Chapter 5 - The Midnight Visitor
The darkness in the hallway felt heavy, almost suffocating. The only illumination came from the faint sliver of amber light still glowing through the pinhole in the white door. Outside the apartment entrance, the knocking stopped. A low murmur followed, too muffled to understand, as if Mr. Henderson were talking to someone else standing beside him in the public corridor.
"He's not alone," Sarah whispered directly into Mark's ear, her breath trembling against his neck.
Mark didn't answer. He slowly lowered himself back to the floor, pulling Buster close. The golden retriever was no longer barking; instead, the dog was letting out a low, continuous rumble in the back of his throat, his muscles coiled like steel springs.
A key scraped against the front door's lock.
The sound made Mark's heart leap into his throat. Mr. Henderson had a master key. The old man was letting himself into their apartment in the middle of the night.
"He's coming in," Sarah choked out, her hands flying to her mouth to stifle a sob.
"Get behind me," Mark whispered, reaching out blindly in the dark until his hand found the heavy wooden coat rack standing near the corner. He gripped the thickest pole, his knuckles turning white.
The front door clicked open. The hinges groaned softly as the door swung inward, admitting a pale shaft of fluorescent hallway light that cut across the living room carpet. A long shadow stretched across the floor, projecting the silhouette of a tall, broad-shouldered man—and it definitely wasn't the elderly, hunched frame of Mr. Henderson.
"Mark? I know you're awake," a voice called out. It wasn't Henderson’s raspy voice, but a smooth, youthful baritone that sent a chill straight down Mark's spine. "Mr. Henderson says you have a leak in the guest room. We need to check it right now."
Mark stood up slowly, the coat rack raised in his right hand. The silhouette in the doorway took a step inside, holding a heavy metal toolbox that clinked rhythmically with every movement.
"Stay back," Mark called out, his voice echoing in the dark apartment. "Identify yourself."
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The man in the doorway paused, the fluorescent light catching the glint of a silver security badge pinned to his heavy canvas jacket.
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