Chapter 41: A Coffin Shopkeeper?
When she finally reached her front door, it took more than a dozen tries before she finally managed to fit the key into the lock. Relief flashed across her face as she pushed the door open and hurried inside.
Once all the lamps inside the house had been lit, the young woman collapsed fully onto the bed, wrapping herself tightly in the bedding, desperate for warmth and a sense of safety.
The events of the night left her still trembling. All along the way, she had constantly heard the footsteps of a man behind her, but every time she turned to look, there was no one there. She worked as an embroiderer in a wealthy household, and she was skilled in needlework.
The strange, pacing footsteps she'd heard tonight had sent chills crawling across her scalp, her hands and feet ice-cold. Only now that she was home did she feel the slightest sense of relief.
Suddenly, a man’s footsteps shattered the silence. Echoing from the direction of the front hall, the footsteps struck like a hammer against her chest.
Tap... tap...
The footsteps approached the door to her bedroom...
Creeeak...
The door let out a soft groan as it slowly opened a narrow, blackened crack. The light in the room flickered out all at once, plunging everything into pitch-black darkness.
The young woman’s body froze. Her eyes filled with despair as she stared toward the front hall in sheer terror. She wanted to scream, to cry out for help, but her fear choked off her voice entirely.
Why me?!