Chapter 1The 2 AM Takeout That Cost My Sister Her Life

Two in the morning, and my sister asked me to go downstairs to get her takeout.

“Zoey, you’re the best!”

“My cramps are killing me. Can you just get it for me this once? Please?”

I was about to say no, but the color was drained from her face, and she didn't look like she was faking it. I sighed and nodded.

But the moment I stepped out the door, a stream of comments flashed before my eyes!

【OMG, ZOEY, DON'T DO IT!!!】

【The delivery guy is her ex-boyfriend, Mark, in disguise! The second you go down there, he's going to stab you to death!】

【Your sister knows everything. She's using you as a shield, just trying to buy herself some time!】

I froze. I turned to go back inside, but the door was already locked from the inside!

Just then, the elevator down the hall whirred to life, its soft hum signaling its ascent.

The comments exploded in a frenzy: 【RUN, ZOEY, RUN! THE KILLER IS COMING!!!】

* * *

My heart skipped a beat. Without a second thought, I bolted for the fire stairwell at the end of the hall.

The heavy door slammed shut behind me, and in the same instant, I heard the ding of the elevator arriving.

In the dead silence of the hallway, a man's heavy footsteps echoed.

I huddled behind the stairwell door, my body drenched in a cold sweat.

I remembered how my sister, Ava, had been clinging to my arm just moments before, whining for me to get her food.

“Please, big sis? Just this one time? I’ll treat you to dinner later!”

Even then, I’d felt something was off. Her eyes kept darting away, unable to meet mine.

So she knew. She knew her psycho ex-boyfriend, Mark, was coming for her.

I clenched my jaw, pressing my ear against the cold steel of the door.

But it was strangely quiet now. The hallway had gone completely silent.

The silence, however, was more terrifying than the footsteps. I had no idea what was waiting for me on the other side.

I looked up, and the comments were still scrolling frantically across my vision.

【This is terrifying. Mark is right out there in the hall, listening at every door. He’s not making a sound on purpose. He’s hunting.】

【I can't even imagine what would've happened if Zoey hadn't run in time.】

【This is just like last time. Zoey didn't know about Mark, and he stabbed her to death right outside her own door. And her sister, Ava, just listened to her scream for help and never, ever opened the door.】

【Her and Mark are both murderers!】

【Damn right! And after everything Zoey’s done for her. Zoey, you can't let her get away with this!】

【Seriously, I'm so pissed. When you get out of this, you have to cut her off. A backstabbing bitch like that doesn't deserve to be your sister!】

I bit my lip so hard I could taste blood, my eyes burning with rage.

Growing up, Ava had always been the sweet talker, the master of getting me to take the fall for her.

When we were eight, she was playing with matches and set the house on fire. When I rushed in to try and put it out, she shoved me right into the flames. I was almost burned alive. Afterwards, she told Mom and Dad it was my fault. To this day, any time I make a mistake, they bring that up.

When she was sixteen, she ran away from home because our parents wouldn't let her date some older guy. She begged me to go with her because she was scared. A month later, she snuck back home without me and tearfully told our parents that I was the one who forced her to run away. They made my life a living hell for a month.

But I always thought it was just petty, stupid stuff. I never imagined she would actually try to get me killed.

She didn't want to get a job after college, so she moved in with me, mooching off me while I cooked for her, took care of her, supported her.

And this is what I get in return? My open heart for a knife in the back.

My hands curled into tight fists.

The hallway was still silent. Hiding in the stairwell, I quietly pulled out my phone and called Ava.

The comments flickered in confusion.

【What is she doing? Is she really calling her sister to warn her?】

【Zoey, Ava is the reason you're in this mess! Forget about her!】

【You're too nice! That's why she got you killed all those other times!】

【No, don't do it! Just let Ava die. People like her just make the world a worse place anyway!】

The light from my phone screen illuminated the small, dusty space around me.

Ava picked up, her silence on the other end heavy with guilt.

My voice was flat, devoid of emotion. "Your food's here. Open the door."

I could hear Ava’s ragged, panicked breathing. "Zoey, I'm sorry, I was wrong! I didn't actually order any food!"

"Mark said he wouldn't let me go. I thought… I thought you could help me. He wouldn't hurt you, right? Can you just talk to him for me? Please?"

"Mom and Dad always said you have to take care of me because you're the big sister! You can't just leave me to die!"