Honestly, you can't really blame Christine. The detective is tall, handsome, and rich. Any girl would be tempted!]

Reading those comments, I felt frozen to the core. I couldn't believe what I was reading.

Was Christine really going to let me die unavenged, just to chase after some guy?

I didn't want to believe it, but the comments had already foretold the killer's appearance.

What they said left me with no choice but to believe it.

I always thought Christine was just a troublemaker, always going against me because she was in her rebellious phase.

I never imagined she would treat me that way.

The guy's eyes were fixed on me, his hand subtly moving behind his back.

"Why'd you lie to me at the door, saying you didn't see a thing?" he asked. "So you actually went upstairs last night, huh? What did you see?"

My blood ran cold, and before I knew it, I was trembling all over.

More words appeared.

[The attention-seeking brat Christine is gonna get her sister killed! Everyone knows cops never come alone. How clueless can she be?]

[She's the one causing all the trouble and being stupid, but in the end, it's only her sister who gets brutally murdered.]

[All because Christine wouldn't say what the killer looked like, the investigation dragged on, the murderer slipped away, and went on to commit dozens more crimes.]

[But Christine got to live happily ever after with her rich cop boyfriend, always safe under his protection. Her poor sister, though, was pitiful.]

The guy kept closing in on me.

I tried to grab Christine and run, but she clung to my arm like a vice, refusing to let go.

In that instant, my heart sank.

Why couldn't I pull her away?

Suddenly, it hit me. Our apartment was on the second floor.

I remembered the bathroom had a back door that opened right into the parking lot.

If we could just make it to the bathroom and climb out the window down to the first floor, we could get to the parking lot and make our getaway.

But Christine was still clinging to my arm for dear life.

It was like her feet had grown roots into the floor. She wouldn't move at all.

Words were blowing up so fast, I could barely keep track.

[It's over. This is so messed up. I can't even look. The killer's got an axe hidden behind his back.]

[The front door's locked tight, and the living room's so cramped. There's no way to get out.]

[She's about to die. Next up, it's Christine and the hot cop's sweet crime-solving romance!]

The guy was closing in on me, his scarred face twitching ever so slightly with each step.

His hand was just about to reach for me when a flash of inspiration hit me at the critical moment.

I managed to pull off a shaky smile, putting on a brave face.