DON'T OPEN THE DOOR
927 Words
🖤 Chapter Eight: Don’t Open the Door
The knock came just after midnight.
Soft at first.
So soft Haven almost thought she imagined it.
She stood in the middle of her apartment, completely still, her breath caught somewhere between her chest and her throat. The silence that followed felt heavier than the sound itself.
Then it came again.
Clear this time.
Three slow knocks.
Her stomach dropped.
Damien’s words echoed in her head.
Don’t open the door.
Her grip tightened around the phone in her hand. She didn’t move, her eyes fixed on the door as if staring at it long enough would make whatever was on the other side disappear.
Another knock.
Louder.
More impatient.
“Haven?”
The voice made her freeze.
It was male.
But it wasn’t Damien.
Her heart started racing. “Who is it?” she called out, trying to keep her voice steady.
A pause.
Then—
“Building management. We need to check something quickly.”
Her brows furrowed.
Management?
At this time of night?
Her eyes flicked to the clock on the wall.
12:17 AM.
No.
That didn’t make sense.
Another knock followed, sharper now.
“Haven, please open the door.”
The way he said her name sent a chill down her spine.
Too familiar.
Too certain.
She hadn’t told anyone she would be home.
She hadn’t told anyone anything.
Slowly, her gaze dropped to the phone in her hand.
Don’t open the door.
Her pulse pounded harder.
“I’ll come back tomorrow,” she said, forcing her voice to carry through the door. “It’s too late.”
Silence.
For a moment, she thought that was it.
That whoever it was would leave.
Then—
The handle moved.
Her breath hitched sharply as she heard it—slow, deliberate.
Trying the door.
Once.
Twice.
The lock held.
But the sound alone sent fear shooting through her chest.
“Haven,” the voice came again, lower this time. “Open the door.”
This wasn’t a request anymore.
Her back pressed against the wall as she took a slow step away from the entrance.
“I said I’ll come tomorrow,” she repeated, her voice tighter now.
Another pause.
Longer.
Heavier.
Then—
A quiet chuckle.
Low.
Unsettling.
“That’s not going to work.”
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
Before she could react—
A loud bang hit the door.
Haven flinched, the sound echoing through the apartment like a gunshot.
Another bang followed.
Harder.
More force behind it.
Her breathing quickened as she backed further away, her mind racing.
This isn’t normal.
This isn’t okay.
The door shook under the impact.
Again.
And again.
Each hit stronger than the last.
“Haven,” the voice called out, now edged with something darker. “You really should have opened the door.”
Her hands trembled as she looked around, searching for something—anything—to hold onto, to use, to protect herself.
Another crash against the door.
The frame creaked slightly.
Her stomach twisted.
It wouldn’t hold forever.
Her eyes snapped back to the phone in her hand.
For a split second, she hesitated.
Then she hit call.
The line rang once.
Twice.
Then—
“What did I tell you?”
Damien’s voice.
Calm.
Like he had been expecting this.
“Someone’s at my door,” she whispered quickly, her voice shaking despite her effort to control it. “They’re trying to get in.”
A loud bang interrupted her, louder than before.
The door rattled violently.
“I know,” he said.
Her breath caught. “You know?”
“Yes.”
Another hit.
The wood groaned.
Fear surged through her. “Then do something!”
There was a pause on the line.
Short.
Measured.
Then—
“Stay where you are.”
Her grip tightened. “Damien—”
The call ended.
Just like that.
Haven stared at the phone, disbelief mixing with fear.
He hung up.
He just—
A sharp crack cut through her thoughts.
Her head snapped toward the door.
A thin line had formed along the wood.
Splitting.
Breaking.
Her pulse skyrocketed.
Another hit—
The crack deepened.
She took a step back, then another, her breathing uneven now.
This was real.
This was actually happening.
Another crash—
The door gave slightly.
Not fully.
But enough.
Her chest tightened painfully.
No.
No, no, no—
And then—
Silence.
Sudden.
Heavy.
The banging stopped.
Just like that.
Haven froze.
Her ears strained, trying to catch any sound.
Footsteps.
Voices.
Anything.
But there was nothing.
Only the quiet.
Too quiet.
Her heart pounded loudly in her ears as she stared at the damaged door, waiting.
Seconds passed.
Then a minute.
Still nothing.
Slowly, carefully, she moved closer.
Each step cautious.
Uncertain.
Her hand hovered near the handle.
Don’t open the door.
The warning rang clear in her mind.
She swallowed.
Stepped back.
No.
She wouldn’t.
She turned away—
And jumped as something vibrated in her hand.
The phone.
A message.
Her breath came uneven as she looked down.
Unknown: I told you not to open it.
Her heart skipped.
Another message came immediately after.
Unknown: You’re safe. For now.
Haven’s chest tightened.
Safe?
Her eyes moved slowly back to the door.
To the crack running through it.
To the silence on the other side.
Her grip on the phone tightened.
Because one thing was clear now—
Whatever had been out there…
Wasn’t just a warning.
And Damien—
Wasn’t the only thing she needed to fear.
- Writer
