Chapter 1

It was ten o'clock on Saturday night when Maggie Osborne, my colleague from next door, suddenly knocked on my door, showing up with a cheesecake.

Just as I was about to open the door, a flood of warnings flashed before my eyes.

[Lexie, seriously, don't open that door, and don't eat anything she gives you.]

[She's going to get you killed!]

*****

Panic hit me, and I instantly let go of the doorknob.

"Lexie, come on, open up! This cheesecake is so heavy. I can barely hold it," Maggie called out from outside, her voice playful and a bit whiny.

I stood frozen behind the door, not knowing what to do. Right then, the barrage of warnings popped up again.

[Lexie, she messed up. Now all three of her crazy boyfriends have tracked her down. To smooth things over, she's gonna offer you up to all of them.]

[They've got some knock-out drugs. If you eat the leftover cheesecake she gives you, you'll black out. Those three guys will rape you while you're out. They'll also take photos and videos.]

[Later, they'll threaten you with those photos and videos, forcing you to be their sex slave. Maggie will bully you at work, spread nasty rumors, and in the end, you'll lose it, jump off a building, and end up paralyzed.]

[Even after you're disabled, they won't let you go. They'll lock you up in some creepy old guy's basement and make you service customers for ten dollars a time.]

[All of them are in their sixties to nineties. Eventually, your body will rot away, and you'll die a horrible death.]

Those messages hit me like a blast of arctic air. I felt frozen to the core.

How could people be this twisted?

"Lexie, what are you doing? Why aren't you opening the door?" Maggie called out again, her voice getting impatient.

She was still out there, pushing me to open up.

I tried to say something, but I was shaking so badly from fear that not a single word came out.

After graduating college, I moved with my company to a remote mountain town.

Since home was so far away, I had to spend my weekends in the dorm.

Maggie started at the company the same year as me, and after six months working together, I actually had a pretty good impression of her.

We were the only two girls staying there on weekends, so sometimes, we'd share homemade food.

Just then, I thought it was just another one of those food-sharing moments, so I agreed without thinking twice.

But this time, I couldn't even get out of it by pretending I wasn't home.

I took a deep breath, crept over to the bathroom, and flicked on the light.

Then I shot her a text, [Maggie, my stomach's acting up bad. I got the runs. Save the cheesecake for tomorrow. I really can't eat anything tonight.]

Maggie texted back, annoyed, [Sorry to hear that. I brought it right to your door. Whatever, even if you can't eat it tonight, at least take it and stick it in the fridge for tomorrow.]

The comment popped up again, [Lexie, just say no. Those three guys are already outside. If you open that door, they'll grab you for sure.]

[It's just you and her in the dorm this weekend, and you're out in the sticks. Even if you scream for help, nobody's coming.]

I texted back, [Thanks, Maggie, but I really don't need it.]

After texting her back, I started sizing up my tiny dorm room, just one room and a bathroom, all I had to work with.

The only thing in there that could actually do some damage was a kitchen knife.

If Maggie and those guys forced their way in, the bathroom was the only place I could hide.

But that glass door was even flimsier than the front door.

"Lexie, come on. I got a huge blister while making this cheesecake for you, and you won't even take it? I was always looking out for you, and this is what I got?" Maggie whined, laying it on thick and trying to guilt-trip me.

I gripped the kitchen knife tightly and crept toward the door.

The warnings said those three guys were lurking right on either side of my door.

I pressed my ear against the door, trying to catch what they were saying.

"That bitch. Whenever I call her out for food, she runs out in a flash, but now, she's hiding like a scared rabbit," Maggie grumbled.

One of the guys outside threatened Maggie, "Maggie, you're not stalling, are you? If you don't deliver, you'll pay us back a hundred times what we spent on you."

Maggie shot back, sounding sure of herself, "It's just me and her here. Even if I stall, nobody's coming to help. Relax, she'll come out. I know her."

Moments ago, I wasn't sure if I should believe those warnings, but after this, I believed every word.

The moment those men spoke, my blood nearly froze in my veins.

My heart was pounding out of my chest, and I couldn't stop shaking.

Why would Maggie do this to me? I hadn't done anything to her these past two weeks.

[Lexie, text Maggie back and stall her for now.]

[Yeah, good call. We're here with you. We'll help you figure something out.]

The warnings flashed again. I pulled up my chat with Maggie and typed, [Sorry.]

[But I'm really wiped out right now. All I want to do is crawl into bed and rest.]

Maggie muttered under her breath, "Bitch! Of all times to have diarrhea, it just had to be now."

She really thought I was stuck in the bathroom, shitting my guts out.