Should I Open the Door?
On a quiet winter evening, Lisa sat alone in her small apartment. Snow fell softly outside, blanketing the world in silence. She had been enjoying her favorite novel, a cup of tea warming her hands, when an unexpected knock broke the tranquility.
Knock, knock.
Lisa froze. She wasn’t expecting anyone, and visitors were rare. She glanced at the clock—it was past 11 PM. The sound came again, louder this time.
Knock, knock, knock.
She hesitated. Her building was usually secure, but who would be at her door so late? She crept to the peephole, heart pounding, and peered through. Strangely, no one was there.
“Hello?” she called out, her voice trembling. No response.
Lisa’s mind raced. Maybe it was a prank. Or a neighbor in need? Her hand hovered over the doorknob, but a deep unease rooted her in place. She thought back to all the horror stories she’d read where curiosity proved to be a character’s undoing.
Knock, knock, knock.
This time, it sounded more insistent. She backed away from the door, reaching for her phone to call someone—anyone—but just as she unlocked the screen, the lights flickered and went out.
Now plunged into darkness, Lisa's breath quickened. The only light came from the faint glow of the snow outside. The knocking had stopped, but an oppressive silence filled the air. Was she imagining it, or could she hear faint breathing on the other side of the door?
She had two choices: open the door and confront whatever—or whoever—was out there, or stay inside and hope it went away. Her trembling fingers tightened around the phone as she dialed her friend’s number, but the line crackled, unable to connect.
"Think, Lisa, think," she whispered to herself. Gathering her courage, she grabbed a kitchen knife and slowly turned the deadbolt. With a deep breath, she swung the door open.
Nothing.
The hallway was empty, eerily quiet. The only footprints in the snow outside her apartment window were her own from earlier that evening. She stepped out cautiously, scanning the shadows, when suddenly—
Bang!
The door slammed shut behind her.
Lisa whipped around, her heart in her throat. She tried the knob, but it wouldn’t budge. From inside her apartment, she heard soft laughter, low and chilling.
Sometimes, the scariest doors aren’t the ones you refuse to open—they’re the ones you never should have left.
