It was midnight now. But your roomie hadn't come home.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. It was your roomie.

"Open the door! Hurry up! A strange person is stalking me!"

At the same time, you get a phone call. Your roomie's voice came on the phone.

"It's not me! Don't open the door! Don't open the door!"

I stood at the door threshold speechless, not knowing what to do next.

The knocking grew frequent and harder. It seemed as if the door would crack open anytime soon.

I tried to buy some time so I told, " Hold on , I am coming! Getting the door keys. "

''QUICK AMELIA !!!"

'Yeah', I shouted back, pretending to be far away from the door. I couldn't think of anyway to identify who actually was on the other side of the door.

The knocks stopped for a few seconds and then there was silence with only rain drops sounds as it fell on the tree leaves and slided down gracefully to the the ground. The silence was once again disturbed by the knocks with Lelia --or maybe the stalker.

"AMELIA, WHAT'S TAKING YOU SO LONG ??? YOU KNOW THERE IS THIS STALKER FOLLOWING ME !! "

But, I gulped and thought to myself that this door doesn't have to be locked by a key , it has latches. I looked more intensely at the door. I hurried and dialed the number which had rang me up moments ago.

"The number you have dialed is invalid, Please---", I hung up before it completed.

" Lelia. ", I called out softly.

" Yeah?!! ", answering back impatiently, almost irritatedly.

"Did you forget.. that .. this door doesn't really need to be locked by a key?", Maybe i made a stupid move.

" Ha! ", a mockery chuckle followed, " So you realised? You are witted, aren't you? But you think your friend is safe?", she continue after a pause " Why would she call you from an unknown number?"

I fell into deeper thoughts. I was more terrified. I picked my phone and tried calling my neighbours but to my horror now the phone signal was gone too. I clutched my hair and sat on the ground.

"Should I open the door? Leila is this you? Where are you? Today is my end?", i whisperd to myself.

I could once again hear door knocking and then I came back to the reality and pulled myself up taking a deep breath, looking around for anything that i could do. I ran to the kitchen and picked a knife and came back and stood at the door.

I ran back in the room and took bedsheets and made a rope using it and tied it to the window without throwing it down. I walked to the living room and once again stood at the door.

"Leila!", I called out.

"I am not Leila, haha ", they said back.

"I am going to open the door.", I said back.

I slowly pulled out the latch and turned the knob and the knob made a click sound and I pulled the door open.

.........

10 mins later.

The stranger was crouched at the corner of the room panting and screaming at intervals.

"Why are you scared?", I asked.

To be continued...

"You..you are a monster!!!", he told.

[10 minutes earlier.]

I opened the door and there stood a boy whoch confused me. He spoke immitating a girl's voice. A con artist. Just then he got scared and screamed terribly but I pulled him in the room.

"A con artist at midnight?", I asked confused.

"Weird yeah but --", he started screaming again.

I pulled out a chair to him and told him to sit but he insisted on crouching at the corner.

[Present]

" Why is your your body so bad in shape ?! Your face !! Your fa-ace has a deep c-cut on the the right cheek and your no- nose is broken and your eyes feels like it will pop out any any minute if you try try to shut-t-t them hard. and your fin-in-gers are missing and you are malnutrioned !!!! ", he spoke stammering and repeating words as he was scared to hell extent.

"Haha, well, if you wanna live more, help me get out of here, else.. ", i showed the knife.

He stopped screaming and gave me a look 'I don't understand what's going on here.'

" Ah, let me.", almost reading his mind.

It's about 3 months ago.

I came to this villa for delivering a post card. I used to deliver post cards as my part time job. It was my first time here to deliver post card and i came across this woman Leila.

[Flashback]

"Come in and have a seat.", The woman invited me with a sweet and hospitable smile.

"Maam thank you for your offer but I need to deliver these postcards to other places.", I slid the post card on the table next to the door.

Next moment I realized myself screaming in pain. This psycho woman cut off my fingers as I slid my hand to keep the post card. I was crying and screaming in pain as I saw the blood flowing non stop and my two fingers on the floor. I couldn't stop crying.

"Ah, you shouldn't have declined my sweet offer. I was just trynna be nice but rejected. I don't like being rejected.", she sighed and pulled me inside, closing the door behind me.

I was scared and was croutching at the corner crying still. She slid the first aid box towards me.

"You should be grateul for not chopping your hands off.", she smirked and went to the kitchen.

[Present]

"I was croutching just like you scared and terrified. I tried to escape but they only gave me additional injury. I was very pretty you know but look at me now. Soon I accepted my fate and began listening to her orders in order to live longer. There was a time when I was wanting to die but she only tortured me and never killed. I even ate rat poison but she she got me treated and tortured me for trying to die.

It was painful and pathetic. Then one day she told me she had business to take care of so she was out for a week.", he interrupted me.

TO BE CONTINUED..

"Why didn't you escape then?!!!", he looked at me as if I acted dumb for nothing by not running away.

I laughed and went upto the door and sticked my one finger out and then my fingers were blood dripping. My finger was sliced into two. He looked at me in horror.

"It's okay, it was not that painful, you don't have to look me that way.", I nodded my head as I told wiping the blood and bandaging it.

"I lost all hope in the end and waited for natural death or just accepted my ill fate until what happened. I thought either there is a saviour or she will finally die and maybe I can go out but you see it's still not that simple. Now we both cannot go out, neither you nor me.", I told.

There are lazers at ever entry and exit and now that you are inside, she will kill you too because you know the truth.

"But I came in safely.", he mentioned as if not being able to digest the whole situation.

"That's because she keeps and eye and activates and deactivates the lazer and that's how she knew you are here.", I explained.

"How do we get out of here?", he asked looking horried at me.

"I wish I knew.", my despair voice was out once again.

"She will reach here anytime soon, to kill you and torture me."

The boy paced back and forth which was getting into my eyes.

Just then he began rummaging through things in the flat. "You will run out as I say.", he ordered.

"Are you ordering me?!", I exclaimed.

"For once stop threating me and listen.", He spoke with a caring voice, which I haven't heard since ages.

He went in the kitchen and came with two wodden slabs on which he managed to stick all the metals he could find in the house. In fact there was a weak knife in my hand, two plates ,spoons and forks. whatever he could use and he also left the stove on. I thought to myself why that idea never clicked my mind but then another thought camw that I had given up on dying and acepted my fate which suddenly started to anger me.

He pulled out his phone and typed something to someome and handed it over to me saying to take this and leave so the message could get delivered when the network came back.

He lit the fire on a long piece of paper and kept it next to the stove and came running out and told me to walk, actually run with him and head out with the two wodden slabs and us in between.

On the count of 3 we headed out . The lazers were way too powerful that it almost periced the slabs. We continued running down the stairs and reached the main door, which probably had lazers again . So protecting me well unexpectedly , we ran out but he was injured as the slabs was peirced this time and he was bleeding heavily. He was in pain, I supported his body and towards his car. Luckily I knew how to drive a little. I shifted him on passanger seat and turned on the engine meanwhile Leila arrived with her car and there was gunshots already.

There was the explosion just then as the fire must have reached the stove.

TO BE CONTINUED...