Chapter 2

2

The space looked like a self-contained studio apartment.

The bed was old, but the room had everything someone would need to live.

What disturbed me most were the iron chains bolted to the bedframe.

They were attached to heavy handcuffs and leg irons.

It looked like a dungeon built for a prisoner.

The chains were covered in thick rust.

They had clearly been there for a very long time.

Had someone been kept as a slave in this basement?

Was the crying baby trapped down here?

I didn't see a child anywhere.

Rosalie wasn't there either.

The basement didn't seem to have any other hiding spots.

I scanned the room and my eyes landed on the bathroom.

The door was wide open.

A massive bathtub sat in the middle of the room, filled to the brim.

That sharp, chemical smell was definitely coming from in there.

I had spent a few years in med school.

I knew exactly what formalin was used for.

Was there a body soaking in that tub?

My brows furrowed as I walked toward the bathroom.

The atmosphere was suffocating.

Every muscle in my body was tense, ready to snap.

Just as I reached the doorway, I heard a faint sound behind me.

It sounded like someone running across the floor on bare feet.

I spun around instantly.

There was nothing there.

The room was empty, except for that filthy bed.

In the far corner, two life-sized wax figures stood like silent sentinels.

I felt a strange sensation, like eyes were boring into the back of my neck.

It was that sixth sense you get when someone is watching you.

"Glub... glub... "

A string of bubbles suddenly broke the surface of the water in the tub.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

It looked exactly like someone was hiding underwater.

But who could survive submerged in a tub of pure chemicals?

I stepped closer to get a better look.

There was a naked corpse floating in the liquid.

Its face was a shredded, bloody mess.

There were no features left to recognize.

The sight made my stomach flip, and I wretched on the floor.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the basement.

It sounded like the heavy iron door at the top of the stairs had been slammed shut.

My face went pale as I realized what was happening.

I scrambled back up the stairs as fast as I could.

I grabbed the handle and yanked, but it wouldn't budge.

It had been locked from the outside.

"What is going on? Is Rosalie trying to lock me in here? "

"And who the hell is in that bathtub? "

My mind was spinning, and my fear was reaching a breaking point.

I tried to piece it together.

The body in the tub was likely the person who had been chained to the bed.

Maybe her husband hadn't gone on a business trip after all.

Maybe he was the one rotting in that chemical bath.

I couldn't think of anyone else it could be.

"Rose! Stop playing around! Open the door! "

I pounded on the metal frame, trying to reach her.

Whether it was Rosalie or not, I had to try to talk my way out.

"Heh... heh... heh... "

A bone-chilling laugh came from the other side of the door.

It wasn't Rosalie.

It was clearly a man's voice.

"Who are you? " I shouted.

The person didn't answer.

Suddenly, the light in the stairwell flickered and died.

A second later, the entire basement plunged into total darkness.

It felt like a scene from a horror movie.

But I knew better.

Someone had just flipped the breaker upstairs.

"Open this door or I'm calling the cops! "

I pulled out my phone and started to dial.

But I didn't actually call 911.

I dialed Rosalie's number again.

I was in her house for an affair.

Calling the police was a last resort that would ruin my life.

"Bzzzt... bzzzt... bzzzt... "

The call connected.

A vibration echoed from somewhere deep inside the dark basement.

This time, nobody picked up.

My eyes went wide as I stared into the darkness of the lower floor.