She gave me a reassuring look. "I know this 'The Butcher' guy. He's all bark, no bite. Probably just a big misunderstanding."

A misunderstanding?

An icy dread settled over me as I met Caroline's gaze.

At that moment, my phone buzzed once more.

With shaking hands, I clicked on the cursed link to the second-hand site.

Adrian, known as 'The Butcher,' had left another furious comment.

[Damn it! The house is empty. What is this? A bait-and-switch?]

Jeffrey's reply was right below that comment.

[Easy, man! The merchandise is just next door with the landlord, a little holdover. Consider it a special bonus to up the thrill.]

[My landlord, whom I’ve come to think of as a sister, is a real knockout. She hinted that, for the right price, she’d join in on the fun.]

Suddenly, my world spun.

I felt my blood run cold, and my phone nearly slipped from my grasp, tumbling into the couch cushions.

I looked up sharply at Caroline.

She was casually leaning against the bedroom doorway, a half-smile playing on her lips as she eyed my waist, fixated on the red mole there.

"Babe, that mole of yours is quite the eye-catcher. No wonder Jeffrey thinks you're a real catch."

Caroline's voice took on a teasing, oily quality.

"Since you're here, why not stay? Adrian will be here any minute now.

"Relax, Adrian's a big spender: two grand a pop."

She gave me a once-over. "What's your dance teaching gig pay you in a month? You bust your butt and can't even afford a decent purse."

I recoiled in fear, desperate to bolt for the door.

However, Caroline's place was locked up tight, the security chain firmly in place.

She advanced, her heels clicking ominously on the hardwood floor.

"Jeffrey has racked up a 30 grand debt to Adrian playing cards here.

"Settling his tab with you is just the way things are done.

"Make Adrian happy tonight, and you're square.

"But if you don't play ball..."

Caroline let out an icy laugh. "Jeffrey's hand? It's still in Adrian's grip. Want him to end up crippled?"

Right then, a knock echoed from the other side of the door.

Thump, thump, thump.

It was not loud, but it was enough to suffocate the air in the room.

Then, Adrian's sleazy voice seeped through. "Caroline, open up. I'm catching a whiff of something sweet!"

The knocking felt like a blow to my very soul.

I could not just sit there and wait for the end!

The second Caroline spun around to unlock the door, I bolted for her bedroom like I was possessed.

A king-sized bed dominated the room, its underside a jumble of boxes that left just a sliver of space.

I did not give a second thought to the grime as I wriggled into that narrow hideaway.

The hanging bedsheet obscured my view, but it could not muffle the sounds from outside.

The deadbolt clicked open.

Adrian's labored breaths and the click-clack of his dress shoes echoed into the room.

"Where's this person? Jeffrey said she's being kept in here, right?" Adrian's voice was tinged with a thrill that sent my stomach into flips.

"Yeah, she was just in here, bawling her eyes out." Caroline's voice dripped with a sweetness that made my stomach turn. "Probably got shy and tucked herself away. How about a little game of hide and seek?"

Another voice chimed in, one I recognized all too well.

"Take your time, Adrian. I'll keep watch at the door.

"Just holler if you need me; I'll be right outside."

Jeffrey's tone was all grovel and no grit, nothing like a husband should sound, more like a servant begging for scraps.

I bit down on my hand to stifle a sob, tears streaming down in silence.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," Adrian sang, taunting as he barged into the bedroom.

He tore through the room, flinging open drawers and slamming closet doors, each bang resonating like a drumbeat.

Thud!

His foot crashed onto the mattress, sending a shower of dust into the air, stinging my eyes.

I held back a cough, the terror so intense I felt disembodied.

A hand, hairy and rough, suddenly appeared inches from my face, hovering at the edge of the bed.

He was peering under the bed!

I froze, my heart pounding in my chest like it was trying to escape.

However, he just snatched a pair of slippers from the floor, never once lifting the bedsheet.

"Blast it! Did she vanish into thin air?"

Adrian was spewing curses when suddenly, my phone in my pocket buzzed to life.

Buzz…

It was a group text from the property management, nagging about the water and electric bill.

I had silenced it, but in the eerie quiet under the bed, the floor amplified the vibration, making it sound like a clap of thunder.

'I'm done for,' I thought.

My mind went completely blank.

Adrian froze in his tracks.

He bent over slowly, and with a swift yank, the bedsheet was gone.

There he was, his face a greasy, chubby mess, looming over me.

His mouth twisted into a grin, his yellow teeth bared, and his eyes alight with the thrill of the hunt.

"Heh, heh, gotcha!

"Turns out, you're just a little mouse in a hole."

Before I could even process the situation, a rough hand clamped around my ankle and yanked me out from under the bed.

"Argh!"

I let out a blood-curdling scream, my nails leaving trails of red on the floor.

"Jeffrey! Save me! Jeffrey!"

I thrashed wildly, hoping to stir some shred of decency in the man outside.

However, Jeffrey's voice came through the door, chilling and detached, saying, "Adrian, that lady's got a set of lungs on her. Go easy, will you?

"Just keep it clean and enjoy yourself!"

My heart felt like it had sunk into an abyss.

Caroline stood off to the side, an indifferent spectator, even pulling the curtains closed for us.

"That's it, Adrian. She's a wild one. Don't let her get away."

Adrian snickered, his hands working at his belt.

"Now, it gets interesting."

Adrian leaned in, and the foul stench of him filled my senses.

In my desperation, my hand found something at my waist.

It was the scissors I had slipped into my yoga pants pocket when I fled my house.

They were meant for protection, but I never imagined they would be that necessary.

With a swift motion, I drew the scissors, pressing them to my throat.

The edge of the scissors bit into my skin, and blood welled up instantly.

"Stay back!"

My voice was a roar, eyes blazing with fury. "One step closer, and I'll be a corpse on your conscience! You'll all be behind bars if I die!"

Adrian froze, uncertainty flickering in his movements.

"Feisty, aren't you? I like that."

However, even as he played it cool, he took a step back, his gaze tinged with caution.

Caroline jumped, her voice tinged with alarm as she said, "Hey, don't do anything crazy. A scarred face won't fetch a dime!"

In their moment of shock, I snatched a hefty vase from the nearby coffee table.

Channeling all my strength, I hurled it at Adrian's head.

Thud!

The vase exploded on impact.

Adrian clutched his head, screaming as blood seeped through his fingers.

"Argh! You witch! I'm going to end you!"

He stumbled toward me.

I brandished the scissors, slashing in a frenzy. "Back off! Everyone, just back off!"

The scissors sliced Caroline's arm as she tried to intervene, and she let out a sharp cry, recoiling.

Barefoot, I stepped through the shards, unlocked the chain, and bolted into the hallway.

Adrian's enraged shouts chased after me. "Catch her! Don't let her get away! I'm going to kill her!"

Jeffrey, crouching by the door for a smoke, was taken aback by my bloodied figure bolting out.

He reached out, trying to reason with me. "Ella, just hear me out..."

"Get lost!"

I did not give him a chance, driving my knee into his groin.

He doubled over with a groan, collapsing to the ground.

I seized the moment, sprinted down the stairs, and disappeared into the night.

I did not stop until I was out of the urban village, where I flagged down a cab.

The driver, eyeing my disheveled look and the bloody scissors in my grip, hesitated, nearly too scared to take me.

"Please, take me to Sunnyvale Residences! I'm begging you! Someone's after me!"

Tears streamed down my face as I blurted out the address of my best friend, Yara Walker.

Yara was a college friend of mine, living in a swanky downtown complex known for its tight security.

I made it to Yara's front door and buzzed the bell.

She greeted me in her silky pajamas, concern etched on her face.

"Oh, my God! What happened to you? Get inside! Quickly!"

She yanked me inside, fetched me fresh clothes, and heated up a comforting cup of milk.

"Drink this. It'll help you settle down," she said.

Trembling, I clutched the warm mug and spilled the story of the horror I had just escaped.

Yara listened, her face twisting with anger as she spat out curses at Jeffrey.

"That monster! He's inhuman! We need to call the cops!"

Right then, my phone lit up with an alert from some shady underground live stream.

There was Jeffrey, broadcasting live!

The headline was like a punch to the gut.

[Wanted! Runaway fitness coach! $5000 reward for tips.]

I tapped into the stream.

There was Jeffrey, clutching his belly, his face a swollen mess, waving my ID card.

"Listen up, folks! This lady is on the run for attacking me.

"Spot her, and let me know. Catch her, and I'll let you keep her for three days."

The chat went wild with messages.

Then, a chilling comment appeared.

[Isn't she the one who just ducked into Sunnyvale Residences?]

[Totally, she went into Building B, apartment 1202!]

My heart sank. Yara's place was out in the open.

I snapped my gaze to Yara.

She was holding her phone, the same live stream playing.

However, instead of panic, there was a sly, unsettling smile creeping across her face.

"Ella, who knew you were worth a fortune?"

Yara waved her phone with a grin. "Five grand for a tip? Perfect for that new purse I've been eyeing."

Suddenly, the door echoed with frantic, angry pounding.

Peering through the peephole, I saw Jeffrey, his head smeared with blood, Adrian in tow, and a bunch of bat-wielding punks crowding the hallway.

Yara, still smiling, sauntered to the door, her hand reaching for the knob.

"Don't open it!"

I yelled, diving to stop her.