Chapter 11: Don’t Leave
For a moment, my mind went blank—thoughts scattering like pigeons in a bazaar. Was I awake or still dreaming?
Who was the headless woman? Why did she die here? Who killed her? And why did her phone call me for help?
Was the woman I met outside 1404 even real? Or was the real owner lying dead on the stairs?
I stared at the flat’s closed door, yellow light leaking from beneath, the silence pressing in. Far away, a dog barked. The city slept on, unaware.
My hand trembled as I reached for my own phone—the screen still showing the woman’s number calling me back. Then a single WhatsApp notification popped up:
‘1404: Don’t leave.’
I froze, heart hammering, suddenly afraid of every shadow, every sound, and every secret the night could hold.