Chapter 2 THE VOICE OUTSIDE

Cairos Reed did not move, the recent events that had transpired that was enough to shock him, the knocking came again as three slow knocks struck against the apartment door. This was not aggressive nor was it hurried, the person was patient and Cairos seemed to recognize that and it scared him a bit. It was like whoever stood outside already knew the door would eventually open. Rain battered the windows behind him while the dead woman continued staring across the room with cloudy eyes that no longer belonged to the living. He felt his pulse hammering in his throat while the darkness of the room pressed in on him. "Cairos?" the man called casually from outside. "You in there?" the voice asked.

It was his own voice, exactly his own voice, it was not just similar or close. It was perfect, every syllable sounded identical to the way Cairos heard himself during recordings. He heard the same tired rasp and the same low tone and even the same habit of dragging certain words slightly longer. Coldness spread through his arms as the hallway outside creaked softly, whoever stood there shifted their weight while Cairos remained frozen beside the bedroom doorway.

The tape recorder still sat on the bedside table beside the corpse. He had heard that he was not to trust the man with his face, the sentence repeated inside his skull, but this man was with his voice. Another knock echoed through the apartment, this time the sound was harder. "Hey," the voice called out. "Open up already," the man commanded.

Cairos stepped backward slowly until his shoes crunched against broken glass near the bedroom floor. The sound immediately stopped the knocking while silence swallowed the apartment. Then a faint chuckle came from outside the door, it was not friendly but knowing. Cairos turned off the bedroom light instantly as darkness flooded the apartment. His breathing suddenly sounded too loud while the voice outside spoke again in a quieter tone. "That won't help," the voice stated.

The hallway light flickered beneath the apartment door while a shadow moved across the gap. Cairos forced himself to move at last by backing away from the bedroom doorway and slipping into the kitchen. He tried not to make any noise because every instinct screamed at him to run but the apartment only had one exit and the windows overlooked twelve floors of rain soaked concrete. The voice outside hummed softly while Cairos grabbed the largest knife he could find from the kitchen counter. His hands trembled immediately because he hated how terrified he felt.

"You're making this difficult," the man outside said calmly. Cairos stared toward the apartment entrance while his grip tightened on the handle. "How do you know my name?" he shouted suddenly. Silence answered him before the voice laughed softly.

"That's the first thing you ask?" the man questioned. The hallway creaked again as Cairos moved farther back into the kitchen. "You need to leave," the voice continued. "They already know you're there," the stranger added.

"What are you talking about?" Cairos demanded. "You found her too early," the voice answered.

Cairos glanced toward the bedroom where the dead woman remained motionless in the darkness. Rainwater rolled down the apartment windows like veins while the voice outside sighed. "Listen carefully," the man said. "In about two minutes then someone will cut the building power," he warned. Cairos said nothing as he waited for more information. "When that happens then do not let them see your face," the voice continued.

"Who are you?" Cairos asked. "You already know," the answer came quietly.

The lights died instantly while the apartment plunged into complete darkness. Cairos flinched violently, people began shouting in confusion somewhere in the building. A baby cried through distant walls while doors opened and footsteps echoed through hallways. The blackout swallowed everything except the sound of breathing outside Apartment 404. Then something slammed against the building downstairs with the sound of metal twisting and glass shattering.

Screams erupted from the street below as Cairos rushed toward the rain covered window, his stomach dropping when he saw a black security van crash directly into the apartment entrance. Men wearing dark masks poured out into the lobby while carrying rifles. They were not police, no, they were too organized and moved too fast. One of them pointed upward toward Apartment 404 while Cairos backed away from the window immediately. "What the hell…" he whispered in terror.

"They're here for you," the voice outside the door spoke again. Cairos gripped the kitchen knife harder while his heart hammered. "Why?" he asked. "Because you disappeared three months ago," the man answered.

Cairos frowned because he did not understand the claim. "What?" he asked in confusion. "You don't remember then do you?" the voice questioned.

Something heavy exploded downstairs while residents screamed in the distance. The masked men moved floor by floor and they were systematic as they slammed apartment doors open beneath him. The voice outside lowered slightly. "You need to decide quickly," the man urged.

Cairos stared at the darkness surrounding him, none of this made sense. He worked maintenance six days a week and paid rent late every month. His biggest concern yesterday had been whether the elevator would finally collapse. He believed he had been here three months ago while working and living and existing normally, the voice outside interrupted his thoughts. "If they catch you before you remember then everyone in this building dies," the man warned.

Cairos felt genuine fear crawl into his chest now. "Remember what?" he asked with a desperate tone. "Why they erased you," the answer came quietly.