Aria managed only a few hours of restless sleep after the strange messages in the night. Every creak of the house, every whisper of wind against her window, kept jerking her awake. But by dawn, exhaustion overpowered fear, and she drifted into a shallow sleep that left her feeling neither rested nor alert.
It was barely 6:10 a.m. when the doorbell rang.
The sharp chime sliced through the quiet morning like a blade.
Aria froze in bed.
No one should be here.
Absolutely no one.
Her family lived thirty minutes away and never visited unannounced. Package deliveries didn't come this early. Her neighbors weren't the friendly knock-on-your-door types. And after the terrifying text messages from last night, the sound hit her like an electric shock.
The bell rang again.
Longer this time.
Insistent.
Aria's heart thudded painfully in her chest as she pushed the blanket away. Her breath formed a shaky cloud in the cold morning air. She'd forgotten to adjust the thermostat last night—because she'd been too busy trying to convince herself she wasn't losing her mind.
The third ring was sharper. A demand, not a request.
Aria swung her legs out of bed, grabbing her phone. No new messages. No sign from the unknown number.
Her bare feet touched the wooden floor, too cold, but grounding. She tiptoed to the bedroom door and peeked into the hallway. Silence. The faint glow of sunrise filtered through the blinds, painting golden stripes across the living-room floor.
She crept toward the front door, her heart pounding in her throat.
Her mind raced.
What if it's the person who sent the messages?
What if it's the man from my dream?
What if… something else?
Her hand reached for the doorknob, then stopped. Her grandmother's voice whispered in her memory:
"Never open your door before sunrise unless you know the soul standing on the other side."
Aria inhaled sharply.
She wasn't superstitious—but last night had shaken her.
She leaned forward on her tiptoes and looked through the peephole.
The hallway outside was dim, but she could make out a figure standing on the welcome mat. Tall. Broad shoulders. Wearing a hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, obscuring the face.
Her stomach twisted.
Not a delivery person.
Not a neighbor.
A stranger.
Her hand trembled over the doorknob.
She whispered, barely audible, "Who are you?"
As if hearing her, the stranger lifted his chin slightly.
The hood shifted.
But she still couldn't see his face.
The air in the hallway outside her apartment thickened, as though holding its breath alongside her.
The stranger raised a hand and rang the bell again. This time, the chime echoed down the hallway like a warning.
Aria jerked back from the door.
Her phone buzzed—so suddenly she almost screamed.
A new message from the unknown number.
Unknown Number:Do not open the door.
Her blood ran cold.
Her knees weakened.
Then—another message immediately after.
Unknown Number:I'm on my way.
Aria stared at the words, her pulse roaring in her ears.
Whoever this person was—how did they know what was happening? How did they know someone was at her door?
She didn't have time to think.
A soft sound came from the door.
A tap.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Like the stranger was knocking with just a fingertip.
Aria covered her mouth to stifle a gasp.
"Aria." The voice on the other side of the door was low, muffled, and chillingly calm. Too calm. Like he wasn't here for the first time. Like he already knew her. "We need to talk."
Her skin prickled.
The stranger knew her name.
Her name.
Her body turned to ice.
This wasn't random.
This wasn't coincidence.
"Go away," Aria whispered, her voice barely steady. "I'm calling the police."
The stranger hummed. A short, amused sound that made her skin crawl.
"You won't," he said. "You're too curious."
Her breath hitched.
The stranger leaned closer—or at least it sounded like he did.
"Open the door, Aria. You don't have to be afraid."
Her hand tightened around her phone until her knuckles whitened. She forced herself to breathe. To think.
Why was he here?
What did he want?
Why did he sound so sure she would open the door?
A faint rustling noise came from outside, like he was adjusting something—clothes? A bag? Something worse?
Aria backed away slowly, step by step.
Then—
A loud bang rattled the door.
Like a fist slamming into it.
Aria jumped, stumbling backward.
The stranger's calm voice dropped into something colder.
"Last chance. Open the door."
Her throat closed.
"No," she whispered.
Silence.
Heavy. Oppressive.
Then—
Another bang. Harder.
Aria almost dropped her phone.
Her mind screamed, Run! Hide! Call for help! But her body felt frozen.
Her phone buzzed again.
Unknown Number:Stay away from the door. I'm two minutes away.
Two minutes.
Two minutes suddenly felt like a lifetime.
The stranger outside whispered something she couldn't quite hear. Then something metallic scraped against the lock.
Her eyes widened.
He was trying to break in.
Panic shot through her. It clawed up her throat, sharp and thick.
She darted backward, stumbling over her own feet as she rushed toward the kitchen. Her breath came in quick gasps. She grabbed the nearest thing she could use as a weapon—a heavy glass vase filled with last week's dying roses.
Another metallic click.
A second.
A third.
The lock jiggled.
No. No. No.
Tears stung her eyes.
"Stop!" she cried toward the door. "Leave me alone!"
The stranger chuckled softly.
"Aria," he said. "You called for me long before this morning."
Her blood chilled.
She didn't understand.
She didn't want to understand.
Another click.
Something gave way inside the lock.
Her knees nearly buckled.
Then—
Footsteps sounded from the hallway. Fast. Hard. Approaching.
The stranger outside the door stopped.
Silence fell.
Then a low, hostile growl—not from inside her home but from outside the door—vibrated through the hallway.
An unfamiliar voice, deep and commanding, said:
"Step away from her door."
Aria froze.
That voice.
It wasn't the stranger.
It wasn't someone she knew.
But it sounded terrifyingly like—
the man from her dream.
Her breath hitched as the stranger outside hissed back, "You shouldn't be here."
The hallway erupted with a violent thud, like two bodies colliding.
Aria screamed and dropped the vase; it shattered across the floor.
Her front door shook violently as something—or someone—was slammed into it.
She backed into the kitchen counter, heart pounding so hard she thought it might burst.
Outside, the two men struggled, grunting, growling, shoving.
And then—
A silver glow spilled through the crack beneath her door.
Aria clapped a hand over her mouth.
Silver.
Just like his eyes.
"Aria," the deep voice called from outside, breathless but firm. "Don't be afraid."
Before she could process what was happening, something hit the door so hard it cracked.
One more blow, and it might break open—
Cliffhanger continues…