Chapter 122
Karl cleared the breakfast dishes as his phone vibrated on the counter. He glanced at the screen, expecting the usual complaints or accusations from the muted group chat. But the preview of the latest message stopped him cold.
[Tom - 2D]: Someone’s dead. Fourth floor. This isn’t a joke.
His hand froze, and the sound of running water from the sink became deafening in the silence. Jane, noticing his stiff posture, frowned. "What’s up?" she asked.
Karl hesitated, then slid the phone across the table toward her. Jane picked it up, her face slowly morphing into an expression of shock as she read the message. "Someone’s dead?" she whispered, almost to herself.
Layla, still chewing a piece of toast, looked up in alarm. "What do you mean ’dead’? Like... murdered?"
Karl didn’t answer immediately, watching as more messages flooded the chat.
[Greg - 4C]: Stop lying, Tom. No one’s dead. You’re just trying to scare people.
[Linda - 5A]: No, Greg, he’s right. I heard something last night. There was screaming... like, bad screaming.
[Tom - 2D]: I swear I’m not lying. It’s the guy from 4B. His door’s wide open. Someone should check, but I’m not going in there.
Karl grabbed the phone back and muted the chat again. He didn’t need to see any more to confirm the situation. A tight knot formed in his stomach. The storm outside was merciless, and the thin walls of the apartment complex amplified every sound. If someone had been killed, it meant desperation had finally tipped into chaos.
Jane leaned forward, her voice low but urgent. "Karl, what do we do? This is bad."