In the dead of night, the property management sent out a message.

[A violent and unstable patient has escaped from the mental hospital next door and has entered our residential area. He has a severe tendency towards violence. Everyone, please stay inside your homes and refrain from opening the door for anyone casually.]

At that moment, there was a loud pounding on my front door.

“Help, help! He’s coming, please open the door and save me!”

01

At dawn, the property management issued a warning in the group chat.

Those who hadn’t gone to sleep were stirred up.

[What the heck is this?! Are the security guards useless? How did they let a mentally ill person in?]

[Refund! We pay so much in property fees every month, what have you been doing? You’re utterly useless.]

[Exactly! If something happens to someone in the neighborhood, you won’t be able to escape responsibility!]

The property management quickly apologized in the group chat.

[Sorry to all residents, the security guard was also injured by the mentally ill person.

[We have already called the police, everyone please stay securely inside your homes and don’t go out.]

They then attached a picture of the injured security guard.

The right sleeve of the security guard’s shirt was completely soaked in blood from the shoulder down.

There was also a pool of thick blood on the ground.

My heart jumped.

The wound on the security guard’s shoulder looked as if it had been torn apart by something, with flesh exposed.

[What the heck! This isn’t a mentally ill person, it’s a mad dog!]

[Everyone needs to be cautious, especially neighbors returning home late at night, you must be cautious.]

[@Property Management, what does the mentally ill person look like, and what is he wearing? That wound doesn’t look minor.]

The property management did not respond promptly.

I thought they were probably busy treating the security guard’s wound.

The neighbors chatted amongst themselves for a while.

The property management remained silent.

[@Property Management, where is everyone? What does the mentally ill person look like, and what is he wearing? You need to tell us, right?]

[Yeah, what are their distinguishing features? Male or female?]

[What other characteristics could there be? He must be wearing a patient’s gown, and with such strength, he must be male.]

The property management remained silent.

I grabbed my phone and searched for recent news.

There was no related information, and the mental hospital had not issued any notices about a mentally ill person escaping.

All of a sudden, there was a series of urgent rapping on the door.

“Is anyone there? Open the door! Please, open the door!” My heart jumped.

I crept to the door and peered out through the peephole.

A woman huddled at the door, covered in blood.

Her face was filled with terror, occasionally glancing back behind her.

Hold on! Isn’t this Auntie Maya, my neighbor from apartment 305 downstairs? Just then, I heard footsteps in the stairwell—“tap, tap, tap.” It felt as if a heavy hammer was striking my heart.

Someone was approaching! Aunt Maya’s cries softened into muffled sobs.

“Sarah, Sarah, you’re home, aren’t you? Please, save Auntie.

“He really will kill me, he really will!” Her voice carried endless fear and pleading.

There’s no way Aunt Maya could be the mentally ill person, no matter what.

I couldn’t just stand idly by and ignore her plea for help.

With determination, as the footsteps neared the end of the corridor, I suddenly opened the door and pulled Aunt Maya inside.

Then quietly, I closed the door without a sound.

Aunt Maya let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the door, panting heavily.

On her arm, the flesh was torn open, just like the wound on the security guard’s shoulder.

I lowered my voice to a whisper.

“Aunt Maya, go to the living room first, I’ll tend to your injuries in a bit.

“Did you run into that mentally ill person?” Aunt Maya nodded, still shaken and with red-rimmed eyes.

02

I crouched behind the peephole.

My front door faced the corridor, with the fire exit just next to it.

Sure enough, it was the mentally ill person.

His patient uniform was covered in blood.

He stood motionless at the fire exit, scanning the area.

Suddenly, his gaze locked onto the bloodstain on the ground.

Then he abruptly turned his head, his face contorted, and charged towards me with all his might.

My pupils constricted sharply as I covered my mouth and stepped back a few paces.

My heart raced wildly in my chest.

But the expected impact didn’t come.

It became quiet outside all of a sudden.

Never mind, I’d better tend to Aunt Maya’s injuries first.

Aunt Maya covered her face and softly sobbed.

“That man is a lunatic! I went out to buy medicine for Old Man, and when I saw the message from the property management team, I wanted to hurry home.

“But who would have thought he’d be in our building, and right on the third floor.” Aunt Maya said that the hallway lights were off, and he had been standing there motionless.

She didn’t see him until she turned on the hallway light and noticed a bloody man standing there.

The moment he saw Aunt Maya, he rushed at her like a madman.

“Fortunately, I dodged, and he only bit my hand…” I was somewhat shocked as I spoke.

“This is…a bite?”

Aunt Maya nodded, wincing from the sting of the alcohol.

“I grabbed a stick from the shoe cabinet and hit him with it, and then he let go of me.

The mentally ill person was right at the door, blocking my way home, so I had no choice but to run upstairs.

“Thank you, Sarah.”

I shook my head, my mind racing with turmoil.

A sense of foreboding crept over me.

Indeed, the mentally ill person appeared unarmed when I peeked through the peephole just now.

Aunt Maya’s eyelids were heavy, and she kept yawning.

“Aunt Maya, if you’re tired, go ahead and rest a bit.” She nodded and collapsed onto the sofa, clearly exhausted.

I quickly pulled out my phone and posted a message in the group chat.

[The mentally ill person is in our building, currently on the 4th floor.

Aunt Maya on the 3rd floor was bitten.

Everyone stay safe and don’t leave your apartments.

[He’s extremely aggressive!]

[Bitten? The mentally ill person actually bites people?! Like a mad dog!]

As I watched messages pop up continuously in the group, I felt a growing sense of panic.

I hurriedly opened Weibo to see if there were any strange news stories.

There was nothing…

How odd.

A violent patient had escaped, yet there was no news coverage at all?
“Knock, knock, knock,” came the sound of someone knocking on the neighbor’s door.

The neighbor in 403 was a young man who kept a very regular schedule.

He went to bed early and got up early.

I remembered that he had mentioned in the residents’ group chat before that he would be asleep by 10 PM and hoped that the children on the fifth floor wouldn’t run around at night.

So he likely hadn’t seen the group message at all! I didn’t have his phone number or him as a friend.

All I could do was add him as a friend in the residents’ group chat.

[Does anyone have contact information for 403?! The mentally ill person is knocking on his door! [Please call him and alert him!]
While I was sending the message, the mentally ill person started speaking.

“Wah wah wah, I’m in terrible pain, help me, please open the door and help me, okay?”
He was sobbing, but his face showed no emotion.

“Is anyone there? Please open up.”

He pressed his face tightly against the peephole on the neighbor’s door, observing the inside.

I heard a roar from next door.

“Who is it?! Can’t a person get some sleep in the middle of the night?!”

I was anxious.

Check your phone, add me as a friend!

The lights turned on next door.

I saw the mentally ill person’s lips curl into a smile.

“Help me, please open the door and help me, I’m in so much pain.”

The kind-hearted owners in the group chat were also tagging 403 frantically.

A notification popped up: 403 accepted my friend request.

I exhaled a sigh of relief.

03

I explained the entire situation to him, repeatedly warning him not to open the door.

[Thank you, I won’t open the door.]

[Thank you, fellow neighbors. I’ve seen the message. Don’t worry, I won’t open the door.]

The light in the neighboring flat went dim.

The disturbed individual, after waiting for a long time and seeing no one open the door, started to violently bang on the door to flat 403.

“Open the door! Open the door! Let me in!

Why won’t you open the door!”

The frantic banging sounded like hammer blows in my ears, making me feel terrified.

After a few minutes, when he saw that no one was opening the door, he turned his head with a click and looked toward my side.

If it weren’t for the door separating us, I would have thought for a moment that he had seen me.

I covered my mouth, staring intently at the door, not daring to make a sound.

Cold sweat trickled down my back through my clothes.

He returned to his numb expression and stiffly walked toward my side.

Suddenly, he pressed his head against the peephole, but all I could see was darkness.

I knew I couldn’t move now; if I did, he would definitely sense someone inside! A chill ran up my spine, and I gripped my palm tightly to stifle the trembling in my body.

After an unknown amount of time, the disturbed individual turned and left, heading for the flats at the end of the corridor.

They were flats 402 and 401.

I let out a deep sigh of relief; my shirt was soaked in cold sweat.

I quickly informed the residents’ group about the direction the disturbed individual had taken.

[“@402 @401, the disturbed individual has gone to your place.

Whatever you do, don’t open the door!”]

At this point, the neighbors began to show dissatisfaction.

[“@Property Management, twenty minutes have passed. Why haven’t the police arrived yet? Did you even call them?”]

[“I don’t know if property management called, but I did. The police said they’ve received many reports today and will come over later.”]

Many people had called the police? The bad feeling in my heart grew heavier.

After a long absence, property management finally showed some movement.

[“The police have arrived at the property management. We’ll be bringing them upstairs shortly. By the way, residents who are at home shouldn’t sleep. The police need to take statements from residents. Also, we will send the injured residents to the hospital together.”]

With this, the weight off my chest finally lifted.

I leaned on the sofa and sighed, then patted Aunt Maya.

“Aunt Maya, the property management and the police are here.

They’ll take you to the hospital later.” Aunt Maya didn’t respond, which startled me.

I reached out to check on her.

Thankfully, she was still breathing, but her body was burning hot.

It seemed she had a fever.

I quickly messaged the property management.

[“@Property Management, Aunt Maya from 305 has a fever. Can you take her to the hospital first when you arrive?”]

[“Okay, we’ll pick her up right away.”]

After exiting the chat, I noticed that Justin from flat 403 had sent me several messages.

[“Someone in your flat was bitten? Run quickly, come to mine!”]

“The property management isn’t themselves anymore! They’ve already transformed! …Looks like I’m saying this too late, come to me right away! There’s no time, they’re coming up here soon!”

He sent me a video clip.

The video was from the mental hospital next door.

Something had occurred, and a group of people wearing patient uniforms ran out like mad.

One of the mentally ill patients was identical to the one in our building.

They pounced on someone and started biting them frenziedly.

And the person who was bitten turned out to be tonight’s mentally ill patient! Seeing this, only two words came to mind: Zombies! I’m a veteran fan of horror novels.

I’ve read countless zombie stories and post-apocalyptic fiction.

The unease I felt earlier stemmed from that peculiar bite wound.

The video sent by 403 now confirmed my ominous premonition.

But, what if it’s not real? Moreover, how could zombies possess intelligence? I slowly turned to look at Aunt Maya on the sofa.

She was writhing around like an octopus, her limbs twisting uncontrollably.

At this moment, many hurried footsteps echoed through the stairwell.

I gritted my teeth and dashed out the door.

“I’m here, open the door.” It seemed that 403 was standing right by his own door.

As soon as I stepped out, his door opened, and he pulled me inside.

His expression was grave as he held up a finger.

“Shh, don’t speak yet.” He had a video doorbell, and we looked outside together.

04

The property management arrived, led by the previously injured security guard!

But where was the wound on his shoulder now? Apart from the blood-soaked sleeve, which spoke of his past ordeal.

His face was as pale as paper, bearing a crazed smile.

As if something good had occurred.

Moreover, only three members of the property management came.

Where were the police supposed to be? I took out my phone to send a message in the group chat, notifying the other residents.

He shook his head towards me.

Lowering his voice, he said, “Everyone from the property management is in the group chat.

If they find out you know, they’ll definitely come after you first.” He made a valid point, but I couldn’t just let my neighbors die.

So I decided to notify the neighbors who were my friends first.

Save one if I can.

I quietly entered the room and dialed 401.

She was a mother with children, and she was also quite kind.

The call was answered quickly.

“Sarah, what’s wrong? I thought I heard the property management coming up just now?”

“Lucy, listen to me, don’t open the door, those coming up aren’t the property management!”

“Huh? Not the property management, then who are they?”

Lucy’s voice was slightly loud, tinged with a hint of trembling.

I thought about it; she wouldn’t believe me if I told her about zombies, so I changed my explanation.

“That’s the mental patient pretending to be them, don’t open the door!”

I relayed the same warning to 402, hoping they would believe me.

I went to the door and looked through the video doorbell.

At some point, my door had been left slightly ajar.

The mutants in the hallway were nowhere to be seen.

403 silently typed a message and passed it to me.

[Your Aunt Maya opened the door; they’ve all gone inside and are definitely looking for you.]

As if in response, Aunt Maya’s voice came from inside my apartment.

“Sarah, where are you? The property management and the police are here, let’s go to the station together.” Despite the heat of a summer day, I felt a chill.

The property management hadn’t brought any police! Yet Aunt Maya said the police had arrived, which meant only one thing.

Aunt Maya had always been such a kind person…

Suddenly, my phone vibrated wildly with a call from Aunt Maya.

Thankfully, I had silenced my phone when the mental patient arrived.

After the call disconnected, Aunt Maya sent a flurry of messages.

[Sarah, where did you go? Aunt Maya is waiting for you at home.]

[The police are waiting for you.]

[Reply! Where did you go?]

[Aunt Maya’s arm hurts so much; will you accompany Aunt Maya to the hospital?]

My palms were sweaty, almost slipping out of my grip.

She was luring me out.

If it really was Aunt Maya, she would have gone straight to the hospital.

I didn’t reply.

Soon, several people emerged from my room.

Aside from bloodstains, there was no sign of a wound on Aunt Maya’s arm.

Each of their faces bore an excited smile.

They knocked on 403’s door.

“Hello resident, the police are here, please open the door.” We clamped our mouths shut and stayed silent.

At that moment, my phone lit up again.

It was another call from Aunt Maya; she must want to know if I was here.

After knocking for a long time and finding no one home, they moved down the corridor.

I sent another message to warn 401 and 402 not to open their doors.

05

A “click” sounded as a door somewhere opened.

Damn it! Why wouldn’t they listen?!

“Ah, you’re finally here.”

“See, these are the property management folks.”

“My wife insisted you weren’t from property management, but I told her she was being paranoid.”

“By the way, where are the police?”

It was Tim! I closed my eyes in frustration.

The property manager replied in a shrill voice.

“The police will arrive shortly, let’s go inside and talk.”

The moment the door closed, I heard a piercing scream.

This was bad! 402 sent me a message.

“Sarah, did…did you hear that scream just now? They…

they’re definitely not the property management!” “Yes, don’t open the door, whatever you do, don’t open it!” Justin handed me a bottle of mineral water, which I drank all in one go.

“Now they’re definitely watching you.

We can’t stay here, it’s too dangerous.” I nodded.

I had warned 401, and they must be holding a grudge against me now.

“What should we do now? I’ll call the police first.” Justin hesitated but still nodded.

I took out my phone and went into the room to make the call.

After a long wait, someone finally answered.

“Hello, there’s a deranged person in our neighborhood who’s biting people.

They’ve already killed a few.

Our address is…” Before I could finish, the police officer on the other end cut me off.

“I know. Right now, we’re… Ah! !!!”

A piercing scream echoed through my ears.

There were sounds of chaotic impacts coming from the other end.

Then, silence.

Then, the call was picked up again.

“Hello, this is the police. Where are you? We’re on our way over.”

I quickly hung up the call.

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of my throat.

Justin looked at my pale face and spoke.

“The police station has been taken over too, hasn’t it?” I nodded stiffly.

“I need to warn them. Whether they believe me or not is up to them.”

At that moment, 402 sent another message asking if he could come over.

He was alone and frightened.

Justin nodded.

06

The group chat was still buzzing with activity.

Some neighbors were questioning whether the deranged person had been taken away by the property management.

Others wondered what the commotion from the scream was about, speculating whether even the police couldn’t subdue the deranged person.

I took a deep breath and started typing quickly.

[Everyone, do not leave your homes under any circumstances! Those people are definitely not the property management!]

402: [Right! That scream came from 401.]

He opened his door and was killed by those pretending to be property management!”

402: [If you can run, get out of here as soon as possible. I’ve already left the neighborhood.]

402 was a young man named Scott, younger than both Justin and me.

Seeing his message in the group, I silently gave him a thumbs-up.

When I messaged him that he could come over, he arrived with a backpack containing some food and water.

The property management responded in the group chat.

[@404 @402, you two shouldn’t be causing trouble for the police.]

[@404 @402, where are you now? I’ll come find you.]

The scream was from them watching a horror movie at home.”

The three of us exchanged glances—we weren’t fools; who would pay attention to them?

However, many of the neighbors in the group still believed them.

[That’s right, 402…”I know him; he’s a young guy who often likes to joke around.]

[It’s good that the police are here, now I can sleep in peace.]

The property management: “The police will be taking statements. If you’re awake, let us know and we’ll come up floor by floor.”

402: [Everyone, don’t believe him! They’re not human! Run, or stay hidden at home!]

[Alright, young man, stop joking around.]

[Go play on your own, don’t interfere with the police work.]

With these two remarks, the other residents in the group began to criticize us.

Many residents said they could assist the police.

The property management: [Okay, no rush. We’ll be there soon.]

I looked at Justin.

“Do you have a car?”

“If I did have a car, I would have left when they went to 401.”

Scott scratched his head. “My dad bought me a car, but I haven’t taken my driving test yet, so…”

Justin got up immediately and grabbed his pre-packed bag. “I can drive. Let’s go while the property management hasn’t come out yet.”

Scott did scratch his head. “Uh, my keys are in the room. I didn’t bring them out.”

The sound of a door opening, “click,” was particularly loud in the quiet corridor.

The property management staff came out.

402 took out his phone and showed a video; he had installed a surveillance camera outside his door.

The young couple from 401 were clearly already infected, quietly following behind them.

And the man had an axe in his hand.

My heart tightened.

“Bang!” The man lifted the axe and started smashing 402’s door.

They clearly didn’t believe that 402 had already left.

At that moment, Scott frantically patted his chest.

“Thank goodness, I got out.

Otherwise, I would have definitely died inside.”

“But, now that they’ve broken into 402, isn’t 403 next?!”

“We have to leave right away!”