Chapter 1

"Zoey! Please, pick up!"

The moment the call connected, Bryan's frantic, cracking voice tore through the receiver.

"Bryan? Where are you? The wind is really starting to howl out there!"

"I'm right downstairs at your building! My mom, my brother Billy, his wife Layla, they are all here!"

I froze. "Why are you guys here?"

"My car died halfway here, and we're soaked to the bone!" Bryan sounded utterly pathetic. "Zoey, baby, please buzz us in. Can we just crash at your place to ride out the storm?"

In the background, I heard his mother, Nora, coughing violently.

"Just for tonight, babe. I swear we won't be a bother!" Bryan pleaded.

We had been dating for a year. He had always been gentle and considerate. I had no reason to doubt him.

"Okay, hold on. I'm coming down to let you in."

Without a second thought, I pushed myself off the sofa and hurried toward the entryway.

Just as I passed the full-length mirror by the door, something in the glass caught my eye.

I stopped dead.

The blood in my veins turned to ice.

The hallway reflected in the mirror wasn't my bright, tidy home. It was completely trashed, the walls splattered with sickening streaks of blood.

But the most terrifying thing was the version of myself in the reflection.

She was battered, her face smeared with grime and gore, her clothes torn to shreds. She was staring straight at me. Her eyes held a bone-chilling mix of terror and despair. She flung her bloody mouth open, screaming at me.

She was repeating the same frantic warning over and over, "Don't open the door! Don't open the door! They're going to kill you!"

BOOM!

A massive clap of thunder rattled the windows.

In the blink of an eye, the horrific vision vanished, replaced by my normal, undisturbed apartment.

I stood rooted to the spot, trembling violently. Goosebumps erupted over my skin.

That wasn't a hallucination. Something was desperately wrong. Bryan and his family showing up right now was no coincidence.

I snatched my hand back from the doorknob.

Click. Moving faster than I ever had in my life, I threw all three deadbolts.

But that wasn't enough. Like a madwoman, I shoved the heavy, solid-wood shoe cabinet against the door, barricading it.

Breathe. Zoey, stay calm.

Forcing my shaking hands to steady, I lifted the phone and called Bryan back.

"Zoey? Why isn't the door open?" Bryan's voice was still urgent.

"Bryan, I'm sorry. I'm not actually home," I said, trying my hardest to keep my voice flat and even.

"You're not home?!"

"Yeah, I went over to Tracy's to wait out the hurricane. I'm at her place now."

His tone shifted instantly, turning stiff with a chilling edge. "Say that again. Where are you?"

I didn't answer, because over the line, I could hear the muffled voices in the background.

"That bitch says she isn't home!" Nora sneered, her voice dripping with venom.

"Cut the act and just break the door down! I don't have time for her games!" Billy growled with impatience.

My heart skipped a beat. The warning in the mirror was real. They weren't here for shelter; they were here to kill me.

He hung up.

I immediately dialed Tracy.

"I'm sorry, the number you have reached is busy..." Line busy!

Damn it! It was Bryan. He had to be calling Tracy to verify my story.

Pacing like a caged animal, I hit redial over and over. Pick up! Tracy, please pick up! On the third try, the call finally connected.

"Hello? Zoey?"

"Tracy! Was Bryan just calling you?!" I hissed, my voice tight and rushed.

"Yeah, that creep. I ignored it," Tracy scoffed. "I've always thought there was something off about him. No way am I talking to him."

A massive wave of relief washed over me. My knees buckled, and I nearly collapsed.

"Tracy, listen to me closely. My life depends on this."

"What?"

"No matter who asks, you have to swear that I am at your place right now! Do you understand me?!"

She agreed immediately. "Okay! I've got you. You're right here with me."

The second I hung up, a heavy, muffled thud echoed from the hall.

Bryan and his family were violently pounding on my door.

"Zoey! Open up! I know you're in there!"

Just when I thought I was going to suffocate from the tension, another voice rang out from the hallway.

"Hello? Is anyone there? It's Philip Brown, the maintenance guy!"

What?! The maintenance guy?

It suddenly hit me. I had scheduled a plumbing repair yesterday. But why did he have to show up now?

"Ms. Zoey Carter? Open up, I'm here to fix the pipes!" Philip yelled through the door.

Pure panic flared again. Bryan's family was standing right there. If Philip demanded I open the door, or let slip that I was actually inside, I was a dead woman.

I scrambled to find the building's directory and dialed Philip's direct line.

"Philip! I'm not home right now! You'll have to come back later!" I ordered, speaking as fast as I could.

"Oh... alright then, ma'am."

Disconnecting the call, I exhaled another shaky breath.

But out in the hallway, the pounding had escalated into a frantic, violent battering. I realized then that even a reinforced security door could eventually give way if hit hard enough.

Terror drowned me like a tidal wave. I couldn't just sit here and wait to die. I dialed 911.

"911, what is your emergency?"

"Please, I'm at the Blue Sky Apartments, Unit 2402! Someone is trying to break my door down, they're trying to kill me! Send someone now!"

"Okay ma'am, officers are en route. Please stay in a safe location."

Ten minutes later.

The smashing abruptly stopped.

It was replaced by an authoritative voice echoing from the other side of the door. "We are Police! Open up!"