: A Terrifying Night

3.

I was so scared my soul nearly left my body. Large beads of sweat dripped down my forehead.

"Who's there?"

After my voice echoed into the darkness, a strange, dead silence fell.

Just as I was fumbling around, about to change my clothes, KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—

The knocking started again!

This time, I froze, half-sprawled on the bed, all my courage to open the door and check completely gone.

'Who knew if what I'd see would even be human!'

Then, the knocking stopped again.

After a moment, it started up again, each time more forceful than the last.

With trembling hands, I opened my phone and placed a voice call to Zane Shaw.

"Hello?"

Hearing his voice calmed me down considerably, but I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. "Zane? Quick, you have to come over!"

He paused for a few seconds on the other end. Then I heard the door knock again, and his voice came through the phone. "Don't be scared. It's me."

I used whatever I could grab onto for support and made my way to the entrance to open the door.

When I saw the hallway light illuminate his face, I breathed a sigh of relief and went limp, leaning against the door for support. "Just now, my power suddenly went out," I stammered. "The lights were flickering, and—and someone was knocking on my door."

It was terrifying.

Those few short seconds had felt like an eternity.

Zane Shaw glanced at the scene inside my apartment. "You didn't see anyone else, did you?"

His question sent another chill down my spine. "No!"

He pointed to the ajar circuit breaker box on the wall. "Good. When I came down, I noticed someone had tampered with your breaker. Don't worry, this was definitely intentional. I'll go check the surveillance footage in a bit."

As he spoke, he had already flipped the switch on the breaker, and the lights in the apartment finally came back on.

The weight in my chest finally lifted. I wiped the tears from my face. "Thank you, thank you so much. Why don't you… why don't you come in and sit for a while?"

'I just wanted to invite him in for a glass of water, nothing more. I'd just feel a lot safer with him here.'

He looked like he was about to say something, but hesitated. Following his gaze, I realized I was still just wrapped in a bath towel.

My face flushed red. "It's fine if it's not convenient."

"You go get changed first. I'll go check the security footage. Don't worry, there won't be any more trouble."

'That's what he said, but I'd just been scared half to death. I'd finally found a living, breathing person, and I wasn't about to let him get away.'

"Zane! Officer Shaw, wait, don't go yet!"

He gave a resigned smile. "Alright. Go get changed first."

I let him in and closed the door, then went to my bedroom to change. When I came out, he was still waiting there.

I let out a sigh of relief. "I don't think I can sleep here tonight. I'll just go to my best friend's place."

He nodded in understanding. "Okay. Where does your friend live? Do you need me to drive you?"

Normally, I would have refused, not wanting to bother someone so late at night.

But now, staring out at the inky blackness, I couldn't help but wonder what other unknown things were waiting for me out there…

"She lives in The Orchard Gardens in Belhaven."

Zane Shaw frowned slightly. "That's too far."

It was a bit far—a two or three-hour drive.

I lowered my gaze. "It is a little far. I already feel bad for bothering you this late. It's okay, you can go get some rest. I can get there by myself."

He pressed his lips together and shook his head. "It's not that I think it's a hassle. I'm just saying, you have work tomorrow. After a scare like tonight, who knows how long it'll take you to fall asleep, and then you'll have to get up extra early…"

'Hearing him lay it out like that just made my situation feel even more pathetic.'

"Forget it. How about this? Why don't you stay at my place tonight?"

'Stay at his place?'

My eyes widened as I stared at him.

He cleared his throat. "Don't get the wrong idea. I have two bedrooms."

I couldn't help but laugh.

'When did I ever get the wrong idea?'

'Well, except for that one time I misunderstood and thought he was playing… 'indecent music' in his apartment.'

'But you can't blame that entirely on me, right?'

'It was just my rotten luck.'

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Officer!"

I grabbed my toiletries and followed him upstairs.

His apartment layout was pretty much the same as mine. Since the entire building was full of rentals, the interior design was nearly identical too.

The only real difference was probably that, as a police officer who likely spent most of his time on cases, he didn't have many personal belongings at home.

"Relax. I've already notified Building Management to check the security footage. Get some sleep."

He led me into the guest room. "If you're still scared, it's okay to leave the light on."

'Of course, I couldn't do that.'

'This is his place, how could I just waste his electricity?'

Besides, being in a different place with someone else around, I had calmed down a lot. I don't believe in ghosts or spirits to begin with; tonight's 'supernatural' event was probably just someone playing a prank.

'And Zane Shaw is a cop. Who would dare mess with him?'

So, even though I had been scared to death just a short while ago, I fell asleep quickly.

But my dreams were far from peaceful. In my dream, I was in total darkness when I heard that knocking sound again. I opened the door, and a man in a clown mask pulled out a sharp knife, about to stab me…

I woke up.

Even though it was just a dream, I was still badly frightened.

I got out of bed and, navigating from memory, went to the kitchen for some water. But then I saw a figure moving around inside.

"AH!"

I pointed at the figure, my limbs trembling. "Who—who are you!"

4.

He flipped on the light and looked at me, confused. My face must have been ghost-white from fear, because he rushed over to support me.

It was Zane Shaw.

I froze. Looking around the unfamiliar room, I suddenly remembered... I had fallen asleep at Zane Shaw's place last night.

"S-sorry," I stammered. "I-I forgot I was at your house."

I felt a wave of relief, but I'd been through so much crap these past few days. I was exhausted and weak. I tried to stand up straight, but my legs felt like they didn't belong to me. They gave out, and I fell right into his arms.

'I didn't do it on purpose!'

'I swear I didn't mean to fall into the arms of an ultimate hottie like him! I wasn't throwing myself at him!'

My face turned so red I thought it might start bleeding. From my angle, I could just make out a strange, unreadable glint in his eyes.

Then, he blushed too. He gently held me, carefully avoiding any inappropriate places.

"Don't worry," he said. "You're safe now."

He patted my back lightly, and the tense furrow in my brow gradually relaxed.

'The embrace of one of the People's Police, as expected! It feels so safe!'

And just like that, enveloped in a faint scent of lavender, I completely calmed down.

"Thank you, Zane Shaw."

My face was full of gratitude. "I'm just being such a bother."

He shook his head. "It's no trouble. Do you want some water?"

I nodded. That was what I'd been looking for in the first place.

He cleared his throat. I paused for a second.

Then, I quickly stood up straight and gave him an embarrassed smile.

'I forgot he was still holding me.'

'To be honest, his arms were so warm... I kind of didn't want to leave.'

'What are you thinking, Lucy Young!'

'The nerve!'

'He took you in, and this is how you repay him, by having improper thoughts?!'

After fiercely scolding myself, my mind kept replaying the scene of him holding me.

'Hehe, I know it's "criminal," but I just can't help it.'

Maybe it was Zane Shaw's comforting presence, but I slept soundly for the rest of the night.

When I woke up again, I washed up and went out to find he had already made breakfast in the kitchen.

"You must have been terrified last night. Have something to eat."

He glanced back at me and placed the plate he was holding onto the table.

Fried eggs and a vegetable salad. It looked delicious.

I took a bite. It was really good.

"I never would've guessed you were such a good cook!"

It looked simple, but the flavor was anything but.

He paused. "I'm on my own, so I cook for myself often."

I work downtown in City A, but my home is in the suburbs. My mom comes over every weekend to stock my fridge with food.

So, I couldn't really relate to what he was saying.

But I silently took note of his words, then thanked him and left for work.

At work today, I finished my entire day's tasks in just two hours. For the rest of the time... I was looking up information, trying to learn a few signature dishes in a single day.

When I got home that evening, carrying a basket full of meat and vegetables, I saw the dead rat at my door...

'So despicable! Who did this?!'

A musty smell filled my nostrils. As I fought back a wave of nausea, I decided I couldn't live here anymore.

I took out my phone and called my best friend.

"Hey, Vivi, I've run into a bit of trouble recently. Would it be okay if I stayed with you for a few days?"

She paused for a few seconds. "What's wrong, Lucy? My place... uh, my boyfriend moved in, and my dad's sick so I'm back in my hometown taking care of him. It's just my boyfriend at home right now."

She didn't explicitly say whether it was convenient or not, but there was no way I could stay alone with her boyfriend!

"Oh, never mind then."

I sighed. I was about to call property management and the police to investigate what was going on when I suddenly heard a familiar voice behind me.

"The surveillance results are in. It was an accomplice from the den downstairs getting revenge on you. Unfortunately, we didn't catch them in the act."

Zane Shaw appeared, holding some kind of certificate. He handed it to me. "This is a certificate for reporting a crime. There's some reward money included inside."

I took it, but I felt a little guilty.

"I-I can't take this."

That whole thing was just an accident.

He raised an eyebrow and looked at the dead rat on the ground. "Consider it compensation for emotional distress."

I accepted it and said with some difficulty, "Forget it, I'm not going to stay here for a while. I... maybe I should just go home."

"Where is home?"

I told him I lived in the suburbs, and he gave me a look that said, 'Have the last few days scared you stupid?'

"Then how are you going to get to work for the next few days?"

'Until I find a new place, I'll have to get up at three in the morning at the latest...'

I looked at him pleadingly. "But there's no other way."

"How about this: you can stay at my place until you find a new apartment."

Even though constantly bothering him made me feel incredibly guilty, it was the best solution right now.

I nodded gratefully. "Thank you! Don't worry, I won't stay for free. I'll pay rent!"

He paused for a moment, a hint of a smile in his eyes. "Okay."