Ria cursed herself. No matter where she went, she couldn't settle down. Just like the figures she'd seen before, the figure she'd accidentally brushed against in class earlier had started following her too.
Damn it!
She kept glancing over her shoulder. Ever since she'd left college, she hadn't seen the figure again. Thank God!
After getting on her motorcycle, she sped toward the apartment complex where she'd lived for the past several years.
Once she reached the apartment complex's parking area, Ria parked her motorcycle. She went upstairs and stepped into the elevator. Her apartment was on the fourth floor of the complex's five floors.
For a moment, Ria glanced at the watch on her wrist. It read 1:05 p.m. No wonder the complex looked so deserted this afternoon. Most of its residents were working parents with school-age children, and their kids hadn't come home yet.
Ding!
The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. Ria's brows drew together as she blinked. She was still on the third floor. She hadn't reached her destination yet, so why had the elevator stopped?
Ria pressed the button again, but the elevator doors still wouldn't close. With a sigh, she rolled her eyes and stepped out. Maybe some kind of problem had occurred with the elevator, something she didn't understand.
One step after she exited, the thing that annoyed her most happened—the elevator doors closed and it went up to the fourth floor.
“Useless piece of crap!” she snapped, kicking the trash can right beside her foot. Instead, the trash can rolled away and fell down the stairs, making a loud, echoing racket that grated on her ears.
“Talk about bad luck,” she muttered as she chased after the trash can, which thankfully was empty. She had no choice but to go down a few steps, then climb back up.
Tap…
Tap…
Tap…
Ria put the trash can back where it belonged. The tapping was coming from the stairs, but she couldn't tell from which direction. Above or below? She had no idea.
Her eyes searched the stairs below. The sound was still audible, but there was nothing there. She shifted her gaze to the stairs above. This time, Ria froze in place. Someone's shadow had begun descending from there.
Tap… tap… tap…
She waited in silence. Faintly, the sound seemed to fade in and out in her ears. The hairs on her body stood on end as the shadow slowly made its way toward her.
Tap… tap… tap…
Ria finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a woman in high heels coming down from the floor above. The woman smiled at her. Ria smiled back while rubbing her chest, feeling like a coward for being frightened just now.
She started climbing the stairs again, heading for the fourth floor. She forced herself to lift her feet, even though her heart was still pounding.
Tap… tap… tap…
She stopped. The sound had come again. Trying to think positively, she leaned her head over the stairs leading to the floor below. Maybe the woman in high heels had come back.
She waited a long time, but the person she was waiting for never arrived. Nothing—and no one—was coming up. In that case…
Slowly, she raised her head and swallowed hard as the sound continued. A sense of dread began to take hold. She took one step backward, down onto the next stair.
She couldn't have predicted it. Ria misstepped. Her foot failed to land properly on the stair, making her stumble backward and slide down.
Tap tap tap tap tap
The tapping grew faster. Ria's eyes flew wide when she saw what was in front of her now, the pain from her fall instantly forgotten.
It was the figure that had been following her all this time. Since college, and now it was coming down the stairs toward her—its hands first, its feet trailing behind.
Its flexible neck moved without support, making its head jerk back and forth and producing a sound that made Ria shudder in horror.
Tap… tap… tap…
Ria scooted backward, dragging her suddenly powerless body away. For some reason, this figure was the most terrifying of all the ones she'd seen. The thick aura of vengeance surrounding it left her weak and helpless.
The figure stretched its mouth into a wide grin, revealing sharp fangs as saliva dripped continuously from its lips. Its matted hair swayed wildly as its unsupported head kept wobbling.
Ria screamed with her mouth open. But for some reason, no sound came out. The horrifying figure crawled closer and closer toward her, and she…
Lost consciousness.