The Bait

My landlord abruptly announced in our group chat that he was giving us three months of free rent. My roommates lost their minds with excitement. “Mr. Peters is finally acting like a human being!” “I’m saving $2,500 a month! This is a total steal!” But as I stared at that message, my palms grew slick with cold sweat. This was a man who demanded we split a five-dollar fee when the hallway lightbulb burnt out. Why on earth was he suddenly gifting us over twenty grand? I immediately started packing my bags. “I’m moving out tonight.” My roommate Chloe rolled her eyes. “Sarah, do you have a persecution complex or something? Don’t ruin the vibe and cost us our free rent just because you’re a buzzkill.” Another roommate sneered. “Are you just going to throw away your $5,000 security deposit?” I zipped up my suitcase. “I don’t care about it.” That night, at 11:00 PM, the group chat suddenly went dead silent. At 2:00 AM, Chloe’s boyfriend called me, his voice trembling violently: “Sarah, are you home?!” “Can you please go check on Chloe? I think something terrible has happened to her.” 01 Mr. Peters sent the message at 7:20 PM. I had just gotten home from work and was crouching in the entryway taking off my shoes when my phone buzzed. A message popped up in our roommate group chat. Landlord Peters: “Girls, I know it hasn’t been easy living here these past two years.” “The economy is tough right now. I thought about it, and I want to give you all three months of free rent.” A second later, the chat exploded. Maya: “??? Mr. Peters, are you joking?!” Tara: “Three months? For each of us?!” Chloe: “OMG! Did I win the lottery today?!” Lily: “Mr. Peters, you’re being so nice, I almost can’t believe it.” Mr. Peters replied quickly. “It’s true.” “You girls work hard living out here on your own. I’m getting older, just want to build up some good karma.” “Make sure you’re all home tonight, though. I’m going to swing by to drop off some nice desserts and go over the lease addendum for the free rent.” “It’s best if everyone is present, so there’s no confusion later.” I stared at that last sentence. It’s best if everyone is present. Maya burst out of her bedroom, her hair still in curlers. “Sarah! Did you see the chat?! Old man Peters has lost his mind! He’s giving us three months free!” Tara was sitting on the couch, already crunching numbers on her phone. “My rent is $1,500. Three months is $4,500! Oh my god, I can finally pay off my credit cards.” Chloe was hugging her phone, smiling so hard her eyes crinkled. “I thought he only knew how to raise the rent. I can’t believe he’s actually being decent.” Lily had just gotten home from a long shift. She hadn’t even put her bag down, looking exhausted. “Do you think he’s trying to sell the building and just wants to butter us up so we don’t cause trouble?” Maya waved her hand dismissively. “Who cares? Only an idiot turns down free money.” Mr. Peters was the kind of guy who would pinch pennies until they bled. Last month, the living room lightbulb burnt out. Maya asked him to change it. He told us lightbulbs are consumables and it was the tenants’ responsibility. When Tara sent him a screenshot of the maintenance request, he immediately replied: “There are four of you keeping the lights on until midnight every night. Of course the bulbs burn out faster.” In the end, the four of us split the $28 cost of the bulbs. Another time, Chloe’s boyfriend, Liam, came over and sat in the living room for less than two hours. The next day, Mr. Peters texted us, demanding an extra ten dollars for “unauthorized guest water and electricity usage.” A man who was that aggressively cheap over pocket change was suddenly offering free rent? I called bullshit. When a man who calculates money down to the marrow of your bones suddenly decides to throw away thousands of dollars, it’s because he expects to gain something far more valuable in return. I opened my phone and started searching for nearby hotels. Maya noticed my screen and froze. “Sarah, why are you looking at hotels?” I said, “I’m moving out tonight.” 02 The living room went dead silent. Tara looked at me like I had just told a hilarious joke. “Are you serious? You’re moving out when we’re getting free rent? Do you just have money to burn?” I shoved my phone into my purse and stood up to head to my room. “Mr. Peters isn’t the kind of guy who just hands out free money.” Maya rolled her eyes dramatically. “Stop trying to scare everyone, okay? He’s just giving us a rent break, he’s not asking for our kidneys.” I dragged my suitcase down from the top of my closet. The wheels hit the hardwood floor with a heavy thud. Maya leaned against my doorframe, looking at me like I belonged in a psych ward. “Sarah, are you actually leaving?” I started packing my ID, bank cards, and laptop into my backpack piece by piece. “Yeah.” Tara walked over too, crossing her arms and sneering. “What about your $5,000 security deposit? You’re just going to throw it away?” “Yeah.” She scoffed. “Wow, look at the trust fund baby. Normal people like us can’t afford to just throw away five grand.” I opened my drawer and pulled out my copy of the lease and a photocopy of my ID. “It’s not that I want to throw it away.” “It’s that I don’t think gambling my safety for five grand is worth it.” Chloe stood near the back, looking hesitant. “Sarah, did you notice something off?” My hands paused. “Don’t you guys think Mr. Peters has always been a little… creepy?” Maya frowned. “He’s cheap, sure, but it’s not like he’s done anything evil.” “You just love assuming the absolute worst about everything.” Tara immediately chimed in. “If he gives us free rent tonight, all four of us benefit.” “If you leave now, what if he says ‘everyone isn’t here’ and cancels the deal for the rest of us?” I understood now. It wasn’t that they weren’t afraid at all. It was that the temptation of free rent had overridden their fear. Maya picked up her phone. “I’m going to text Mr. Peters and tell him to come talk you out of it. We’re not losing three months of rent just because you’re throwing a fit.” I took a step forward. “Maya, do not tell him I’m leaving.” She had already hit send. “Too late.” I glared at her. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” Maya fired back, her voice raising. “Sarah, I should be asking YOU what you’re doing!” “We finally get something good happening to us, and you have to turn it into a horror movie.” Tara added coldly: “You’ve always acted like you’re better than us. You barely hang out with us. Now you can’t even stand to see us catch a break.” Chloe tried to mediate softly. “Why don’t you just stay for tonight? Once Mr. Peters gets here, just hear what he has to say before you decide.” I looked at them. The roommates I had shared late-night takeout with, split Ubers with, and vented about work with were now standing in my doorway, blocking me like a solid wall. I suddenly felt incredibly exhausted. “I’ve already warned you guys.” I zipped up my suitcase. “The bigger the bargain, the more careful you need to be.” Maya sneered. “Then go.” “You better not regret this.” I didn’t answer. I just turned on the voice recorder on my phone and slipped it into my jacket pocket. I needed to get out before Mr. Peters arrived. But I was too late. 03 As I dragged my suitcase into the living room, the doorbell rang. Ding-dong. All four of us looked at the door. Maya’s face lit up. She hurried over to open it. “It’s definitely him!” Mr. Peters stood in the doorway. He was in his fifties, short, with graying hair. He usually wore a faded, cheap gray jacket that looked like it hadn’t been washed in years. But tonight, he was wearing a clean button-down shirt. He was holding two large shopping bags. The bags had the logo of a high-end, ridiculously expensive local bakery. In his other hand, he carried a large insulated thermos. He was smiling broadly the moment he walked in. “You’re all here! Perfect, perfect.” His eyes swept over the room and landed on my suitcase. His smile faltered for a fraction of a second. “What’s Sarah doing?” Maya jumped in to explain: “Mr. Peters, she insists on moving out. She says you giving us free rent is suspicious.” Mr. Peters didn’t get angry. Instead, he let out a heavy, grandfatherly sigh. “Well, young women these days have their guards up. I don’t blame her.” He placed the bakery bags on the dining table. “I know I’ve been a bit stingy in the past.” “When you get old, you just worry about running out of money.” “A good friend of mine passed away suddenly a few weeks ago. It really put things into perspective. You can’t take your money with you when you die.” As he spoke, he unscrewed the lid of the thermos. A rich, sugary, cloying scent wafted into the room. “I specifically made you girls some bird’s nest soup. It’s great for your health and complexion. You all work so hard, you should each have a bowl.” Maya practically snatched a bowl from him. “Mr. Peters, you’re the best!” Tara opened the bakery bags and gasped. “This place is so expensive! A single slice of cake here is like fifteen bucks!” Chloe looked a bit embarrassed. “Mr. Peters, you really shouldn’t have spent so much on us.” Mr. Peters smiled warmly as he ladled out the soup. “It’s no trouble at all.” “I’m counting on you girls to keep this place lively for me in the future.” He said it so casually. Like a kind, doting uncle. He handed the first bowl to Maya, then served Tara, Chloe, and Lily. His movements were perfectly natural. Finally, he filled a bowl to the brim and held it out to me. “Sarah. Have some.” I didn’t take it. “Sorry, I don’t eat sweets.” Mr. Peters’ hand hovered in mid-air. “It’s not that sweet. Bird’s nest is a luxury, it’s very good for you.” “Thank you, but I’ll pass.” The atmosphere in the living room instantly soured. Maya frowned, holding her bowl. “Sarah, Mr. Peters is giving us free rent AND bringing us expensive soup. You refusing to even take a sip is insanely rude.” Tara added her signature passive-aggressiveness. “Some people just think they’re royalty. Probably thinks we’re trying to poison her.” Chloe looked at me hesitantly. She had already finished half her bowl. Lily had taken a few sips too. She was leaning against the table, rubbing her temples, looking out of it. Mr. Peters pushed the bowl a little closer to me. “Drink this, and we’ll consider the free rent deal sealed.” “I brought the paperwork tonight. Once everyone signs, you won’t have to worry about rent for three months.” I stared at the bowl of soup. The milky-white liquid had a few red dates floating in it. It looked warm and harmless. 04 I reached for my purse instead. “Mr. Peters, keep the security deposit. I’m leaving tonight.” The smile on Mr. Peters’ face completely vanished. I grabbed the handle of my suitcase and started walking. Mr. Peters stepped closer to me, his voice dropping an octave. “It’s very late. It’s not safe for a young girl to be out on the streets by herself.” I didn’t engage. I just looked at him dead in the eye. Now wasn’t the time to escalate things into a physical confrontation. The living room was terrifyingly quiet. Suddenly, Mr. Peters smiled again. “Alright. If you want to leave, leave.” “Young people always have to learn the hard way before they realize who actually has their best interests at heart.” He stepped aside to let me pass. I didn’t hesitate. As I dragged my suitcase toward the front door, I glanced back over my shoulder. Maya and Tara were sitting at the table, eating their expensive pastries. Chloe was holding her phone, smiling at her boyfriend Liam on FaceTime. “See? Mr. Peters is actually being super generous today.” Liam’s voice drifted from the speaker. “Don’t eat too much sugar this late, your stomach’s gonna hurt.” Chloe laughed and called him a nag. Lily was leaning heavily against the back of her chair, rubbing her temples again. “I think working overtime totally wiped me out today. I feel so sleepy.” Mr. Peters immediately chimed in. “If you’re tired, you should get some rest.” “The soup is good for your body. You’ll feel much better after a good night’s sleep.” I stopped at the door. Against my better judgment, I threw out one last warning. “You guys shouldn’t eat too much of that. It’s probably hard to digest.” Maya slammed her spoon down. “Sarah, are you done?!” Tara’s face hardened. “If you want to leave, just leave. Nobody’s stopping you. Stop ruining our night.” Chloe walked over and offered me a sympathetic look. “We’ll be careful, Sarah. Get home safe.” She was the only one who still spoke to me decently. The bowl of soup she had left on the table was almost entirely empty. I walked out the door. Just before the elevator doors closed, I saw Mr. Peters standing in the doorway of our apartment, watching me. He was still smiling. As soon as I left the complex, I ordered an Uber straight to the nearest hotel. During the ride, I uploaded screenshots of the group chat, Mr. Peters’ initial message, and the audio recording to my secure cloud storage. Then, I texted my cousin my hotel location. “If you don’t hear from me by 9:00 AM tomorrow, call the police.” My cousin replied quickly: “What’s going on?” I stared at the screen for a long time. Finally, I typed: “Nothing. Just a precaution.” Once I got into my hotel room, I locked the deadbolt and engaged the security latch. The roommate group chat was still active. Maya sent a picture of an empty pastry box. “Thanks for feeding us, Mr. Peters! ❤️” Tara replied: “Tonight was amazing.” Mr. Peters sent a smiley face emoji. “Glad you liked it. Get some sleep.” After 11:00 PM, nobody sent another message. I sat in the unfamiliar hotel room, second-guessing myself. Was I really just being paranoid? Did Mr. Peters just have a sudden change of heart? Did I twist a genuine act of kindness into a sinister conspiracy? Right at that moment, my phone rang. It was Liam. When I answered, Liam was breathing heavily, his voice frantic and panicked. “Sarah, are you home?! Can you please check on Chloe for me?!” “I think something happened to her. She just stopped talking.”

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