Chapter 4The 2 AM Takeout That Cost My Sister Her Life

For a second, my legs gave out, and I nearly collapsed inside the bin.

He knows. He knows I’m in the trash can.

What do I do? If he finds me now, I’m dead. It’s over.

My eyes were locked on the shadowy figure in front of me. He slowly raised his arm, his hand reaching for the lid of my hiding spot.

My heart was a frantic drum against my ribs, threatening to burst from my chest. Cold sweat poured down my back.

I held my breath, praying with every fiber of my being.

Don’t open it. Please, God, don’t open it.

Just then, a man’s voice echoed from the fire stairwell, laced with curses.

“For fuck’s sake, a power outage?”

“My AC just died! I’m roasting in here!”

It was another resident!

A surge of hope shot through me. If that man came down here, I could scream, I could point Mark out. I would be safe.

Mark heard it too. He retracted his hand and moved to stand by the stairwell door, knife raised. He was waiting. If that man came down, Mark would lunge.

My heart sank. What if Mark killed him? An innocent man, dead because of me.

If I screamed now, the man would live, but I would die for sure.

But how could I just sit here and let someone walk into a slaughter?

Thankfully, the man seemed to just be venting his frustration. After a few more muttered curses, the stairwell fell silent again. He must have gone back to his apartment.

The comments let out a collective sigh of relief with me.

【That was too close. I really thought that guy was about to get shanked.】

【But what about Zoey? It’s so dangerous for her out there alone, and now she’s completely trapped.】

Just then, Mark moved.

But this time, he didn't come for me. He pushed open the stairwell door and headed back up.

As the heavy door slammed shut, the tension in my body finally broke. I gasped for air, my lungs aching.

The comments relaxed too.

【Thank god. He must think Zoey went upstairs after all.】

【I really hope she makes it this time. Last time, after she died, her own mother left her body at the morgue and didn't even claim it. Instead, she spent a fortune on lawyers to get that monster Ava off the hook.】

【It’s so tragic. Nobody in that family gives a damn about Zoey. You’re better off alone, Zoey!】

Reading those words, a cold fury settled deep in my bones. I clenched my fists.

Whatever happened before, it didn’t matter. This time, I was going to live.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed open the lid, climbed out of the trash bin, and followed Mark back into the stairwell.

The comments erupted in shock.

【Whoa, Zoey’s got balls! What is she doing following him?】

【This is a bad idea! What if he turns around? She was safe downstairs!】

【Oh god, it’s so dark in there. This is terrifying.】

I ignored the stream of text, focusing all my energy on listening, my breath held tight in my chest.

Soon, I heard his footsteps echoing from above. Mark was going up.

I crept silently to the second-floor landing. Just as I suspected, he had jammed something in the door handle, locking it from the stairwell side.

He was clearing the building floor by floor. Since I was trapped, it was only a matter of time before he found me.