Feeling suddenly anxious and furious, Neil stood up and shouted loudly, “Hey! Come back here!”
The door to the house had been locked, and to the left and right were just apartments and busy streets. He hoped that his cries would reach someone passing by outside.
“Help! Is anyone there? Please, help me!”
Neil banged on the window and then pounded his fists against the wall. If he were in his apartment on the street, people living nearby would have heard the commotion. But Neil hadn’t anticipated that his house had changed in every way since Brian—or rather Jill—had entered. There were no wind chimes hanging by the windows, and he could no longer see outside through the glass panes. The house had been enchanted. No matter how much Neil yelled or caused a ruckus, no one could hear him or come to his rescue.
What was happening? What would become of him? Neil curled up on the living room floor. Suddenly, he heard a phone ringing from somewhere.
In an instant, Neil’s eyes snapped open, and he sat up. The ringing sound was faint, barely audible. Neil didn’t think Brian would make a mistake and leave his phone behind. He remembered that when he was knocked out, his cell phone had been taken too. But the faint ringing was definitely a call alert coming from his bedroom.
Dragging the chain behind him, Neil made his way to the bedroom, following the sound. It was coming from a small drawer next to the bed. Neil tried to pull the drawer open, but the chain was too short. He could only reach a few steps away.
Neil looked around the living room for anything useful, but found nothing that could help him unlock the handcuffs. Desperate, he wandered into the hallway, only to return to the bedroom feeling dejected. The phone had stopped ringing. He went into the bathroom, checking the space but finding nothing useful. He felt utterly hopeless, sitting on the floor and lamenting his dire situation, wishing for even a stick for self-defense. No, he needed to escape and find Zoe. He had to protect Zoe.
This thought cleared Neil’s mind. He got up and looked around for another solution. Suddenly, he spotted a towel rack. It was more than fifty centimeters long and made of aluminum, with fixed ends.
Grabbing the towel rack, Neil quickly went to the kitchen to get a spoon, then returned to the bedroom. He tried inserting the rack into the gap of the drawer. It didn’t fit perfectly, but with some force, it could be opened. Neil used all his strength in his unshackled arm to maneuver the rack into the drawer’s crevice. The drawer wasn’t locked initially, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to pull it out, though it required considerable force.
After some effort, Neil managed to pull the drawer out. Inside, there were some scattered items, and Neil saw his old cellphone among them. He reached for it, pulling the phone towards him with the rack. Finding the phone felt like discovering a lifeline. Neil opened it to find a missed call from his father, but at this moment, he couldn’t call him because his father was in a rural area, far away. Neil held the phone, contemplating whom to call for help. Naturally, he should call the police, but after dialing two numbers, he hung up. He thought of Zoe; he didn’t want to escalate things and potentially affect her. Neil looked towards the door in the hallway. To unlock the handcuffs while in a place where the lock couldn’t be opened from the inside, a special key was needed.
A key? The thought flashed through his mind. Neil dialed a number and waited for the connection. After three rings, a deep voice answered.
“Hello.”
“Roger, is that you?”
“Yes, Neil? You sound terrible, like someone about to die.”
“I’m really about to die. Get to my house quickly.”
Roger sounded surprised. “What’s going on? Why are you calling at this hour?”
“It’s an emergency. Please don’t ask questions, just come over.”
“Right now?” Roger’s voice was filled with more surprise. “I can come, but what’s the emergency?”
“Don’t ask, just hurry. And remember to bring the spare key I gave you.”
“Alright, I’ll be there soon.”
Neil glanced at the time on his phone. It was past four in the morning. It wasn’t surprising that Roger’s voice had been groggy at first.
The anxious wait seemed to drag on forever. During this time, Neil kept his eyes on his phone. He really wanted to call someone, to connect with the outside world, but he couldn’t afford to waste the phone’s battery. Roger might call him on the way here.
Two hours later, the doorbell rang once more. Neil sat in the hallway, hugging his knees. He wasn’t sure who it was—Roger or Brian returning. But if it were Brian, there would be no need for a doorbell, so it had to be Roger.
“Yes!” Neil shouted loudly.
“I’m here,” Roger’s voice came from outside the door.
Neil rushed to the door. “Open up quickly!”
He heard the key being inserted into the lock, and it seemed to fit perfectly. Naturally, that’s why the automatic door opened.
Roger, wearing a white Polo shirt, stepped inside and looked at Neil with wide eyes, clearly surprised.
“What’s going on? You look a mess.”
“That’s why I told you it’s better to see it for yourself than to have me explain.”
“But seeing it only makes it more confusing. Why are you handcuffed and chained?”
“Anyway, can you do something about these?” Neil raised his handcuffed hands.
“Who did this to you?”
“Brian.”
“Brian?” Roger’s confusion was evident. “Alright, explain the situation to me first. We’ll deal with the handcuffs later.”
With no other option, Neil briefly explained the situation. Roger looked even more bewildered, sighed in frustration and skepticism, and then asked, “What? This story…” After hearing the details, Roger said, “It’s indeed a hard story to believe.”
“Exactly, but it’s the truth. The proof is that I’m in this situation.”
“It’s hard to believe, but why would a ghost named Jill choose to possess an unpleasant cop like Brian?”
“How should I know?”
Roger pulled a sports bag from his side, opened it, and took out a hacksaw. “If this is a prank, I’ll kill you myself. You know I’m exhausted after a long night.”
“Sorry. I owe you one.”
Roger used the hacksaw to cut through the handcuffs on Neil’s wrists. Just as he was finishing, there was a sudden noise from the door.
Roger turned, but it was too late. Brian had returned. Seeing Roger, Brian smirked and drew his gun from his waistband.