Who would have expected him to run back home after a month and tell our parents that I was the corrupting influence who dragged him out with me when I ran away?

In response, my parents locked me in a small storeroom for a month.

I thought that was the worst of his behavior. But this time? This time he managed to sic a murderer on me. Me, the one who cooked for him and took care of him when he refused to find a job after graduating from college. Me.

And this was my reward?

I clenched my fist, bitterness tightening my chest.

The corridor remained silent. I slipped out my phone and called Chad.

The live comments flooded the screen.

[What's he doing? Is he going to call his brother and warn him?]

[You can't even save yourself. Stop wasting time on him and save yourself!]

[You're not Naruto. You can't Talk No Jutsu this guy into becoming good. No wonder he's died so many times before. He's too dumb to live.]

[No. Do society a favor and let that asshole die. The world will thank you.]

The glow from my screen washed over the metal handrails and the grated floor beneath my feet.

Chad picked up almost at once.

"Your food's here. Open up," I said flatly.

"Shit!" He was breathing hard, panic bleeding through the line. "Okay, okay. I admit it. I didn't order anything. But Teddy won't leave me alone. He said he won't. So can you just help me this one time? He won't hurt you."

He rushed on without waiting for my response. "Just talk him down from this toxic revenge crap, all right? Tell him I'll pay back all the scholarship money I used. Every cent."

He added, "Mom and Dad made you promise, remember? You're supposed to protect me. You're my older brother, J."

I clenched my jaw. Before I could answer, he hung up, as if afraid of what I might say.

That told me everything. Chad knew exactly what was happening, including how much danger I was in. This had been part of his plan all along.

The comments kept coming.

[How is this guy even human? Who says that?]

[He's beyond shameless. He's unhinged. Who sends his injured older brother to face an angry killer alone? That's practically aiding murder.]

[If you survive this, disown Chad and get as far away from him as possible.]

I drew a slow breath. I had to get out of this apartment if I wanted to live. Staying here was a death sentence. Teddy would find me sooner or later.

I shifted my weight and moved toward the emergency staircase, careful despite the pain in my injured foot.

Without warning, the light above the fire escape flared on.

The sudden brightness blinded me.

My heart lurched. The light threw my shadow across the landing. Anyone looking up would see a clear human silhouette. Teddy would know exactly where I was.

The footsteps I had dreaded returned. They grew louder with each step as Teddy headed straight toward me.

I had no time to think. I ran down the stairs, ignoring the sharp protest from my injured foot.

Seconds later, the fire door slammed shut above me. Teddy was here. He was right behind me.

I dragged my foot as I fled. With shaking hands, I called Mom and begged for help.

"Mom, I need help! Chad's going to get me killed!" I said.

"Jason, how dramatic do you want to be? You're just taking care of your brother," she snapped. "And don't feed me that. Chad's the sweetest boy in the world. You're the one who's always been a troublemaker. Don't you feel even a little embarrassed accusing him of the kind of things you'd do?"

She sounded more irritated than concerned.

"Don't ever call me in the middle of the night again."

The line went dead. I tried to call her back, but she had already turned off her phone.

Desolation settled over me. My parents had always been like this. Chad would run his mouth, spin some lie, and suddenly nothing I said could possibly be true. It hurt to realize that nothing had changed.

I was on the eighth floor. The stairwell was long and steep, not meant for running, but I could not stop. I kept going until a metallic taste filled my throat.

I nearly slipped several times. The sound of footsteps behind me never faded, so I forced myself to keep moving.

When I reached the ground floor, I glanced at the comments.

[No! Don't go down the stairs, man!]

[Teddy locked the outside door when he first entered the apartment, J! You can't get out that way!]

I froze, and my knees weakened. Still, the pounding steps behind me sent a fresh surge of adrenaline through my body.

If the exit ahead was a dead end, then this was where I would die.

The killer's footsteps drew closer. In my mind, I could already see the silvery flash of Teddy's blade.

I ground my teeth, bolted out of the emergency stairwell, and sprinted toward the elevator.

I jumped inside and jabbed every button on the panel. "Please work. Please work."

If the comments were right, the main door was no longer an escape.

I was certain Teddy would reach the elevator before the doors closed. After that, nothing would stand between me and his knife.

At the last second, I darted out of the elevator and dove into the large dumpster in the lobby.

The comment section held its breath with me.

A minute later, Teddy emerged from the stairwell. Through a narrow crack beneath the lid, I watched him stop in front of the closed elevator. He looked up at the display above the door, calculating which floor I might be heading to.

My heart pounded. Thank God I had not stayed inside the elevator. Teddy seemed convinced I had escaped that way.

If he would just leave, I could make my move. I could take the elevator down to the basement parking level and get out from there.

Teddy turned toward the stairs.

As he was about to leave, my phone rang.

My heart stopped, and sweat soaked my clothes.

Who would call me at this hour?

Teddy halted midstep. He turned slowly, scanning the lobby until his gaze fixed on the dumpster.

Sharp, acidic fear surged through me. I nearly gagged, but I clamped a hand over my mouth.

His footsteps shifted direction.

He started walking toward me.

Teddy stopped about six feet away, picked up the phone I had dropped when I ran out of the elevator, and switched it to speaker.

Chad's grating voice cracked through the line. "Why the hell did you call Mom and Dad, J? What the hell? Can't you help me out for once? God, you're already in your 20s. Stop acting like some snitching kid."

If he had been standing in front of me, I would have ripped those words straight out of his mouth. How could he say any of that after siccing me on a murderer who was coming for him?

The comments began to roll in.

[He's doing this on purpose!]

[He called J so the killer would find J and go after him instead!]

[What the hell is wrong with this psycho?!]

I forced myself to calm down. I clamped a hand over my mouth to keep even the smallest sound from escaping.

Teddy toyed with his knife in silence while Chad continued, "By the way, remember the basement parking lot? You can escape from there. I bet Teddy doesn't even know that."

The comment section exploded.

[What the hell is wrong with this punk-ass bitch?!]

[I can't believe this idiot just tipped off the killer!]

[I remember the last time J died. This same jackass got away with it and was never punished!]

Teddy burst out laughing. "Oh dear. Do you think Teddy might still be in the dark about that?"

Silence followed. Then Chad screamed, "Go take your rage out on Jason! Don't take it out on me! I know I wronged you, but I don't deserve to die for it!"

The call was cut off.

Teddy slipped the phone into his pocket, walked to the master circuit board, and opened the panel.

Every electrical appliance in the building fell silent. Darkness swallowed the world around me. Only the sickly green EXIT sign continued to glow.

I shuddered. The elevator was dead. I had no way out.

Black spots crowded my vision, but I dug my nails into my arm to keep from fainting. If I made even the slightest sound…

Moonlight filtered through the glass panel of the apartment's front door. It outlined the killer's towering, hulking figure as he stepped closer.

"Hello, hello." His voice rasped low and dangerous. "I bet you're right… here."