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I fumbled for my phone in panic—but then he chukled.
"Sorry about last night I didn’t mean to scare you."
I was taken aback,and the phone fell back into my bag:"What?"
"I was playing games last night and heard someone talking outside,so I opened the door to take a look.You were also opening the door with a key like this.I think I might have scared you.I'm really sorry."
Someone talking? That caught my attention instantly.
"Who was talking?"
He thought for a while:"I don't remember.When I opened the door,I only saw you unlocking the door with a key."
I nodded: “Did you hear anyone knock on a door. Around 11:55?"
He furrowed his brows and thought deeply:"My previous game ended at around 11:50,and the next game was fixed to start twenty minutes later.During that period,I was closing my eyes and resting.I didn't hear any doorbell ringing at all."
I quickly realized — what he heard must have been my conversation with the police.
He said that his job was playing games,so he basically didn't go out.In this way,it made sense that I hadn't seen him before.
I didn't say much more him and stlipped back into my apartment. The panic and tension from last night slowly began to fade away.
I hadn’t found a suitable new place yet. After a simple meal, I decided to head downstairs to take out the trash.
As I stepped out, I saw both my other neighbors waiting by the elevator, each carrying big and small bags. The woman across the hall had just given birth not long ago — she’d been a light sleeper ever since. The whole family planned to go back to their hometown to relax.
The other unit belonged to an elderly people. The elderly people had never been to many places in their lives,and their son was going to take them on a trip to Hainan.
This apartment wasn't very soundproof. Whether it was the woman who had just given birth or the two light-sleeping elderly people,they couldn't have not heard such an urgent doorbell ringing.
I asked them if they’d heard any doorbells last night. They looked genuinely puzzled and shook their heads—no, they hadn't heard it.
That was the moment my guard finally dropped. Whether the doorbell ringing last night was real or not,that time point had passed, and I had already reported it to the police.I should be completely safe now.
On my way back up, the elevator’s red camera light blinked on and off. I stared at it, unease crawling up my spine. I always felt that someone was staring at me.
Back in my room, I exhaled deeply. Finally, I might be able to get some real sleep. I dozed off … and woke again to darkness.
I checked my phone. It was 11:54 p.m.What a coincidence.It was probably the time when I found that the computer wasn't closed last night.
I glanced at the laptop on the desk at the foot of the bed. I’d forgotten to shut it down again.
I sat up and was going to the end of the bed to close the computer. Suddenly, the screen flickered — violently. I couldn't help but squint my eyes,and my heart rate gradually accelerated.
Then,all the hair on my body stood on end. The laptop supposedly off — suddenly started playing a video again. I looked at the time on my phone. And right as the clock flipped from 11:54 to 11:55— the doorbell rang.
