Chapter 1 — Don't Open The Door At 2 A.M

The roommate checked out and conveniently took the spare key, three days later she came to open the door. The day my roommate checked out, she was unusually enthusiastic, proactively helping me clean the living room, and even arranging each item on the shoe cabinet neatly. I didn't pay attention at the time, it wasn't until after she left that I discovered - the spare key was gone. I did not call to question, nor did I hint at the group, but that afternoon I found someone to come and change the lock. Holding the new key in my hand, I suddenly had a strange feeling of anticipation. Three days later, at two in the morning, I was awakened by rustling outside the door. Through the cat's eyes, she was holding that key and repeatedly poking at the lock, the expression on her face changed from confident to skeptical, then fierce. I turned on my phone, and in the surveillance screen, her every move was recorded clearly. I calmly spoke through the door: "Do you need me to help you call the police, or can you call yourself?" There was immediate silence outside.01The day Duong Ly checked out, the house was as hot as a sealed iron box. The air conditioner was adjusted down to twenty-four degrees, but the air vent only blew out a cool, damp stream. She pulled two suitcases and stood in the middle of the living room, her forehead covered in sweat, but a rare smile on her face. "Ninh Ninh, I'll make these last few dishes myself, don't touch them." I was squatting next to the sofa taking off the pillowcase. Hearing that sentence, my hand stopped a bit. Normally she's not like that. We rented together for a year and a half, she could leave boxes of food out until they were sour, and she could also leave clothes in the washing machine until the next day. Yet today she suddenly changed into a different person, proactively wiped the tea table twice, and even arranged every sundries on the TV shelf neatly. I smiled and said: "You're working so hard today, I'm a bit unfamiliar." Duong Ly crumpled the tissue into a ball and threw it into the trash. "I'm about to leave, anyway, I can't leave you a whole mess." Having said that, she went to the mysterious gate again, gathered masks, shopping knives, and deodorant bags and stacked them on the shoe cabinet to the side. My key tray is also there. It is a small white ceramic plate, normally used to place access cards and spare keys. The spare key has a blue silicone cover, very easy to see. Duong Ly turned her back to me to arrange, her shoulder blocking the top of the shoe cabinet. I just saw her bend over, stuff a pair of old slippers into a paper bag, and then slowly press the mouth of the paper bag down. Her movements were too natural, so I didn't ask further. The broker stood outside the door and nudged once. "Miss Duong, the car has arrived downstairs." Duong Ly replied, but did not immediately leave. She turned her head to look at me, her voice softer than usual. "Ninh Ninh, from now on when you're alone, remember to lock the door." I squeezed the wet rag on the edge of the bucket. "Suddenly you care about me like that, I'm even more unfamiliar." She bowed her head and smiled. "After all, we've been together for a while." This sounded like a goodbye, but her eyes glanced towards the mysterious gate. At that time, I just thought she was still paying attention to her luggage. She dragged her suitcase to the door, the wheel stuck in the doorway, and there was a clatter. I walked over and helped her lift a hand. But she immediately pressed her hand on the handle of the suitcase. "No need, no need, I can do it myself." Her fingers used so much force that they turned white. I let go and stood by the door watching her enter the elevator. Before the elevator door closed, she suddenly waved at me. "Remember to keep the key safe." I thought she was talking about the set of keys in my hand. After the door closed, the house immediately emptied. The door to the extra bedroom she used to live in was still open, inside there was only a mattress and the smell of perfume mixed with dust. I carried the trash bag out the door, then returned to the temple

The official took the access card. In the white ceramic plate were two cards, a shopping knife and some coins. The blue silicone case disappears. First I picked up the plate and took a look. Do not have. He squatted down and searched the shoe cabinet again. Do not have. I emptied the mask bag, picked up the deodorant bag and shook it, even using the phone light to look at the shoe cabinet. Still no. That spare key has been in this disk since the first day I moved in. My mother came over once and said that if a girl is alone, the keys should not be left lying around. My mouth said yes, but it still bothered me, so I didn't touch it. Yet today it disappeared again. Outside the door, the sound of the elevator operating was heard very softly. I raised my head and looked at the tightly closed anti-theft door, my heart slowly sank. The phone vibrated once. In the shared rental group, Duong Ly sent a photo downstairs. Her suitcase was placed next to the back of the car, ordered online, along with a sentence. "I'm going now, wish you a happy stay." The broker immediately sent a smiley emoji. "The room has been handed over, this side will process the deposit refund process." I stared at the screen for a few seconds, my finger stopping at the input box. Did you take my spare key? This sentence was typed out and then deleted. If she just conveniently placed her hand in the wrong place, it would look very unsightly if I asked her like that. If she really took it away, me asking would just remind her that I already know. I locked the phone screen, went behind the door, and turned the lock knob all the way to the left. The sound of metal colliding is very clear. In the living room, there was only the sound of the air conditioner. I stood for a long time, then turned my phone back on and called the locksmith shop downstairs. The other person asked: "Is the lock broken?" I looked at the empty ceramic plate. "No." I said: "I want to change the lock, change it today."02 When Mr. Phung of the lock repair shop arrived, it was not yet dark. He stood outside the door with his tool bag, first looked at the door, then looked back at me. "Girl, this lock core is still usable, it's not cheap to replace it with a new one." I opened the door a little. "Change." He didn't advise anymore, squatted down and removed the lock face. As each screw was unscrewed, they fell into his palm, making a small sound like pebbles falling into a bowl. I stood aside and looked, holding the old key in my hand. Teacher Phung raised his head and said: "Lost your key?" I nodded. "Spare key." "Do you know who took it?" I didn't answer. He pulled out the old lock core and held it up in the light to look at it for a moment. "Shared rental houses are most likely to encounter this problem. Some people may not use the key right away, but in your heart it will hang forever." I said softly: "So I don't want to keep hanging like that." He said: "Yes, once you change it, you can rest assured." But I don't feel secure at all. Duong Ly's enthusiasm today, her reminder before leaving, and her hand pressing on the suitcase handle, were all like pins stuck in my head. When Mr. Phung changed the lock, I closed the door to the spare bedroom, then checked the balcony window. On the living room floor there are still black stains left by Duong Ly dragging the luggage. I used a wet towel to wipe it twice, but it couldn't be wiped clean. That streak stretched from the side bedroom door all the way to the mysterious entrance, like a stretched shadow. Teacher Phung finished installing the new lock and gave me five new keys. "The old key is no longer effective, no one can open it." I took it, the metal edge pressed against my palm until it hurt. "Teacher, can you help me see the door frame?" "There is no problem with the door frame, the cat's eyes are not loose." He asked again: "Do you want to install a camera on the door?" I raised my head. "Can it be installed in the hallway?" "You can't point it at the neighbor's door, but it's okay to shoot in front of your door." He took out a very small sensor camera from his pocket. "This is stuck on the face.

inside the door, if there is movement outside, a notification will be pushed, the position of the cat's eye can also be changed." I remembered Duong Ly's words "remember to lock the door at night". I said: "Lap." Teacher Phung worked very quickly. He stuck the device on the inside of the door and also helped me adjust the pictures on my phone. In the screen, the hallway light is slightly yellow, the elevator door is in the distance, and the edge of the doormat has a small warped corner. I stood in front of the screen, suddenly seeing this familiar door become strange. Like a net has been spread. When Mr. Phung packed up his tools, he asked me: "Do I need to report it to the police to keep a record?" I shook my head. "Nothing has happened yet." He said: "Then keep the evidence yourself, don't argue with people." I said yes. After seeing him off, I closed the door and tried the new lock three times. The key inserts very smoothly, and when turned, it feels clean. I hung one on the keychain, put the rest in the bedroom drawer, and locked the drawer. I washed the white ceramic plate and placed it back on the shoe cabinet. Inside is empty. Just after eight o'clock in the evening, Duong Ly texted me privately. "Did I leave my dryer in the living room cabinet?" I sat on the sofa, looking at the message. I cleaned the living room cabinet once this afternoon, but there was nothing inside. I answered: “No.” She quickly sent a voice message. "Please help me find that pink one again, I bought it quite expensive." I didn't listen, I directly typed. "The cupboard is empty." She sent back a sigh symbol. Two minutes later, he texted again: "So I must have put it in the wrong suitcase." I stared at this sentence, not answering. She wouldn't intentionally probe me for the sake of a non-existent dryer. She wanted to know if I searched the shoe cabinet or not. Want to know if I discovered the key disappeared or not. At half past ten, someone in the group of residents asked why the eighth floor hallway light kept flashing. I opened the camera. There's no one in the picture. But the door sensor record shows that at nine fifty-six, someone approached my door. Time stopped, thirteen seconds. In that video, only a part of the beige dress was filmed passing over the edge of the lens. Today, Duong Ly is wearing a beige dress. I save the video to an album, then back it up to the cloud. When my finger pressed save, my heartbeat suddenly calmed down. It turns out that no fuss or argument can make people see a lot of things clearly. At exactly eleven o'clock, there was a very soft crash outside the door. Like someone's fingernails scraping across the door. I didn't immediately go over. I sat in the dark, staring at the phone screen. The hallway light turns on. Below the lens, a hand slowly reached in.03That hand only appeared for two seconds. The fingers were very small, the nails were painted light pink, the fingertips pressed against the edge of my door, as if touching the door crack. Then the hallway light turned off. The surveillance image returned to a static yellow blur. I sat on the sofa, my back pressed against the pillow, even my breathing became lighter. The phone does not push new image notifications. There were no footsteps outside the door. But I knew someone was coming. I watched the video again and again three times. That hand didn't hold the key, it just stopped by the door crack for a moment. If it weren't for the low camera angle, it would be almost impossible to record. I sent the video to the building's housekeeper. "Someone just stopped in front of my house. Could you please check the camera on the eighth floor?" Ten minutes later, the housekeeper replied. "Hello residents, there is a part of the public camera in the hallway that is undergoing slow maintenance tonight, and the full image may not be able to be checked." I looked at this sentence, and the corner of my mouth turned cold. What a coincidence. The first night Duong Ly moved out, the public camera was under maintenance again.