Chapter 4

"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.