Chapter 2

That night, the elevator eventually stopped at the fourteenth floor.

Ginny picked up her bag of vegetables.

Alex released my wrist.

Sam wiped the sweat from his forehead.

They walked out one by one as if nothing had happened.

I stood outside Apartment 1204, unable to put the key into the lock for a long time.

A sheet of white paper had been shoved through the gap beneath the door.

“Resident Rules—Hawthorne Lane Apartments, Building 4”

1. This building has no thirteenth floor.

2. Keep quiet when the elevator’s red light comes on.

3. If you hear a neighbor speaking while the red light is on, report them to property management within ten minutes.

4. Every household must submit one valid report each month.

5. After a resident receives three reports, property management will come to mediate.

6. If someone calls for help in the corridor after eleven at night, do not open your door.

7. Property staff wearing red uniforms do not belong to this building’s management.

8. If you discover the thirteenth floor, close your eyes and wait for the elevator doors to shut.

The final line was handwritten.

The writing was messy, but I recognized it as Daniel’s.

“Don’t trust Rule 4.”

I clenched the paper until it was covered in wrinkles.

The apartment was spotless.

It looked too clean for a place where anyone had ever lived.

The mattress and curtains were new.

Even the sealant around the bathroom glass had been freshly replaced.

Only a small sticky note was attached to the side of the refrigerator.

It read:

“Dorothy, don’t turn on the lights.”

I stood in the darkness and heard a faint crackle of electricity coming from inside the wall.

It sounded like an old voice recorder that hadn’t been switched off properly.

I followed the sound and eventually felt something small wrapped in tape behind the kitchen drainpipe.

It was a voice recorder.

The casing was cracked, but it still had a little power left.

I pressed the play button, and Daniel’s hoarse voice came through.

“Dorothy, if you’re hearing this, it means I didn’t make it out. The rules in this building aren’t meant to protect the residents.

“They’re meant to screen us.”

A frantic pounding sounded at the door in the recording.

Daniel fell silent for two seconds, then lowered his voice even further.

“They have to hand over one person every month.

“Delivery drivers, repair workers, new tenants, people who walk into the wrong building.

“Anyone who receives three reports gets sent to the thirteenth floor.

“Don’t tell any of the neighbors the truth. They all know.”

The recording ended there.

The next second, someone knocked on my door.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Ginny’s gentle voice came from outside.

“You must have just moved in, dear.

“I noticed you haven’t turned on the lights. I was worried something happened.”

I held my breath.

Ginny’s face was pressed close to the peephole.

She held a bowl of soup, and a soaked report form floated on its surface.

My apartment number was already written on it: 1204.

I didn’t open the door.

Ginny stood outside for three minutes.

Her face remained pressed against the peephole, and her eyes nearly merged into a single black dot.

At last, she sighed.

“It’s good for young people to stay cautious.”

Her footsteps faded into the distance.

I leaned against the door, my palms slick with sweat.

My phone lit up.

The landlord had added me to a group chat.

The group was called “Hawthorne Lane Apartments, Building 4 Mutual Aid Group.”

There were fifty-seven people in it.

The moment I joined, a string of welcome messages appeared.

401—Eris: “Welcome, new neighbor.”

703—Alex: “Don’t wander around.”

1001—Sam: “People in this building follow the rules.”

201—Ginny: “Contact property management if anything happens.”

Property Management—William: “The new resident in 1204 has joined the group. Everyone, please keep an eye on her.”

The words keep an eye on her sent a chill down my back.

I set my phone to silent and continued listening to the files on the recorder.

Daniel had left seven recordings in total.

The first one explained the rules.

The second one explained the neighbors.

“201—Ginny Moore loves giving people things. Don’t accept anything from her.

“401—Eris York is in charge of spreading messages in the group.

“703—Alex Miller looks timid, but he was last month’s top reporter.

“1001—Sam Parker is part of the residents’ committee. He was also among the earliest to sign the Mutual Aid Pact.

“1401—Sean Hunt knows how to play the good guy, but don’t go anywhere alone with him.

“William Jones isn’t human. At least, he isn’t normal.

“He can’t hurt anyone on his own. He can only act on the report forms.

“That’s why they need everyone to report on one another.”