“That red dress looks *so* good on you.” For three days straight, I kept getting these creepy texts from an unknown number. But I *never* wear red dresses! Just now, I felt a puff of air on my neck. I snapped my eyes open, and suddenly, there was breathing, right next to my ear… **Chapter 1** In the dark, there was a faint dripping sound, and what felt like light breathing right next to my ear. I forced my eyes open. The breathing stopped. The room was dead quiet. I flicked on the light and scanned around. Nothing. But the window next to my bed was open. I distinctly remember closing it before I fell asleep! I walked around the room, checking every corner. Nothing. So what was that breathing sound just now? I’m an atheist, so my mind didn’t jump to ghosts. Ghosts don’t have body heat, but my ear had felt distinctly warm, almost burning. It wasn’t my imagination; someone was definitely in my room! Suddenly, in my peripheral vision, I caught sight of something near the window – a footprint. It was only half a print, but by its size, it looked like a man’s! My heart immediately leaped into my throat, and every pore on my body felt like it was oozing ice. One thought screamed in my mind: *Someone got in!* The atmosphere instantly grew heavy with tension. *Ding-ding.* I jumped, my heart threatening to burst out of my chest. I grabbed my phone. It was another unknown number, and the message made my skin crawl. It was a photo. A photo of me walking around my room. This person knew I was searching for them, and even took a picture! They were hiding in the shadows, watching me! “Your scented candle smells incredible. I wish I could wake up to that every single day.” A chill ran through me, despite the summer breeze. I pulled out my phone and called security, asking them to check the surveillance cameras for my building to see if anyone had climbed in through my window. Their reply was that the cameras were down and hadn’t been fixed yet. What are the odds? I summoned my courage and walked to the window, peering out. Outside was a patch of greenery. Aside from that half-footprint on the windowsill, there was nothing. I called the security office again, asking them to come up and search with me. A security guard arrived quickly. He was tall, maybe 5’9″, wearing a mask that only revealed his eyes. “Hi, I’m the new guard.” I couldn’t help but stare for a moment. A new guard? I hadn’t heard anything about it. “Are you sure someone got into your room?” His question made my heart skip a beat. I changed what I was about to say: “I’m not sure, which is why I was hoping you could help me check things out.” “Alright.” “It’s really not safe for a single woman to be living alone. Don’t you have a boyfriend who could stay with you?” He was rummaging through my room, chatting casually. His questions made me uncomfortable. But out of politeness, I answered him. “No.” “Oh.” It was just a one-bedroom apartment; if someone was hiding, they couldn’t stay hidden for long. But there was definitely no one there. After searching, the guard left. I couldn’t sleep no matter what, constantly feeling like he might pop out from somewhere. I decided to go stay at Chloe’s for the night and find someone to install security cameras tomorrow. But as soon as I opened my door, Mr. Henderson was standing there. He was the night shift security guard. He looked apologetic. “I was in the restroom earlier, missed your call. I saw you called twice and worried something happened, so I came by. Is everything alright?” “Didn’t your security office get a new guy? Didn’t you run into him when you went out?” Mr. Henderson looked confused and said something that filled me with dread: “Our security office hasn’t hired anyone new.” No one new? Then who was the person who just came in?! Could the guy I’d just let into my apartment be the same person who was texting me and got into my room?! I asked Mr. Henderson to check the main surveillance footage at the security office, but he told me it was still broken and would take a few days to fix. I was still wondering how this could all be such a coincidence when I felt someone touch my hand. I looked up to see Mr. Henderson’s wrinkled face, staring at me with a leering, unpleasant look. His greasy, lecherous eyes scared me, and I quickly recoiled, backing away from him. **Chapter 2** I slammed the door shut, my heart pounding. I heard him curse loudly outside my door before he grumbled and left. Mr. Henderson had been harassing me, subtly, ever since I moved in. Usually, I’d avoid him whenever possible. But today, I was so shaken that I let my guard down for a moment. I rushed to the bathroom and scrubbed the back of my hand where he’d touched me, rubbing until it was raw and red before I stopped. After Mr. Henderson left, I double-locked all the doors and windows. I didn’t dare go out, fearing the person might still be hiding outside. I didn’t sleep a wink that night, too terrified to close my eyes, staying awake until dawn. I considered moving out. But I’d just paid six months of rent, and having only recently started my job, I had no savings. My finances simply wouldn’t allow me to find another place. As soon as it was light, I called the police. Two officers arrived quickly. The first one in was an older officer, Detective Miller, followed by a younger officer, Officer Ben Carter, with a notebook and pen. “You said someone got into your apartment last night, took your photo, and sent you harassing texts?” “Yes.” I handed them my phone, showing them the texts and photos, my heart still racing with lingering fear. “About a week ago, I felt like someone was following me, but I never saw anyone. Then last night, they somehow got my number and sent me that photo of me searching my room.” “I immediately called security, but the person who came up was a tall man, about 5’9″, wearing a mask. He claimed to be a new guard. I strongly suspect he’s the one who’s been stalking me!” My voice was shaking, my fists clenched, fear still etched on my face. Detective Miller looked at the photos and texts, his brow furrowed. “This person knows a lot about you… To know where you live, they must have been watching you for a long time. And judging by the angle of the photo…” He stood up, still holding my phone, and walked around the room, finally stopping at my bedroom door. What he said next made my blood run cold. “That person took the photo from right here.” He was pointing at my bedroom door, directly facing my bed! I sat on the couch, my face ashen. I slowly stood up, my legs trembling, and pushed open the door. If he was standing there last night when I woke up, I would have seen him. It was impossible not to. My hand on the doorknob shook uncontrollably, my teeth chattering. “But last night, when I woke up, I didn’t see anyone standing here.” Detective Miller took a quick glance around the room, then focused on the door itself, specifically the lock. It was a solid mahogany door with a standard lock. I moved aside, and the officer knelt down, examining the lock closely. “Do you have a star-shaped screwdriver?” “Yes! I’ll get it.” I brought him a small screwdriver. I watched as he unscrewed the lock, taking off the inner cover from my side of the door, revealing… a tiny camera! One of the small screws on the lock was missing, and that pinhole camera was perfectly wedged into its place. And from that position, it could capture me holding my phone and searching the room last night. When did that camera get installed?! “It seems this person had a plan. Who else has keys to your apartment?” “Besides me, only my landlord.” I called my landlord, talked for a moment, and then hung up. “My landlord said that before me, the apartment was rented by a girl, but she only stayed for three months before leaving.” “We’ll need to take the camera for evidence. That person might come back for you. It’s best you don’t stay here until we catch them.” I nodded. I had already planned to stay at Chloe’s for a few days. I’d asked Chloe to pick me up even before I called the police. I left them my number. They said they’d call me when they had results. **Chapter 3** I didn’t start packing until the police left. Suddenly, my phone rang, making me jump. It was Chloe. As soon as I answered, her loud voice burst through. “Stella! I just saw two cops leaving your place! What the hell happened?” I explained everything to her. She sounded shaken. “Thank God you were okay last night. Those sick, twisted freaks! I’m coming up in the elevator now!” The next second, she screamed, and before I could ask what was wrong, the call disconnected. My nerves instantly frayed. I dialed her back frantically. It rang twice before she answered. “What happened? Why did you scream?” “Oh, I just bumped into some old guy coming out of the elevator, dropped my phone by accident and hung up.” An old guy? For some reason, Mr. Henderson was the first person who came to mind. I knew it wasn’t right to speculate behind someone’s back, but every time I thought of the way he looked at me, the idea just popped into my head. “I’m at your door. Are you ready?” “Yeah, I’m ready.” Chloe’s interruption broke my train of thought, and I quickly grabbed my bag and headed out. As I stepped out, I saw Mr. Henderson again. He was directing people to fix the surveillance cameras. He greeted me, but I couldn’t bring myself to meet his gaze. I walked quite a distance with my head down, still feeling his greasy, burning stare on me. Chloe shot him a fierce glare, then put her arm around my shoulders, fuming. “He’s the one who bumped into me in the elevator! I thought he was just old and clumsy, but the way he ogled pretty girls was absolutely disgusting!” I said worriedly, “Don’t go near him. He’s not a good person.” “Don’t worry, I’m not stupid. If he even *tries* anything, I’ll kick him so hard he won’t be having kids ever again!” I let out a shaky laugh and, linking arms with her, we left. I stayed at Chloe’s for a week. Then, the police called to say they’d caught the person—it was Mr. Henderson. I remembered that one time I lost my keys and found them at the security office. He must have secretly made a copy then! I couldn’t believe how disgusting he was! In the end, Mr. Henderson was arrested, fined a thousand dollars, and spent a few days in lockup. The security company also fired him. I moved out of Chloe’s place. The whole ordeal had terrified me. I bought two pinhole cameras and installed them in my apartment, and had all the locks changed before I finally felt safe again. Just when I thought everything was okay… That day, I came home from work as usual. But when I turned the doorknob— Something was wrong
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