My best friend, Rachel Winters, recently adopted a dog.

Honestly, it was unlike any dog I’d ever seen before.

From the moment Rachel brought it home, something about her changed. She looked different—healthier, glowing, even.

Her complexion was rosy and seemed pretty darn charming, if I’m being honest, like she was radiating some kind of positive energy.

And this is where things got weird.

Something about her dog, Max, made my skin crawl.

It wasn’t that it was ugly or anything. Quite the opposite, actually.

The dog was just... off.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that I desperately tried to persuade her not to keep such a dog.

"Issa, please, can you just watch him for a few days?" Rachel asked. "I have a business trip tonight, and I swear, I’ll send him away as soon as I get back."

My boyfriend, David Harrington, chimed in from the couch, looking at me with those puppy-dog eyes. "It won’t be any trouble, really. Just feed him and give him a little attention. It’s only a few days, Issa. Please, say yes."

The desperation in their eyes was hard to ignore, so I sighed, trying not to sound too annoyed, and agreed. "Fine. I’ll do it, but just for a couple of days."

That night, the dog came into my house. And let me tell you, things went downhill fast.

I don’t know how it happened exactly, but before I knew it, the dog had bitten me.

And then... I was gone. Just like that.

It bit me, took my life, and then... ate me.

Flesh, blood, everything. Gone.

After my death, Rachel went live on social media, crying her eyes out, playing the grieving best friend. "She saw how cute my dog was and insisted on taking him home. And... well, that’s how she ended up getting bitten to death by him."

Her makeup was perfect, her tears just right, and in no time, Rachel Winters was viral. People were eating up her story, and she made a killing off my death.

And then... I woke up.

Just like that. I opened my eyes again, and to my shock, I realized I was back on the exact day Rachel asked me to watch the dog.

——

"Issa, what are you waiting for? Come in already!"

I froze for a moment.

"By the way, I got a dog recently. His name is Max. You’re going to love him. He’s super handsome!" the voice added with that same cheery tone.

A wave of dread washed over me.

The first thing I heard was her voice—the familiar, comforting sound—and then the realization hit me like a ton of bricks.

It was Rachel.

I recognized her voice immediately, and as soon as I did, my heart slammed against my chest.

My body became stiff.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. Sure enough, she stood before me, completely unaware of the storm brewing in my mind.

But what happened next? That was when a chill went down my spine.

Rachel shot me an impatient look, clearly wondering why I was standing there, frozen.

She reached out, grabbing my arm to pull me inside, but as I looked past her, my stomach dropped.

There it was. The same damned dog.

And I knew instantly—I was reborn.

The dog stood there, glaring at me with that same creepy, sinister look. My body was covered in cold sweat, and my heart was hammering in my chest.

In my past life, I had entered Rachel’s house with a smile on my face, completely unaware of the danger I was walking into.

That’s when I first saw the dog. It was huge—like, taller than a meter.

And the worst part? The face.

It looked... human.

Its mouth had a weird, twisted curve like it was smiling, but in the creepiest way possible.

And its eyes? Pure malice.

They were the kind of eyes that made you feel like something was wrong.

I’d never felt so cold in my entire life.

I grabbed Rachel’s arm without thinking and whispered, “Rachel, this dog... there’s something off about it. Don’t you see it? It looks like a person. Like... a human. My grandpa used to warn me about these kinds of dogs. He said they’re called ‘human-faced dogs,’ and that keeping one would only bring trouble.”

Rachel didn’t even blink.

She just smiled and casually shut the door behind her. “Issa, don’t listen to that superstitious nonsense. Ever since I got Max, I’ve felt so much better. My sleep has improved so much, too!”

She flashed me a bright smile, almost too bright.

I took a second to really look at her. And that’s when I noticed it. Something was off.

Her face was more vibrant, more alive—almost like she was glowing.

There was a seductive gleam in her eyes. The kind of look someone gets when they’ve been pampered and treated like royalty.

It made my stomach twist into knots.

This wasn’t the same Rachel I knew.

My expression grew serious as I leaned in, lowering my voice. “Rachel, you have to get rid of this dog. I’m serious, you can’t keep him.”

She hesitated for a moment, clearly thrown off by my tone.

Then, with a sigh, she nodded reluctantly. “Issa, we’ve been friends for years, and I trust you. But... I can’t get rid of him right now. I’m going on a business trip in a few days. I’ll take care of it when I get back.”

She gave me a pleading look. “Please, can you take care of Max for a few days? I swear, I’ll send him away as soon as I get back.”

And just like that, I was trapped in their plan again.

I’m not sure if the dog actually understood our conversation, but suddenly, the human-faced dog behind Rachel flashed a weird, almost mocking grin.

A cold shiver ran down my spine, and my body screamed at me to run as far away from this nightmare as possible.

I quickly shook my head and blurted out, “No way! I can’t take care of that dog.”

Rachel pouted, clearly annoyed, and tugged at my arm like a child throwing a tantrum.

“Come on, Issa, just help me out this one time!” she whined.

David, who had been following behind us, stepped in immediately. “It’s no big deal, really. Feeding a dog is easy. You and I will take him home and look after him for several days tonight.”

He flashed me that reassuring smile that’s supposed to make you feel like everything’s fine.

“I know you’re freaked out by it,” he continued, “but I’ll stay home with you. We’ll be fine.”

Before I could even protest, Rachel was already practically bowing down in gratitude. “Thank you so much, Issa!”

Seeing her so sincerely thankful, I found myself unable to say no.

So, reluctantly, I agreed.

But, little did I know, bringing this... thing into my house that night would start a total nightmare.

In my past life, when we first brought the dog home, David had said he needed to work late.

He saw how scared I was and, in an attempt to calm me down, kindly took the dog away, tying it up in a secluded corner of the parking lot.

With that, I felt a little better, so I treated myself to a long, relaxing bath and got comfortable, thinking I’d wait for David to come back.

But just as I was about to drift off, there was a knock on the door.

'Did David forget his keys?' I furrowed my brow, suddenly feeling a little suspicious.

Quietly, I got up and approached the door, asking cautiously, “Who is it?”

I heard his voice on the other side, faint but familiar.

“Issa, it’s me.”

That was enough for me.

I felt the tension in my body melt away, and I opened the door.

Then, the wind slammed it back into my face.

Before I could even react, the human-faced dog lunged at me.

It knocked me to the floor with terrifying force.

I didn’t even have time to scream. The dog’s teeth sank into my neck before I could blink.

Blood was sprayed everywhere.

I could feel my body twitching, my life slipping away with every painful second.

But it was useless, no matter how much I fought to stay alive.

When the dog saw that I was no longer making a sound, it casually started licking up the blood from the floor, savoring every drop like it had all the time in the world.

I could still feel the excruciating pain of its teeth in my flesh, even as my consciousness faded away.

I died in sheer agony, knowing that my body, though lifeless, was still hurting in ways I couldn’t even describe.

After that, Rachel went live on social media, sobbing dramatically, perfectly made-up as always.

“I told Issa not to keep this kind of human-faced dog, but she wouldn’t listen to me…” she sniffled, pausing for effect. “She thought my dog was so cute, she insisted on taking him home, and... that’s how she ended up getting bitten to death.”

Rachel milked my death for all it was worth.

With her staged tears, she became an overnight sensation. Her follower count exploded, and the cash rolled in as people ate up the tragic tale of the "grieving friend."

Meanwhile, not only did I die a horrible, painful death, but I was also buried in a sea of online comments blaming me for everything.

They all said I deserved it for making such a dumb decision.

The anger in my chest was all-consuming as I thought back to how that thing tore me apart in my past life.

The hatred I couldn’t even express flooded my mind.

Just as I was about to step back and avoid Rachel’s touch, I suddenly bumped into David’s embrace.

“Issa, what are you doing? Come inside already!”

He didn’t seem to notice anything strange.

In fact, he pushed me gently into Rachel’s house.

As I snapped out of the haunting memories of my past life, I realized the door had already been shut behind me.

And then, I saw it. The dog.

Silent, still, and staring at me from just behind the door. I could feel its eyes burning through me without even turning around.

Rachel grabbed my hand and smiled brightly like she hadn’t just sold my death to the world.

“So, Issa, what do you think of the dog I got? Not bad, huh?”

A wave of fear, the same one I felt in my previous life when I was bitten to death, surged through my chest.

I froze, my body recoiling instinctively at the memory.

David, noticing my silence, quickly tried to smooth things over. “This dog looks pretty handsome. You really took good care of it.”

But as I glanced at him, a question started to form in my mind. 'What exactly had he been involved in?'

If it hadn’t been for him, I never would have brought this nightmare of a dog into my life.

But he had, hadn’t he?

He was the one who took the dog when he went to work late.

But here it was—standing at my door.

And why had I heard David’s voice just before opening it?

I would never have opened that door if I hadn't heard him.

It was clicking now. David and Rachel definitely participated in this together.

Just then, Rachel stepped out of the kitchen, as cheerful as ever, holding the meal she had prepared. “Issa, David, come on, dinner’s ready!”

And just like in my previous life, she casually dropped the bomb. “Issa, my business trip is tonight, so I’ll leave the dog with you. Can you look after it for a few days?”

The memory of the excruciating pain from the dog’s bite hit me like a freight train.

My body froze, and I trembled.

My voice came out cold and firm, laced with fear. “I’m allergic to dog fur. I can’t take care of it.”

Rachel hesitated for a moment, clearly thrown off by my refusal. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped herself.

I wasn’t going to budge. I shoved the table away and stood up to leave, my mind racing.

But before I could get far, David walked in with the dog.

I shot him a frustrated look.

He looked sheepish like he knew how much this bothered me. “Issa, we’re just helping Rachel out. Taking care of the dog for a couple of days. Once she’s back, we’ll send him away, I promise.”

A cold, bitter feeling settled in my chest.

It was clear now. They had planned this so that I'd be taken out by this dog. But not this time.

'No way.'

I glared at the dog, my frustration bubbling over. “You know I’m terrified of this thing, yet you still brought it here?”

David stepped forward, his voice full of apologies, trying to calm me down. “Issa, I’m sorry. It’ll be okay. I’m here with you.”

I wasn’t having it.

A few moments later, I pretended to check my phone, then faked a frown and spoke with irritation in my voice. “My boss just asked me to work overtime. I’ve got to head back to the office.”

I didn’t even wait for a response as I added, “You go ahead and give the dog a bath. He’s filthy. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.”

David’s eyes widened slightly like he wanted to protest, but I was already leaving.

“I’ve got to hurry,” I said, brushing him off with a quick wave. “I’ll see you later.”

I stole one last glance over my shoulder as I stepped out the door.

David was standing there, holding the dog, staring intently at his phone, probably texting Rachel to coordinate their next move.

I couldn’t help the sneer that tugged at my lips. I could tell that my sudden departure had thrown a wrench into their plans.

In my past life, I had been too blind to see what was really going on. But not this time. This time, I would make sure they saw exactly how things were going to unfold.

I left the building and hopped into a taxi, making my way to a nearby hotel. After checking in, I took a deep breath, letting the tension slowly leave my body.

Once I was in my room, I plopped down on the bed and immediately pulled out my phone. I opened the security cameras for my house, wanting to see what David was doing.

To my shock, the house was empty.

Panic flooded my chest. My heart skipped a beat as I shot up from the bed, my mind racing.

I quickly opened the location app on my phone and linked it to David’s car.

It didn’t take long to realize what was happening.

David’s car was heading straight for the hotel where I was staying.

I quickly opened the real-time tracking for the car. My blood ran cold as I saw it. The dog was in the backseat, that twisted grin still stretched across its face.

It was staring straight at me, even though it was miles away.

A chill ran down my spine, and I couldn’t shake the fear crawling up my skin. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stay calm.