Chapter 4: The Management’s Test

Two people stood at the door, wearing blue uniforms and holding notebooks. "Hello, management, home inspection."

They looked like building staff but with something just a little off. Their blue uniforms looked almost right, but their shoes were mismatched and their skin had a weird, waxy sheen. Their faces were pale, eyes too big for their faces. Tanya was so scared she trembled, not daring to approach the door.

She pressed back into the couch cushions, knuckles white, eyes shining with tears.

I forced myself to stay calm and opened the door. "Hello."

My voice barely rose above a whisper. I tried to stand tall, pretending this was just a weird new tenant policy.

"502, right?" The management staff glanced inside. "What’s your role?"

His pen hovered over a blank page. I swallowed. "I’m the father."

"How many people in the family?"

"Uh..."

I glanced at my roommates, sweat prickling at my neck. Say four, or five?

The management staff looked up at me. Only then did I notice their eyes were completely black, with no whites at all.

My heart thudded in my chest. I shuddered and looked back at the others.

Derek flashed five fingers at me, Lillian flashed four, Tanya curled up into a ball, Marcus was busy comforting her.

I remembered the message: [Do not trust the older brother.]

So... say four?

But by the rules, our family is five people.

My throat felt dry as sandpaper. I hesitated, heart racing.

"Spacing out? Then let the mother answer," the management staff snapped.

He scowled, tapping his pen impatiently. Tanya trembled and stammered, "F-four..."

Her voice broke on the last syllable, almost a whisper.

"Oh? Then why are there five people in your apartment?"

He cocked his head, face expressionless. My heart skipped a beat.

The next second, Tanya cried out, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

She slumped in Marcus’s arms before anyone could catch her. The management staff grabbed Tanya from Marcus’s arms. "Now, your family count matches."

He hoisted her up like she weighed nothing at all. Seeing them about to leave with Tanya, I quickly called out, "Wait!"

The management staff stopped, not turning around. "We only make the numbers match. Who you want to expel is up to you."

The other staff member tried to smooth things over: "We’ll be back for another inspection at the same time tomorrow. If you’ve decided, you can swap with us then."

His tone was almost cheerful, like he was offering a neighborly favor. The two left with Tanya. The door slammed shut, leaving the room silent.

The silence in the room pressed in from all sides. I could hear the tick of the old kitchen clock. After a long while, Marcus spoke: "She’s really gone, isn’t she?"

He sounded lost, like a kid left behind at the mall.

The answer was a series of phone vibrations.

Buzz buzz—Buzz buzz—Buzz buzz—

All our phones vibrated.

The message I got was:

[Please return to your own room before one o’clock in the morning. After entering, do not turn on the light. You may read for a while before sleeping.]

"You may read for a while before sleeping" was grayed out.

[The father must get up at seven in the morning, leave for work at eight, and return home at six in the evening.]

The rules had never felt so sharp, so cold.