Chapter 3 - The Pinhole
The realization hit Mark like a physical blow. He pulled Buster back by his collar, earning a soft protest from the golden retriever.
"Don't look into it," Mark warned Sarah, who had leaned in closer to inspect the hole.
"Why? What do you think is—"
Before she could finish, a bright beam of yellow light flashed from the other side of the pinhole, piercing outward and striking Mark directly in the pupil. It wasn't the warm light of a smartphone or a flashlight; it was an intense, amber glare that smelled faintly of scorched copper. Mark gasped, throwing a hand over his eyes as a sharp burning sensation flared across his retina.
"Mark! Your eye!" Sarah cried out, grabbing his shoulder to steady him as he stumbled backward against the hallway wall.
"It's burning," Mark gritted through his teeth, pressing his palm hard against his eyelid. The afterimage burned a bright, pulsing ring of orange into his vision, even with his eyes squeezed shut. "Someone is shining a laser directly through that hole. They were watching us."
Buster began to bark, a sharp, urgent sound that echoed off the bare walls of the apartment and surely woke the neighbors in unit 4A.
"Shut him up, Mark, make him stop!" Sarah panicked, her eyes darting toward the front door of the apartment as if expecting the entire building to converge on them. "If Mr. Henderson hears the dog barking at this hour, he’ll evict us by morning!"
"I don't care about the lease, Sarah!" Mark yelled, pulling his hand away. His eye was bloodshot, tears streaming down his cheek. "There is a man—or something—living in a sealed room that doesn't exist on the building's floor plans!"
"That's impossible," Sarah said, though her voice lacked any real conviction now. She backed away from the white door as if it might reach out and grab her. "Every apartment in this complex has the exact same layout. Unit 4B is a standard two-bedroom."
"Go get the lease agreement," Mark ordered, his breathing heavy and ragged. "Get the paperwork out of the desk drawer in the living room. Look at the square footage."
Sarah hesitated for a second, then turned and bolted down the hall toward the living room.
May you like
As soon as she left, the deadbolt on the white door clicked again. This time, it turned twice.
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