The Sister Behind the Frozen Door

I couldn't help following my brothers down to the basement.

With every step, a heavy pressure settled deeper in my chest.

The hallway outside the old walk-in freezer was bitterly cold. Ethan, Mason, and Logan marched straight toward the frost-covered steel door.

Ethan kicked it hard.

The entire door shuddered with a dull, thunderous boom.

"Harper, stop playing dead and get out of here!"

His voice echoed through the basement.

"You upset Chloe so badly her heart condition flared up. Today, you're getting on your knees and apologizing to her."

Inside the freezer, there was only silence.

I drifted above, watching anger contort his features.

He had no idea that there was no one inside who could answer him anymore.

When nothing came from the other side, Mason pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and gave a cold smile.

"Still trying to make us feel sorry for you?" His voice was full of contempt. "You think if you stay quiet long enough, we'll cave? In extreme cold, people instinctively cry for help. You're not making a sound. Even your act is sloppy."

A deeper shadow crossed Logan's face.

He grabbed the trembling staff member beside him by the collar. "Did she pay you off? Did you let her sneak out?"

His voice turned vicious. "Using this pathetic silent treatment to threaten us? Who does she think she is?"

The staff member collapsed to his knees as he pleaded with Logan. "Mr. Logan, no! I swear! Ms. Harper hasn't left this room once in three days!"

When Ethan heard I was still inside, he let out a cold snort and reached for the handle. "You almost killed Chloe, and you still won't admit you were wrong. Are you even worthy of being an Ellison?

"Come out and apologize, Harper. Do that, and we'll still see you as our sister. Otherwise—"

He yanked the handle. The door didn't move.

Ethan's expression darkened instantly. He kicked the door again, harder this time. He laughed in fury. "So now you've learned to lock it from the inside? You think this will force us to give in?"

Mason and Logan stepped forward, too, grabbed the handle, and pulled with all their strength.

"Open the door!"

"Harper, get out here and apologize!"

Yet no matter how hard they pulled, the door stayed jammed shut.

Ethan frowned, his patience snapping. "What the hell? Why is the door stuck like it's frozen solid?"

I hovered overhead, my gaze fixed on the warped steel door below.

I thought, 'Of course it wouldn't open. Three days ago, I was trapped in that impossible cold, pounding on the door with whatever strength I had left.

'My nails were bent back. Some were torn clean off. Blood ran down my fingers and seeped into the lock, then the cold froze it solid. That door wasn't locked from the inside. I sealed it with my own blood.'

"She must have wrecked the lock from the inside on purpose." Logan suddenly laughed, sharp and furious. He kicked the door again. "Great. Now she's breaking things just to fight us?"

Mason turned to the security team, his voice ice-cold. "Get a sledgehammer and a saw. Cut the lock open. Let's see how long she can keep hiding in there."

His eyes narrowed. "Today, the three of us are going to teach you some discipline."

Soon, the guards came back with heavy tools. Sparks burst and scattered across the concrete.

The screech of tearing metal ricocheted through the basement.

As the saw chewed deeper, the door finally split open a narrow, jagged slit.

A wave of frigid air surged out, laced with a sharp, sickening stench.

Every face blanched in horror.

"M-Mr. Ethan…" The staff member shook so hard his teeth chattered. "That smell isn't right. That's… That's the smell of death."

The basement went silent.

Ethan froze with his hand still on the door, his eyes narrowing.

But a second later, Logan slapped the staff member across the face. "Shut your mouth! You think someone can die at 14°F? Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Then he shoved the guards aside and snatched the sledgehammer himself.

"Harper, listen carefully. Mom and Dad may be gone, but today, the three of us are going to teach you the lesson they never got to."

He raised the sledgehammer high. With all his rage behind it, he brought it down on the half-broken lock.

The sound shook the basement.

The heavy steel door that had trapped me for three whole days finally crashed to the floor.

Harsh hallway light spilled into the freezer's pitch-black void.

My brothers strode into the swirling white fog, their anger still wrapped tight around them like armor.

"Why the hell is it this cold?"

"Harper, get out here—" Ethan's roar caught in his throat. At last, he saw the figure curled up in the middle of the freezer.