Chapter 6: Contradictory Warnings

Under my boss’s annoyed gaze, I packed up and left work a little after five.

She gave me a look that said, If you’re late tomorrow, don’t bother coming in. Just as I stepped out of the building, my phone buzzed again:

[The father must buy dinner on the way home. Do not order takeout. After five in the afternoon, the father cannot order takeout.]

[After returning home, if you find the older sister in your room, do not make a sound. Go directly to the older brother; he will help you. Remember, do not let the older sister notice.]

[If the younger sister knocks on your room door, do not answer.]

[The older brother only plays mobile games, not online games. If you see the older brother playing online games, return to your room immediately.]

[Only the extra person will take you to other members’ rooms. The extra person will harm you.]

The last sentence was italicized and in bright red.

The barrage of messages made my head spin. I took a few deep breaths to steady myself.

I scrolled through, double-checking each rule. These messages reminded me that there was very likely an extra person among us.

No one knows what this extra person might do.

I need to find a way to identify them.

I bought some fried chicken and mashed potatoes at a diner on the way and brought it home. I waited a bit at the door so I’d arrive exactly at six.

The little diner on the corner was almost empty, and the old guy behind the counter gave me a sympathetic smile. “Rough day?” he asked. I just nodded and took the bag.

The cracked vinyl booths, neon OPEN sign buzzing in the window, and the smell of fried chicken grease made everything feel normal—almost.

The room was quiet.

The smell of food drifted through the apartment, but nobody came out. Derek was curled up on the couch playing on his phone. The older sister’s and younger sister’s doors were tightly closed; I had no idea what they were doing inside.

The quiet pressed in. I put the food on the table and was about to go to my room to put my things away. When my hand touched the doorknob, I stopped.

The door wasn’t fully closed.

I held my breath.

There was a rustling sound from inside the room. I gently pushed the door open a crack and peeked through—

Through the gap, I saw Lillian rummaging through something inside.

[After returning home, if you find the older sister in your room, do not make a sound. Go directly to the older brother.]

[Remember, do not let the older sister notice.]

I tiptoed away from my room and walked toward Derek on the couch.

I kept my steps light, trying not to make a sound on the creaky floorboards. He noticed the commotion and said, "Hm? Wha..."

"Shh!" I quickly made a silencing gesture.

I put my finger to my lips, eyes wide, trying to signal danger. The rustling in my room stopped.

I froze, not daring to move.

Don’t notice, don’t notice...

The silence was suffocating. I could hear my own heartbeat pounding.

Derek didn’t move either.

He hunched over his phone, eyes darting from me to the bedroom door.

Finally, the rustling started up again.

I breathed a sigh of relief, pointed at the room, then at myself, then at Derek.

He immediately understood, stood up, and lowered his voice: "Come with me."

He didn’t leave the apartment but stopped at the older sister’s bedroom door.

He took out a key, turned the handle, and the door opened instantly.

"Come in."

[Only the extra person will take you to other members’ rooms.]

The words flashed through my mind. My hands started to shake.

This doesn’t make sense.

I received two messages:

[After returning home, if you find the older sister in your room, do not make a sound. Go directly to the older brother; he will help you. Remember, do not let the older sister notice.]

[Only the extra person will take you to other members’ rooms. The extra person will harm you.]

These two contradict each other.

The older brother is Derek. He took me to another member’s room.

If only the extra person would take me to another member’s room, then Derek is the extra person.

The extra person will harm me, the older brother will help me.

But both roles are Derek now.

There must be a rule that’s wrong. Or, one is fake.

My mouth was dry, and I kept tapping the phone screen, hoping for a message that made sense.

"What’s wrong, not coming in?" Derek’s voice sounded again.

He stood behind the door, reaching out to me, just like last night at the apartment door.

[Do not trust the older brother.]

That blood-red message flashed through my mind again.

[The older brother will help you.]

Trust him, or not?

"Alex?" Derek frowned, seeming to realize something.

"Alex, trust me."

Derek tried to sound chill, but his knuckles were white on the doorknob. I took a breath, my mind racing.

So far, the rules that have proven true are all in black font.

[The older brother will help you]—black, regular font.

[Do not trust the older brother]—red, regular font.

[Only the extra person will take you to other members’ rooms. The extra person will harm you.]—red, italic.

Trust him.

I met his gaze. His eyes were calm and steady.

I walked into the older sister’s room.

The door closed behind me.

I held my breath, waiting for something to happen. My heart hammered in my chest.

I didn’t disappear.

Nothing strange happened.

I’d made the right call.

A wave of relief washed over me. "Phew." I let out a long breath.

Derek looked just as relieved. "Alex, did your messages have different fonts? Derek asked. "Mine did too."

He handed me his phone:

[After returning home, if the father comes to you, you can take him to the older sister’s room.]

[Please do not enter the younger sister’s room.]

[No matter what the older sister is doing, do not tell the father.]

Just like what I received, Derek’s last message was also red and italic.

"From my guess, this special font might mean something different from the other rules." Derek looked down at

But as the door clicked shut, my phone buzzed again—another rule, and this time, my name was in it.