Only i can hurt you

Chapter 20-The Basement

My phone buzzed.

"Basement. Now."

I didn’t want to go, but my legs moved anyway. Each step down creaked, the air growing colder.

The light flickered on—

and the floor was smeared red. Blood. Everywhere.

My scream stuck in my throat. I spun for the stairs—

locked.

I rattled the basement door with both hands, pounding until my fists stung.

“Let me out! Please! Somebody—open it!”

The house didn’t answer.

My phone buzzed. A new message blinked on the screen:

“15 minutes. Find the key… or die here.”

My scream broke in my throat. My chest heaved as I turned, eyes darting to the blood smeared across the floor.

“No… no, no, I can’t…” My legs buckled, but the clock in my head ticked louder. Fifteen minutes.

I took a step closer, gagging as the metallic stench hit me. My reflection rippled in the dark pool. My hands shook, reaching.

The moment my fingers sank into the warm, sticky mess, I cried out, choking on sobs.

Something sharp scraped my skin. I pulled back, and in my palm lay a rusted, blood-slick key.

My phone buzzed again.

“Good girl. Your pain belongs to me now.”

And then—click. The lights snapped off.

Darkness.