Chapter 3 — Don't Open The Door At 2 A.M

I used my phone to take pictures of both front and back sides, then stuffed it into a transparent storage bag. The hallway outside the door is very quiet. When I put the doormat back in its original place, the corner of the doormat still had some dust on it. I looked at that bit of dust, but my heart became even stronger. Duong Ly didn't want to scare me. She was confirming whether or not I was scared after all. I called manager Luong. The phone rang six times before being answered. His voice was a bit vague, as if he had fallen asleep. "This late, what's wrong?" I said: "Someone placed a threatening note in front of my house." Manager Luong paused for two seconds. "Are you sure you're not a naughty child?" I sent the photo over. "Last night Duong Ly came, tonight a paper appeared on my doorstep, do you think this is mischief?" The other side was silent. A moment later, he lowered his voice. "Don't rush, tomorrow morning I will arrange for security to increase patrols." I asked: "What about tonight?" Manager Luong said: "There's only one person on duty tonight. I'll tell him to come up and take a look on the eighth floor." I looked at the new lock on the anti-theft door. "Seeing one is not enough." He said: "So how do you want to handle it?" I said: “I want to call the police.” Manager Luong immediately became more alert. "Residents, reporting to the police is of course your right, but if you make a fuss about this, it may not be easy for both sides to look at." I laughed. "Touching my door in the middle of the night, pretending to use my address to order food, and even placing a threatening note, who is not good to look at?" He did not answer. I said: "Have you ever restored her access rights before?" Manager Luong immediately denied. "No, no, absolutely not." "So how did she get here yesterday?" There was a noise on the phone and he turned around. "Maybe she followed another resident into the court." "The elevator needs to swipe a card." "There could also be someone else pressing the button for her." I put the phone close to my ear. "Manager Luong, I'm not calling to hear the possible words." He was silent again. I said: "Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, I will go to the management board and ask to see the entry and exit records. If you refuse, I will bring the police with you." Manager Luong's voice became polite. "Okay, I'll wait for you at the office tomorrow morning." After hanging up, I didn't immediately call the police. I adjusted the sensitivity of the camera in front of the door to the highest level, then turned off the living room lights, leaving only a small night light at the entrance. The house became dark, and the streak of light under the door became especially clear. Like a thin blade pressed against the ground. I texted my mother, saying I was busy with work these days and might not be able to answer the phone in the evening. She quickly answered. "Don't be too frugal when you're alone. You have to check the doors and windows." I looked at this sentence for a while, my finger hanging on the screen. I didn't tell her. She's in another place, and me telling her will only make her sleep restless all night. I put the phone next to my pillow, lay down, then got up again, pulled the chair behind the bedroom door and leaned against the doorknob. After doing these things, I discovered that my palms were covered in sweat. At 1:27 a.m., the camera pushed the notification again. I opened it. There is no one in the picture, only the elevator floor number at the end of the hallway jumping from the first floor to the eighth floor. The door opens. A man walked out pushing a trash can, a sanitation worker. He passed by my door, bowed his head and looked at my doormat. I frowned. The cleaning staff usually arrives in the morning. At this hour, why is he pushing an empty box to the eighth floor? He walked to the emergency exit door and stopped. A hand appeared from behind the door, giving him a small paper bag. The cleaning staff stuffed the paper bag inside the trash can and turned to enter the elevator. I pressed the screen record button. The emergency exit door does not close completely. In the door slot there is a piece of fabric

The beige color swayed slightly. I sat on the edge of the bed, listening to my heart beat little by little against my eardrums. Duong Ly hasn't left yet. She is right in this building.05At eight thirty in the morning, I took the phone and that paper to the management office. Manager Luong was already sitting inside, with a half-drunk cup of soy milk on the table. Seeing me, he stood up and smiled first. "Didn't have a good rest last night, did you?" I placed the storage bag on his desk. "Here's a piece of paper." His smile stiffened. "We'll work together to handle it." I said: "Record coming in and out." Manager Luong glanced at the receptionist next to him. The receptionist immediately bowed her head and opened the computer. When she typed on the keyboard, her fingernails hit the keys, the sound was both fast and brittle. I stood next to the table, not sitting. Manager Luong said: "Don't rush, sometimes the system will lag." I said: "From nine o'clock last night to two o'clock this morning, all the elevators on the eighth floor and the doors of the unit were extracted." The receptionist girl said very softly: "Manager Luong, yesterday Ms. Duong did register temporary rights." The room was silent for a moment. Manager Luong's expression changed. "Who approved?" The receptionist's voice became even quieter. "The system displayed is the management's backstage account." Manager Luong immediately said: "No way, I didn't approve." I looked at him.