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.