Skye's hands shook as she held the second key, her fingers barely able to grip it. The hallway seemed longer now, the walls closing in around her as if the building itself was alive, breathing with her every move.
The elevator ride down had been silent. The elevator doors opened with the same unsettling ding, but the air felt heavier, as if the game had already begun to shift — to change.
Her phone buzzed again, and she flinched, instinctively checking it.
"Third task: Unlock the door."
It was cryptic, but then again, everything so far had been cryptic. Her head throbbed with a dull ache. She didn't know how much more she could take. The messages, the keys, the tasks — it was all beginning to feel too real. Too personal.
She exited the elevator on the ground floor and made her way to her apartment, the hallway empty and eerily quiet. But something was different this time. As she approached her door, she felt it — the sensation of being watched.
Her heartbeat quickened. She forced herself to ignore it.
The door to her apartment was cracked open.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She hadn't left it open. She was sure of that.
Her phone buzzed again.
"The door is waiting for you."
The words were simple, but they carried weight. Her fingers gripped the handle, but for a long moment, she couldn't bring herself to open it.
Then, with a shaky breath, she turned the knob.
The door creaked open, and the room inside was darker than it should've been. The lights were out. The once-familiar space felt foreign, unsettling. The couch was still where it had been, but the room had a distinct, strange chill. Something was off.
Her phone buzzed once more.
"Look under the bed."
Skye stood frozen. She hadn't even realized she'd stepped inside. Her hand was still on the door, but it was as if her body moved without her consent. She backed up slowly, her feet dragging, her mind clouded.
Under the bed. Under the bed? she thought, her heart racing.
She felt sick. There was something there. She knew it. Her feet carried her across the room despite her hesitation, and she dropped to her knees beside the bed.
With trembling hands, she pulled the dust ruffle away and peered under the bed. At first, there was nothing. Just shadows. But then she saw it — a small, old-fashioned box, dusty and hidden behind the bed frame.
Her stomach twisted as she reached for it, the edges of the box cold and rough against her skin. She opened it slowly, her breath caught in her throat.
Inside the box was a note. Its edges were frayed, and it had the same elegant handwriting from the last message.
"Unlock the door. It will take you where you need to go."
Skye's mind raced. The door? Which door? She didn't understand. What did this all mean? The game was evolving. Every task led to more questions. She felt like a pawn on a chessboard, each move dictated by a force she couldn't understand.
She lifted the box higher, but something caught her eye.
In the corner of the box, barely visible, was a small, intricately carved lock. A lock with a keyhole.
Her pulse quickened.
There's another key.
She stood up, nearly knocking the box off the bed in her haste. She searched the room for anything that might explain the lock — but nothing. No keys. No clues. Only the echo of her own breath.
Her phone buzzed again, startling her.
"The final task is close. Trust no one. Look around you."
Skye's mind went blank. Trust no one? She couldn't even trust her own senses anymore. The building was playing with her. This was no longer just some sick game. This was a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.
She sat on the bed, clutching the note in her hands, trying to make sense of the cryptic message. Her mind was reeling. What did it mean to unlock the door? And where was the key?
A faint sound broke through the haze of her thoughts. A low whisper — almost imperceptible — but enough to make her pause.
She turned her head sharply, scanning the room.
Nothing.
She exhaled slowly, dismissing it as a figment of her imagination. But then, it came again.
"Look closer."
Her eyes darted across the room again, her heart pounding in her chest.
And then she saw it — a flicker of movement in the corner of her vision. It was gone before she could process it.
She rushed toward the window, throwing the blinds open to look outside. Nothing. The city below was calm, serene even, unaware of the chaos she was trapped in.
But something felt wrong. Something had shifted in the room.
She turned back to the box, her eyes scanning it one more time.
There it was.
A small, metallic glimmer. A key, nestled at the very bottom of the box, almost invisible in the dim light.
Skye grabbed it, feeling an overwhelming sense of urgency. This was it. This had to be the key to unlock the next part of the game.
Her phone buzzed again.
"You have the key. Now find the door."
Her mind raced, her heart pounding in her ears. She was running out of time. She didn't understand the rules, but she knew one thing — whatever was happening was only going to get worse. The game had no mercy. And it wasn't over.
Skye stood up and grabbed the key, heading for the door. The apartment felt claustrophobic now, the walls closing in as she stepped back into the hallway.
There was no turning back. The game had found her again.