Chapter 20 – Midnight Comes Again
626 Words
Evelyn spent the afternoon sitting motionless on the sofa, her phone gripped tightly in her hand. Liam’s message replayed in her mind over and over, each repetition tightening the pressure in her chest.
“Whatever happens, don’t leave the apartment.”
Why?
Was he protecting her?
Or was he hiding something?
Was he coming back to save her…
Or to keep her from learning the truth?
The room darkened as the sun sank behind the skyline. The shadows crept across the floor, stretching long and thin until they merged with the darkness of the hallway.
She turned on every light in the apartment.
Still, the cold feeling in her stomach didn’t leave.
As the clock ticked toward midnight, Evelyn’s nerves tightened until she felt like she might split apart. She stood by the window, watching every passing car, searching for any sign of Liam.
Nothing.
Her phone buzzed again.
Unknown number.
She flinched.
With hesitant fingers, she opened it.
“You should run.”
Her heart punched her ribs.
She typed quickly.
“Run from who?”
The reply came instantly.
“From the man who’s coming for you.”
Her hands shook violently. She almost dropped the phone.
Another message followed:
“He’ll be there soon.”
“What do you mean? Who is he?” she typed furiously, breath shaking.
But no reply came.
Her pulse raced as she turned toward the door.
The hallway was silent.
Too silent.
Then—
A shadow passed in front of the peephole.
Evelyn nearly screamed, but slapped a hand over her mouth in time.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Soft.
Slow.
Measured.
Just like last night.
Her legs felt like they were filled with sand as she crept toward the door. She pressed her eye to the peephole—
A man stood outside.
Tall.
Hood pulled over his head.
Face hidden.
The same man from last night.
Her stomach lurched.
He lifted a hand and knocked again, this time harder.
Her breath trembled.
Then he spoke.
Not a whisper.
Not a threat.
A simple sentence.
“Evelyn… open the door.”
Her blood ran cold.
He knew her name.
She stumbled backward, shaking her head.
No.
No.
No.
Her phone buzzed again.
Liam this time.
“Don’t open the door.”
Evelyn stared at the screen, her heart pounding so hard it hurt.
The knocks became violent.
“Evelyn!” the man shouted from the hallway. “Open the door!”
She backed away, gripping her phone, tears brimming in her eyes.
The man slammed his fist against the door repeatedly, each blow echoing through her chest.
“Open it!”
Her phone vibrated with a third message—Liam again.
“I’m almost there. Don’t make a sound.”
Another slam—this time harder.
A crack formed in the wooden frame.
Evelyn covered her ears, trembling.
Then—
The hallway went silent.
Completely.
Not a knock.
Not a footstep.
Not even breathing.
She hesitated before approaching the peephole again.
Her breath fogged the tiny glass.
She looked.
The hallway was empty.
The man was gone.
But something else caught her eyes—a new piece of black tape stuck to her door handle.
Her lungs constricted.
He had been close enough to touch the door.
Close enough to leave a mark.
Close enough to take her if he wanted.
Her phone buzzed.
Liam:
“Stay away from the door. I’ll be there in three minutes.”
Evelyn backed away from the door slowly, her heart in her throat.
Three minutes felt like an eternity.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps outside.
Heavy.
Fast.
They stopped right in front of her door.
Her breath caught.
A key entered the lock.
The doorknob turned.
And the door…
slowly…
began to open.
- Writer
