Closed

There was only one rule: don’t open the door. The note was the only indication I was not alone.

I wondered how long it had been since I woke up. Immediately upon waking, a note was slipped under the door, the crack at the bottom my only light source.

I shook my head to clear it but could not recall how I got here.

After gathering some courage, my first instinct was to reach for the doorknob, but I stopped when a movement caught my eye. Another note.

Don’t open the door.

Four times, I reached for the door. Four times, a new note slipped through the crack.

Confused and frustrated, I reached out again, ignored the note, and turned the knob. Before I could push through the door, a scream pierced the air so loud and deep I felt it in my chest.

Just outside the door, I heard the unmistakable sound of something heavy hitting the floor. Then, silence. Pressing my ear against the door, I couldn’t even hear a breath. I sensed no movement.

I reached for the knob again. I rested my hand on it, nothing. I turned the knob and heard it again. A scream and a thud. I held still. Taking a breath, I gently pushed forward but was met with a force so great I was knocked to the ground.

As I landed, I heard glass shatter. Was it a window? A glimmering shard sliced through the door’s crack, drawing blood from my bare foot.

Behind me, I heard a slow, loud groan. Turning, I saw the faint outline of another door swinging open. Something landed at my feet, slowly absorbing the trickle of blood from the glass. I looked closer, another note. Don't close the door.