The Girl In Room 407

Chapter 3: The Two Men

Chapter Three: The Two Men

Lin Yue did not go straight home. She stood on the pavement for almost five minutes, staring at the last message on her phone.

You came back too soon.

The words seemed harmless when read quickly. But the longer she looked at them, the worse they felt. There was something deliberate about them. Not Who are you? Not Stay away. Not even I know where you live.

You came back too soon.

As if whoever had sent the message wasn't meeting her for the first time. As if they had been waiting for her. Lin Yue slowly locked her phone. The evening traffic moved around her. Cars passed, students walked home in groups. A delivery motorcycle sped through the intersection. Everything continued as normal.

Yet Lin Yue felt as though the world around her had become strangely distant. She looked across the road again, the two men were gone. She searched the sidewalks. Nothing. Her eyes moved toward the buildings. Nothing. She looked behind the trees. Still nothing.

"Maybe I'm losing my mind."

She whispered the words to herself. Then her phone vibrated again. Lin Yue nearly dropped it. She looked down. It was Han Qiao.

Han Qiao: Where are you?

Lin Yue stared at the message. She quickly typed.

Lin Yue: On my way home.

The reply came almost immediately.

Han Qiao: You look like you saw a ghost

Lin Yue looked around. For some reason, she didn't find the joke funny. She typed:

Lin Yue: I think someone was following me.

This time, Han Qiao didn't reply immediately. The typing indicator appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again. Finally:

Han Qiao: Are you serious?

Lin Yue hesitated. She didn't know. That was the problem. She didn't know what was real anymore.

Lin Yue: I saw two men watching me.

Han Qiao: Where?

Lin Yue told her. A few seconds passed.

Han Qiao: Don't go home alone.

Lin Yue frowned.

Lin Yue: Why?

The reply didn't come. Instead, her phone rang. Han Qiao. Lin Yue answered.

"Hello?"

"Where exactly are you?"

"I'm near the pharmacy."

"Stay there."

"What?"

"I'm coming."

"Han Qiao, you don't have to"

"I'm coming."

The call ended. Lin Yue stared at the screen. She couldn't help smiling slightly. Han Qiao was strange. They had known each other for less than two days, yet she was already acting like they had been friends for years. Lin Yue looked toward the pharmacy. She decided to wait. But before she could move, she noticed something on the ground. A small piece of paper. It was lying near the curb. She bent down and picked it up. At first, she thought it was trash. Then she saw the photograph printed on it. Her fingers went cold. It was an old photograph of Susu Villa. The image was faded and slightly damaged. Building C stood in the background.

But it wasn't the building that caught her attention. It was the fourth floor. There were seven windows. Lin Yue counted them.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven.

She looked up at Building C. From where she stood, the fourth floor appeared to have only six visible windows. Her stomach tightened. She looked at the photograph again. The seventh window was partially hidden behind a tree. And beneath it was a small handwritten number.

407.

Lin Yue stared. She turned the photograph over. There was writing on the back. Only one sentence.

She wasn't alone that night.

Lin Yue's breathing slowed. The noise around her seemed to disappear. She read the sentence again. Then she heard someone behind her.

"Lin Yue."

She turned quickly. Han Qiao was standing there.

"What are you doing?"

Lin Yue held up the photograph.

"I found this."

Han Qiao's expression changed the moment she saw it.

"Where?"

"On the ground."

Han Qiao took it from her. She studied the photograph.

"Where did you get this?"

"I just told you."

"No."

Han Qiao looked up.

"I mean where exactly?"

"Near the pharmacy."

Han Qiao's face became pale.

"Throw it away."

Lin Yue blinked.

"What?"

"Throw it away."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Then why are you telling me to throw it away?"

Han Qiao looked around. Her voice dropped.

"Because whoever left it wanted you to find it."

Lin Yue stared at her.

"And?"

"And that means they know you're looking."

Lin Yue looked at the photograph again. For the first time, she wondered whether the men had left it.

"Do you know something?"

Han Qiao didn't answer.

"Han Qiao."

"I know what people say."

"What people say about Su Wan?"

Han Qiao nodded.

"But I don't know what's true."

Lin Yue folded the photograph carefully.

"Then we're going to find out."

Han Qiao stared at her.

"You're serious?"

Lin Yue looked toward Susu Villa.

"Very."

***

They walked together toward the neighborhood. Han Qiao talked most of the way. Not about Su Wan. Not about Room 407. She talked about school. Teachers, exams,graduation. Anything that could keep the conversation away from the subject Lin Yue couldn't stop thinking about.

Eventually, Lin Yue stopped.

"Why are you avoiding it?"

Han Qiao turned.

"Avoiding what?"

"You know what."

Han Qiao sighed.

"Because I don't want you getting involved."

"Why?"

"Because people who ask too many questions around Susu Villa eventually stop asking questions."

Lin Yue stared at her.

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know."

"You clearly know something."

Han Qiao looked away.

"Just forget it."

Lin Yue almost laughed.

"Everyone in this place tells me to forget things."

"Maybe you should listen."

"No."

Han Qiao looked at her.

"Why?"

"Because people only tell you to forget something when they don't want you to remember it."

Han Qiao didn't respond. They continued walking. When they reached the entrance of Susu Villa, Han Qiao suddenly stopped.

"That's him."

Lin Yue turned.

"Who?"

Han Qiao subtly pointed toward the security booth. The security guard from the previous morning was standing outside. He was looking directly at them. More specifically, he was looking at Lin Yue. The moment their eyes met, he looked away. Lin Yue watched him.

"Do you know him?"

"No."

"Then why did you say 'that's him'?"

Han Qiao hesitated.

"I've seen him before."

"Where?"

"Here."

"Obviously."

Han Qiao shook her head.

"No. I mean before Su Wan disappeared."

Lin Yue's expression changed.

"You saw him five years ago?"

"I wasn't here."

"Then how?"

Han Qiao didn't answer. Lin Yue stepped closer.

"Han Qiao."

"Forget it."

She walked ahead. Lin Yue followed. But as they entered the compound, she looked back at the security booth. The guard was watching her again. This time, he didn't look away. And there was something in his expression that Lin Yue couldn't understand.

Not anger. Not suspicion. Fear.

***

When Lin Yue reached her apartment, her mother was waiting in the living room.

"You came home late."

Lin Yue removed her shoes.

"I stopped with Han Qiao."

Her mother nodded. Then she noticed Lin Yue's face.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

Her mother frowned.

"Why do you look like that?"

Lin Yue hesitated. She wanted to tell her. About Su Wan. The photograph. The message. The two men. But something stopped her. She remembered her mother's reaction that morning.

Did you hear anything last night?

She remembered the fear in her eyes. Lin Yue slowly shook her head.

"Nothing happened."

Her mother stared at her. Then nodded.

"Good."

Lin Yue walked toward her room. She stopped halfway.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Did you know someone named Su Wan?"

Silence. Her mother didn't move. Lin Yue turned around. Her mother's face had gone completely pale.

"Why would you ask me that?"

"Just answer."

"Where did you hear that name?"

"At school."

"Who told you?"

"Han Qiao."

Her mother looked away.

"Don't talk about her."

Lin Yue felt a chill.

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"Mom"

"Lin Yue."

Her mother's voice was sharper now.

"Leave it alone."

Lin Yue stared at her. Her mother rarely raised her voice. This wasn't anger. It was fear. And that scared Lin Yue more. She went into her room and closed the door. Only then did she take the photograph from her pocket. She placed it on the desk. The faded image stared back at her.

She wasn't alone that night.

Lin Yue opened her laptop. She searched Su Wan. More articles appeared. Most repeated the same information. Nineteen years old. University student. Missing. Last seen in Susu Villa. No body. No evidence of forced entry. But one article was different.

It had been published only three days after Su Wan disappeared. Lin Yue opened it. The article was longer than the others. She began reading. Then stopped. A sentence near the bottom caught her attention.

According to an unnamed witness, another person was seen entering Room 407 shortly before Su Wan disappeared.

Lin Yue's eyes widened. She continued reading. The article ended abruptly. The witness was never identified. Lin Yue leaned back. Another person. Someone else had been inside Room 407. She opened a new search.

Room 407 Susu Villa witness

Nothing. She tried again.

Su Wan Room 407 second person

Nothing useful. Then she remembered the photograph. She turned it over. The sentence was still there.

She wasn't alone that night.

Lin Yue looked at the clock.

9:48 p.m.

She suddenly heard something. A faint sound from outside. Three soft knocks. Lin Yue froze. The sound came again.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Not from her door. From somewhere down the corridor. She slowly stood. Her bedroom door was open. The apartment was silent. Her mother was in the living room. Lin Yue walked toward the front door. She stopped before opening it. She remembered the previous night.

The footsteps. The shadow.

The missing door. She looked through the peephole. The corridor was empty.

She waited. Nothing.

Then she noticed something on the floor. A small white envelope. It hadn't been there when she came home. Lin Yue unlocked the door. She opened it. The corridor was empty. She picked up the envelope. There was no name on it. She opened it carefully. Inside was a single sheet of paper.

Five words were written across it.

STOP LOOKING FOR ROOM 407.

Lin Yue stared at the message. Then slowly looked toward the end of the corridor. The blank wall stood exactly where she remembered it. But this time… There was a faint outline in the wall. A rectangle. Like a door that had been covered over. Lin Yue took one step forward.

Then another. And somewhere behind that wall… Something knocked back.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.