Chapter 3

Chapter 3

(5)

As someone who doesn't believe in ghosts, I absolutely did not believe that this house was haunted. There had to be someone causing trouble. To figure out who was knocking on my door every night, I installed a hidden camera at my door the next day. The camera's range covered the area from my door to Frank's door. I was determined to catch whoever was behind this.

Resolute, I stayed up all night, drinking a large cup of coffee to stay awake. I turned off the lights and sat in the dark, staring intently at my phone screen. But even after midnight, there was no movement at the door. What was going on? Did the prankster take a night off?

I didn't know when I fell asleep, but when I opened my eyes, it was already daylight. I went to the community security guard and told him about the situation. To my surprise, he looked at me with suspicion, as if I were crazy.

"Miss Baxter, nothing like this has ever happened in our community. Are you sure you're not just imagining things because of stress?" he asked.

I replied firmly, "I'm absolutely sure. Someone has knocked on my door for the past two nights."

Seeing my serious expression, he finally took me seriously. "Alright, Miss Baxter. I'll keep an eye out during my patrol tonight."

I thanked him and went to work. But even at work, I couldn't stop thinking about the person knocking on my door at night. It wasn't until my boss reprimanded me that I managed to refocus on my tasks.

That evening, I sat on my bed, pondering whether the person would come again tonight. I was determined to catch whoever was knocking on my door. At 11:55 PM, there was finally some movement on the screen. I saw a woman in white silently approach my door.

Knock, knock, knock! She knocked on the door. I tried to get a good look at her face, but her hair was loose, partially covering it. Knock, knock, knock! She knocked again.

(6)

I immediately called the security guard, telling him that the person knocking was right outside my door. After getting his response, I kept my eyes glued to the screen, watching her. She knocked a few more times, then stood on tiptoe to peer through the peephole. Then she turned to leave. If she left now, the security guard would miss her.

Mustering up my courage, I called out, "Who are you? Why are you knocking on my door?"

Her footsteps halted. I had only intended to stall for time, not expecting her to answer. To my surprise, she turned her head slightly and spoke.

"Leave... leave..." Her voice sounded raspy.

What? Leave? What was she trying to say? I opened the door to ask her properly, but there was no one outside. I could faintly hear a panting sound in the hallway. Shortly after, the security guard came running over.

"Where is she? The person knocking on your door?" he asked.

"She's already gone," I replied.

"What?" He looked frustrated. "Miss Baxter, are you playing a prank on me in the middle of the night?"

"I'm really sorry, but I'm telling the truth," I insisted. "I'll let you know if she comes again!"

I still had the surveillance footage of the woman knocking on my door on my phone, but I didn't show it. Instinctively, I didn't want the security guard to catch her. She clearly had something more to tell me. If she wasn't here to harm or scare me, then what was her purpose? Was she trying to warn me?