Only i can hurt you

Chapter 17-The Game Begins

The house was too quiet.

I told myself I was safe, that my stepmother would not be back until morning. But the silence felt heavy, pressing on my chest.

I tried to distract myself—tidying the room, fixing my bandage again, even humming a little song. But every sound I made seemed too loud.

Then I heard it.

A faint creak. Like a floorboard.

I froze.

“Just the wind,” I whispered to myself. But the windows were closed. There was no wind.

The same perfume drifted through the air. That dark, sharp scent that clung to him.

My throat went dry. My body wanted to run, but my legs felt heavy.

I pressed my back against the wall, clutching my arms around me. He was here. Somewhere. Watching me.

And just when I thought my heart couldn’t beat any faster—

The doorbell rang.

The sound sliced through the silence, sharp and sudden. I jumped. My hands trembled as I walked to the door.

For a long moment, I stood there, staring at the handle. My chest rose and fell quickly. Should I open it?

Slowly, I pulled the door open.

Darkness. Nothing but pitch black outside. The street was silent. Empty. Only the yellow light above the door glowed weakly.

And then I saw it.

A note.

My fingers shook as I picked it up. The paper felt cold, almost damp, like it had been waiting for me.

In neat, sharp letters, it read:

“Let’s play a game. Live or die.”

Below it, more words:

“Rules are simple: Do the task, or tonight will be your last.”

My smile from earlier, the brief moment of peace—it all vanished.

I slammed the door shut and told myself it was just a joke. Nobody could get inside—I was awake, and I locked it myself.

In the kitchen, I poured a glass of water, trying to calm my shaking hands.

Then my phone buzzed.

A message.

From an unknown number.

The glass slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor.

It wasn’t a joke.

The game had already begun.

Because tonight, I was not just being watched.

Tonight, I was being hunted.