Prologue
The phone rang at exactly 2:13 a.m.
Not vibrating.
Not buzzing softly against the nightstand.
Ringing.
Sharp enough to cut through the silence of Eleanor Vale’s apartment like a blade.
Eleanor opened her eyes slowly, staring into the darkness above her bed while the sound continued echoing through the room.
Three rings.
Pause.
Three more.
Rain tapped against the windows overlooking the city, blurring the distant lights into pale streaks of gold and white.
Unknown Number.
She almost ignored it.
Almost.
But something stopped her.
Maybe it was the hour.
Maybe it was the strange pressure tightening inside her chest.
Or maybe it was because, deep down, Eleanor had spent the last two years waiting for something terrible to happen again.
She answered without speaking.
Static crackled softly on the other end.
Then a man’s voice said calmly,
“Do not let him open the door.”
Eleanor frowned.
“What?”
Silence.
Then—
“In four minutes, someone will knock on your neighbor’s apartment. If he opens the door, he dies.”
Click.
The call ended.
Eleanor stared at the screen.
No number.
No caller ID.
Only her own reflection was staring back at her through the black glass.
