Twisted Embrace

The man slowly took the hammer from the woman and sealed the window shut as my heart pounded…

Was I wrong about them?

Had they already figured out that I could see again, so they had sealed the window to keep me from escaping? Was this their plan to kill me?

I was shaking all over as the man came up to me with a grin and tossed the hammer on the floor.

He cupped my face with those hands that he probably hadn't washed for a long time and said, "Good girl. I really hope you'll get your sight back soon. If you ever do, you have to tell me right away."

His smile made the wrinkles on his face even more apparent, his greasy hair covering half his face, and there was something obviously off about him.

My heart was racing, but I pretended to be a good girl and nodded. "Okay!"

At the very least, it seemed like they didn't suspect I could see, which meant they hadn't checked the security camera.

Or maybe… they just hadn't had the time to watch it yet.

They left and closed the door behind them, but I was genuinely scared now.

Were they just pretending? I looked at the old, battered phone by my bed and tried to remember. The phone… I actually recognized it, but it wasn't mine. It was my best friend's.

I had used her phone before, and she had handed it to me…

She had been wearing a platinum ring!

And tonight, there had been a finger with a platinum ring in my food…

Shock, pain, despair, horror… All sorts of feelings exploded in my head.

Without thinking, I glanced at the door. There was a window in it… and a pair of eyes was staring straight at me!

I could feel the hair on my arms standing on end. I acted like I hadn't seen anything, felt my way to the bed, and lay down with my eyes closed. I tried my best to calm myself down while the man stood by the door, watching to see if I had fallen asleep. At least this meant that they didn't have control over the security camera in my room.

Still, my heart wouldn't stop pounding.

My best friend had already been killed by these two…

And I had found her finger in my dinner!

Pretending to be asleep, I turned away from the door, covering my mouth as I sobbed silently.

Even if I had forgotten a lot about the past, my best friend was the most important person to me. The bond we had built in the past was burned deep into my subconscious.

I didn't sleep at all that night.

-

The next day, the housekeeper showed up as usual. He didn't do anything and just kept circling around me. I started to think he was here merely to keep an eye on me.

That empty stare of his made my skin crawl.

Plus, who said those two had really gone to work? With how weird they were, what company would hire them?

So, what were they really up to?

Suddenly, I remembered the notes.

Those notes had said not to tell my parents, but what about the housekeeper? Maybe that was a clue, too?

"My eyes still haven't healed after all this time. I feel so awful." I sighed, testing the water.

The housekeeper had been staring blankly at me. When he heard that, he shook his head quickly, "Don't worry. They all… get better eventually. You will too."

"They?" I acted surprised.

He nodded, suddenly cheerful. "The young women who were here before… They couldn't see either, but after a week, their sight came back. This is your second week here, so yours will come back soon, too."

I swallowed hard. I was horrified, but also even more confused.

Why were there so many young women?