Chapter 3
Edward Quan ·
Could Lin Kan be right?
Was she only pretending to be dead?
But I've been watching the cameras, apart from a few brief switches between screens.
I never saw anyone crawl out.
Where could a living person go?
And what about that crushed pillow?
Her head struck the floor when he dragged her. She didn't react.
Can she really endure pain like that?
Too strange.
I need to find her before he does.
First, the front-door camera.
Still locked. It hasn't been opened.
She must be inside.
Calm down.
Look carefully.
More carefully.
If I help him catch her, he'll owe me a huge favor. And we'll truly have a secret together.
Then...
Hee hee hee...
I concentrate on the recordings from three cameras: the master-bedroom bedside, the adjoining living room, and the spare bedroom where I'm hiding.
The reason he hasn't noticed me sharing his home is that his clothes are stored in the spare room, not the master bedroom where he sleeps.
Before his rampage reaches me, I check the recordings in order.
At last, something odd appears on the bedside camera.
Nine fifty-five.
Five minutes before the stream began.
The stuffed toys attached to the wall by suction cups sway several times for no reason.
Perhaps...
I know where she is.
But to check, I need to get out first.
Using my phone's torch, I carefully clear the cloth scraps from the sliding track.
I open the door halfway.
Nobody outside.
I'm about to crawl out when an enormous roar comes from the living room.
I shut the door, curl into the corner, and turn on the cameras.
Two minutes without looking, and everything has changed.
The view sends gooseflesh across me.
Lin Kan has moved his rampage into the living room. His expression is wild.
Worse...
The boning knife has been replaced by a chainsaw.
“Bitch! Keep hiding!”
“You think you can get away with playing me?”
“You'd better pray I drop dead of a heart attack or something today. Otherwise I'll drag you out and cut you into pieces!”
Soon, the leather sofa is in two halves. Stuffing flies everywhere.
He overturns the coffee table.
The saw scrapes across the floor with a sound that sets my teeth on edge.
Bad.
He's completely lost his mind.
I quickly take stock of what I have.
Scissors. A bottle of high-alcohol perfume. A baseball bat.
I always bring the scissors to dispose of defective clothes.
The perfume stays in the wardrobe corner. After cutting up any clothes, I spray the rest to cover the smell.
The bat...
I've kept it here for protection.
The chainsaw makes his search much faster.
He'll reach this room soon.
I picture our meeting and form a plan: blind him with the perfume, strike the arm holding the saw, kick it away, then use the bat to bring him down and tie him up.
After that, I'll fetch the woman skulking around here.
The three of us can have a proper talk.
No point watching the cameras anymore.
I shut them all down through the app, switch off my phone, and hide it in an inner pocket of one of his hanging coats.
Our first official meeting.
A little nervousness is natural.
I hold my breath and wait.
The saw grows louder.
Soon it stops outside my wardrobe.
He doesn't open the door.
Brrrr...
The whole wardrobe shakes.
Madman.
He's cutting straight through it.
Right in front of my face.
If the saw is powerful enough and the blade long enough, one straight cut could split me in two.
He never intended to let me walk out alive.
Cold sweat pours off me in the cramped space.
The roles have reversed.
I'm the prey now.
But I still have a chance.
He can't know what I've brought to defend myself.
I press low and grip the concealed handle inside the door.
Once it loosens, I'll wrench it open and strike.
Then he speaks.
The same flattering tone he uses on his stream.
“MOMO, thank you for supporting and caring for me this past month.”
“You're the only devoted fan worth treasuring.”
“Such a shame you didn't reach level 60 tonight.”
“You want that wish to come true, don't you?”
“That's all right.”
“I'll make a very neat cut at your wrist.”
“While your fingertips are still warm...”
“We'll choose a new payment password together.”
“Haven't you always wanted to be openly by my side?”
“And you love this wardrobe, don't you?”
“Then...”
“Stay here forever.”
My pupils contract.
What is he saying?
Has he known all along?
When did I give myself away?
In just over a minute, a long, deep gap appears.
I don't even have to put my eye to it to see outside.
First, a pair of legs.
My gaze rises.
That cheap navy pleated skirt.
I feel as though I've plunged into ice.
The person cutting through the door isn't Lin Kan.
It's the girl who pretended to die and disappeared.
No wonder he's seemed so sure of victory.
They're working together.
He's known I've been watching him.
All of this was a performance for me.
Bastards.
They've been playing me all along!
The saw drives inward.
Splinters strike my arm like needles.
I dodge the worst of it.
The blade passes my shoulder and shears away a thick lock of hair.
Loose strands fall down my collar, prickling.
That hateful woman.
What have I ever done to her?
Why is she so vicious?
I wipe the sweat from my forehead.
“Lin Kan! Have you gone mad?”
“Are you really going to do this?”
A large section of the door is gone.
There's no point hiding.
He steps in front of me.
“MOMO, don't be so cold...”
“I'm only making your dream come true.”
I take a step back.
Behind my back, I twist off the perfume nozzle, then throw the contents in his face.
He coughs.
“Crazy bitch...”
A powerful woody scent, edged with something like medicinal herbs, fills the air.
Clutching his eyes, he staggers backward.
But it's still two against one.
The girl silently raises the saw again.
I grab the bat and catch the blade against it, holding it off for a moment.
Enough time for Lin Kan to recover.
He tears away the ruined door, seizes my hair, and drags me out.
I scream.
“Let go!”
“Wait!”
“My phone doesn't use fingerprints!”
“Just a pattern lock!”
“Keeping my fingers won't help!”
He doesn't stop.
He slams me onto the floor and pins my neck.
“Please, my dear...”
“Don't blame me today...”
“I'll never do it again...”
He laughs.
“Thought I'd say that?”
He jerks me up by the hair and slaps me repeatedly.
Stars explode in my vision.
“No fingerprint lock?”
“Then I'll set one up now.”
Cold light flashes in his eyes.
A beast that eats people.
He kicks me several more times.
I can no longer stand.
Whistling, he drags me into the living room and binds my hands and feet separately.
At first, he seems about to remove my mask.
Then he changes his mind and tapes over its lower half.
I can't speak. Breathing becomes difficult.
He spreads a waterproof sheet on the floor and pulls me onto it.
Wiping his eyes, he beckons the silent girl over.
He gently strokes her face.
“She's a pervert.”
“She stalked me and illegally installed cameras.”
“I'm the victim.”
“You saw it, didn't you?”
“Wrongdoing deserves punishment.”
“Don't you agree?”
“Oh.”
“I forgot.”
“You can't speak.”
“If you think I'm right, nod.”
She hesitates.
Then nods slightly.
“Good.”
“Go cut off one of her legs.”
“One's enough.”
“Do that and I'll let you leave. I'll handle the rest.”
“No pressure.”
“We're only teaching her a little lesson.”
She trembles violently.
She stares at him in disbelief.
Only now do I finally understand.