Deadly Apartment

The First Knock on My Door

I had just pulled up all my surveillance camera feeds when Jessica messaged again.

Bestie Jessica : “Wenwen, this is so weird! I just got here, and the building manager suddenly locked the entrance. You have no idea how creepy it is down here! The lights are broken, it’s pitch black, and then out of nowhere—this hunchbacked guy showed up. Scared the hell out of me!”

She sent a photo.

The first-floor lobby was shrouded in darkness, the only illumination coming from a faint green emergency exit sign. The image was centered on the building’s front door, where a man in a raincoat stood, hunched at an extreme 90-degree angle.

He was chaining the entrance shut.

The hunchbacked man faced away from the camera, but his reflection was visible in the glass door.

And in that reflection…

He was staring directly at Jessica .

I instinctively moved my phone away from my face.

Even though I had only been here three days, I could still recall what the real building manager looked like.

He was a young guy.

Not an old man.

The killer had already infiltrated the building.

Bestie jesscia : “Oh my god! He just turned around and asked what I was doing! You don’t know how ugly he is!”

Bestie Jessica : “I tried ignoring him, but he suddenly grabbed my wrist! I got so mad and told him I’d report him, but he didn’t care! He kept insisting I wasn’t a tenant and tried to drag me out! Only after I told him I was visiting a friend and gave him your room number did he finally let go.”

Bestie Jessica : “You HAVE to report him, Wenwen! His company should totally fine him!”

I rested my chin on one hand, watching her messages pile up without responding.

Bestie Jessica : “But you know what’s weird? After I gave him your room number, he suddenly smiled—so disgustingly—and said he’d personally come apologize later. Can you believe that?!”

Silence.

For a moment, Jessica stopped texting.

I frowned, wondering what new trick she was pulling.

Bestie Jessica : “That guy is NOT normal! He smells like blood. And… I saw inside the manager’s room—there’s so much blood! Crap, he just noticed me! Wenwen, open the door! Save me!”

I lifted my gaze from my phone.

Through the surveillance feed, I saw Jessica bolting upstairs.

She was fast.

In the blink of an eye, she had reached my door.

“Help me!”

A muffled scream came through the thick security door, followed by a sharp, pained shriek.

I watched as she was flung backward, her body slamming against the floor.

The protective talismans on my door burned with black smoke.

Oh? So Jessica really wasn’t human, huh?

Good thing my talismans worked.

And even if she tried a few more times, I wasn’t worried—I had an entire sack of them ready. I could easily send her straight to oblivion.

Bestie Jessica : “Wenwen, what’s on your door? It hurts so much!”

Me: “Nothing.”

Bestie Jessica : “Then why am I in pain…? Never mind! Just open the door! That manager is super sketchy—I’m worried about you!”

Me: “No.”

Bestie Jessica : “What?”

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Downstairs, a heavy, rhythmic sound echoed through the building, like someone chopping bones.

Jessica’s messages became frantic.

Bestie Jessica : “Wenwen, hurry! Open the door! I’m scared! Wouldn’t it be better if we stayed together?”

Me: “No.”

Bestie Jessica : “Are you serious?! You’re just leaving me out here? What kind of friend does that?!”

Me: “We’re not friends anymore. Instead of waiting outside my door, why don’t you go find a place to hide?”

On the surveillance screen, her face twisted—literally, contorting in an unnatural way.

After glaring at my door for a few seconds, she finally turned away.

At the same time, the building’s group chat lit up.

Building Manager: “Oh, right! Almost forgot about 404. Your friend was so startled earlier—I feel terrible. I’ll come to apologize first.”

Room 404.

That’s my apartment.