2. CHAPTER
AT MIDNIGHT , SOMEONE KNOCKED ON MY DOOR...
The sound was soft.
Not loud enough to alarm the neighbors . Not aggressive enough to feel urgent but in the silence of that night , if felt unbearable .
My body froze instantly .
For a few secomds , I couldn't even breath properly . I stayed on the bed , staring at the door from across the room as another knock echoed through the apartment .
My heartbeat became uneven.
FAST, HEAVY, PAINFULLY LOUD .
I pulled the blanket tighter around myself like it could protect me from whatever was standing outside . My mind desperately searched for explanations .
Maybe it was a neighbor . Maybe someone needed help . Maybe it was my sister .
Or maybe someone I am expecting but shouldn't be here . That thought alone made my stomach twist.
Another knock .
This time slightly slower. ALMOST PATIENT. I was sure about one thing that something precarious was waiting for me.
I was so terrified that I literally counted how many times the person outside had knocked . Yea it was 6 times my mind was malfuntioning .
but I forced myself to move. My legs trembled the moment they touched the floor. Every step toward the door felt wrong, like my body was trying to warn me not to go any closer.
When I finally reached the handle, my hand stopped midway.
I COULDN'T DO IT .
The silence outside somehow felt worse than the knocking itself.
Then--
Knock.
I flinched so hard I nearly stepped back.
"If it's someone from my family....."
The words escaped in a wisper.
I swallowed my fear , wrapped my trembling fingers around the handle , and slowly opened the door.
No one was there.
Only a single rose lying on the floor.
Dark liquid dripped slowly from its petals onto the tiles beneath it.At first , my mind tried to convince me it was paint .
But the metallic smell reached me.
BLOOD .
My throat tightened instantly. The corridor outside was empty . silent . still .
Yet something felt horribly wrong . As if someone had been standing there only seconds ago.
Watching me.
I couldn't bring myself touch it.
Every crime novel I had ever written suddenly rushed through my head at once . Evidence , fingerprints, traps, warning disguised as gifts.
My eyes remained fixed on the rose lying near the door . The dark liquid continued sliding slowly across the floor.
I took a step back .
Then another.
My breathing became uneven again . " No...no, this dosen't make sense".
My fingers tangled into my hair as I tried to steady myself. Thoughts crashed against each other so fast that I couldn't separate fear from reality anymore.
Was someone trying to threaten me?
Or was my mind creating things that weren't even there ?
I squeezed my eyes shut for a second.
Just one second.
When I opened them again--
The rose was gone.
My entire body went cold. I stared at the empty floor near the doorway , unable to move.
The liquid was gone too.
Nothing remained. Not even a stain. For a moment,
I genuinely questioned if I was losing my mind . My throat tightened painfully.
"Was it even there....?"
The words came out weak and broken. The apartment remained silent.
Too silent . Then somewhere outside--
A faint sound of footsteps echoed through the corridor.