A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the hallway as Josie collapsed to the ground.

William, Leon, and I trembled in fear.

Josie had always been very kind to us. She knew that we didn't have much money right after graduating, so she didn't charge us much rent. Not only that, but she would also frequently share the food that she made with us.

My hands were shaking when I picked up my phone. I had a hard time getting my fingers to work, and it took several tries before I managed to dial 911.

"Hello, officer—"

I heard the sound of the door being unlocked before I could finish my sentence.

The deliveryman pushed the door open. He shot a sinister smile at me and asked, "What are you doing?"

Goosebumps erupted all over my body.

Josie suddenly crawled toward the deliveryman and grabbed his leg. Using the last of her waning strength, she shouted, "Run!"

The deliveryman impatiently stabbed Josie a couple more times. He then kicked her corpse aside and stalked toward us while brandishing the machete.

Leon lunged at him, hoping to fight him off, but the deliveryman took him out with a single swing of his machete.

Excruciating pain exploded all across my body as the deliveryman plunged the machete's cold blade into my chest.

I blinked in confusion and found myself in the bathroom again.

Leon rushed out of his room at the same time I ran out of the bathroom.

William's voice was thick with tears when he stammered, "W-We traveled back in time again?"

"This is the second time," Leon mumbled, frowning and looking somber.

"We have to come up with a plan this time. We can't let him kill us again," I said while sinking down on the couch and letting out a deep sigh.

The three of us got lost in our thoughts, trying to find a link between our two deaths.

It was obvious that the deliveryman's target was the person who placed the delivery order. He killed William, Leon, and me because we weren't the people he was looking for. The question was—who was his target?

"He's really skilled," Leon said suddenly. "I graduated from a sports academy, so I work out all the time, but I was no match for him just now. His movements make me think that he's a professional. He's probably gone through extensive training."

Just then, someone rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, that terrifying voice resounded in the apartment once again.

"Excuse me, did someone order delivery?"

I quickly glanced at my watch. There were two minutes left before Josie would show up to collect the rent.

"Call Josie now!"

William immediately dialed Josie's number. "Hi, Josie. Zack, Leon, and I caught a cold. We don't want you to catch it, so can you collect the rent from us another day?"

I also hastily called someone whom I didn't get to during my past life. It didn't take long for the call to connect.

"Jane, did you order delivery for me?"

I could hear Jane Quinton chuckling on the other end of the line. "I wanted to thank you for helping me with my reports today. It was supposed to be a surprise. How did you find out?"

So, Jane was the person that the deliveryman was looking for!

I looked at William and Leon. The three of us breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do you know the deliveryman? He seems to be adamant about looking for you."

Jane was momentarily stunned. She sounded a little troubled when she replied, "A deliveryman? I only placed my order a few minutes ago. The app hasn't even assigned a deliveryman to the order yet. Is something going on, Zack?"

I was wrong. The deliveryman wasn't looking for Jane.

Time was of the essence at that moment. I immediately hung up on Jane without explaining the situation to her.

"Oh no!" William suddenly exclaimed. "Josie just sent me a voice message."

Josie's voice echoed from the receiver when William tapped the play button.

"All three of you caught a cold? I bet you haven't had dinner yet. I just made some chicken soup. I'll bring some over for you. I'm already on the fifth floor."

The color drained from our faces. It was too late for us to stop Josie.

The elevator doors slid open with a ding.

Josie's voice resounded through the door then, asking, "Oh, are you here to deliver something?"

"Excuse me, are you the one who ordered delivery?" the deliveryman asked in his familiar, low tone.

William, Leon, and I looked through the peephole and saw Josie standing in front of the elevator. She was looking right at the deliveryman.

She had been killed in that exact spot in our last lives.

We had cowardly hid behind the door, watching her die as she tried to save us.

We couldn't let the same thing happen again.

"Open the door," I said resolutely.

William and Leon were momentarily stunned, then nodded.

Leon hastily ran into the kitchen to grab a fruit knife while William picked up a mop.

I slammed the door open and yelled, "Get in here now, Josie!"

William swiftly grabbed Josie before she could react, dragging her into the apartment.

Leon immediately slammed the door shut, but right before it fully closed, the deliveryman shoved his knee into the gap and forced the door open.

The deliveryman stalked into the apartment. His eyes were cast in shadow by the cap he wore, but we could feel him sweeping his gaze over us.

"Did one of you order delivery?"

This time, I chose to step forward, shielding Leon and William behind me.

"I did. What do you want?"

The deliveryman pinned his gaze on me. When he didn't immediately kill me, I knew I had made the right choice.

The deliveryman handed a bag to me, saying, "It's a valuable item. I need you to verify that you received it in good condition before I can leave."

I hesitated for a moment before taking the bag from him. It was extremely light, practically weighing nothing.

I was stunned when I opened the bag. It was completely empty except for a crumpled sticky note. However, before I could get a good look at what was written on the note, the deliveryman raised his machete and drove it into my chest.

Right before I lost consciousness, I heard him hiss, "Liar! It's not you!"

I slumped down on the couch after the third time I sprinted out of the bathroom, letting out a heavy sigh.

William and Leon rushed out of their rooms soon after, looking even more upset than before.

"He killed us after he killed you."

William's voice was thick with tears as he asked, "What did you see inside the bag? Why did you look so shocked?"

I forced myself to calm down before answering, "It was empty. There wasn't anything inside."

"It was empty?" Leon asked, frowning. "Why did he insist that you had to verify it then?"

I shook my head. All I knew was that my thoughts were a complete mess.

"Wait," William said suddenly. "The first time, he killed us right after asking if we were the ones who ordered the delivery. The second time, he killed us without asking us anything. The third time, he still killed us even after Zack told him that he was the one who ordered the delivery.

"Could it be that he's not here to deliver something at all? His true motive is to kill us all along!"

A chill ran down my spine. "But why? We don't even know him."

"Perhaps he's a hired assassin," Leon muttered. "I said it before, didn't I? It's obvious that he's professionally trained."

I shook my head. "But who would go through the trouble to kill us? He must have some sort of motive."

The three of us got lost in our thoughts once again as we began combing through every detail of the incidents that had led us to our current predicament.

I suddenly recalled that there had been a sticky note in the bag. Although I hadn't been able to get a good look at it, I had a strong feeling that I knew what was written on it. However, my guess was a little too far-fetched, so I wanted to verify it with my own eyes first.

I stood and said, "This time, we're not just going to stand around and let him kill us again. I'm going to confront him and ask him what he wants."

William immediately grabbed me, looking alarmed. "No! That's too dangerous! He has a machete with him!"

"Let's go together," Leon chimed in. "We might be able to overpower him."

"It's no use," I said, shaking my head.

"He's much more skilled than we are," I explained. "You saw what happened last time. We're no match for him."

I glanced at my watch. There was only a minute left before the deliveryman would ring our doorbell.

"Hide inside your rooms," I ordered. "Don't come out. Come up with another plan in case something happens to me."

The doorbell rang before William and Leon could say anything else.

The deliveryman's low voice resounded through the door again, asking, "Excuse me, did someone order delivery?"

I hardened my resolve and opened the door, immediately closing it behind me after I slipped outside.

The deliveryman stood before me, wearing the same cap and carrying the same bag.

"I did," I said while staring at him. "What do you want? I know that the bag is empty. What's written on the sticky note?"

The deliveryman was momentarily stunned, as if he hadn't expected me to confront him so directly.

His voice sounded strange when he muttered, "You can't be…"

He then tried to stab me in the chest with his machete.

But I was prepared this time and dodged out of the way. I quickly grabbed a wrench that someone had dropped in the hallway and smashed it against his wrist.

The machete fell to the floor with a loud clatter while the deliveryman retreated a few steps, hissing in pain.

I lunged at him and shoved the wrench against his throat, forcing him backward until his back was pressed against the wall.

I demanded, "Tell me why you want to kill us!"

Just then, the sounds of hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway.

The newly-appointed head of security, Edmund Potter, ran over to us while holding a stun baton.

I had called the security guards a minute ago, telling them to send Edmund to back me up.

Edmund was once the coach of the province's martial arts team before retiring. I was sure that with him on our side, the deliveryman wouldn't be able to kill us this time.

"What's going on here, Zack?" Edmund asked, looking shocked. "I rushed over right after I got your call. Did a robber try to break into your apartment?"

"He's a murderer, Edmund! Call the police!"

I relaxed a little, convinced that I was safe this time.

"Don't rush me. I'm calling 911 now," Edmund said while pulling out his phone and scrolling through it.

However, in the next second, he raised his baton and drove it into my side.

Black spots danced in my vision as unbearable pain lanced through my body. I crumpled to the floor in a heap.

The deliveryman rubbed his wrists before slowly picking up his machete.

"The two of you… You know each other?" I mumbled while staring at them in disbelief.

I could feel blood flowing from the wound on the back of my head to my cheeks.

Just as the deliveryman was about to plunge the machete into my chest, William and Leon suddenly burst out of the apartment.

Leon gripped a steel pipe and smashed it against the deliveryman's back.

The deliveryman hissed in pain and whipped around to deal with him.

As Leon kept him distracted, he yelled, "Run, Zack!"

William also pounced on Edmund and kept him immobilized. "Run, Zack! Don't worry about us!"

The deliveryman stabbed Leon's shoulder, but the latter simply gritted his teeth and kept holding on.

I braced my hands against the floor and pushed myself up.

Edmund pinned William against the wall and shocked him with his baton.

The deliveryman stabbed Leon over and over again, causing his blood to spatter all over the hallway's white walls.

The three of us were just roommates before any of this happened. We were usually busy with our own lives and rarely interacted.

I never would have imagined that William and Leon would put their lives on the line to save me.

Just then, the elevator doors slid open with a ding.

It was my chance to escape.

But I also knew that if I ran away, the cycle wouldn't start again, which also meant that William and Leon would remain dead.

I didn't hesitate for even a second when I threw myself in front of Leon and started brawling with the deliveryman.

During our scuffle, I knocked his cap off, giving me a clear view of his face.

I was stunned—I knew him!

I took a step back as shock and horror consumed me.