Who Ordered Death to Unit 502?

William, Leon, and I looked through the peephole and saw Josie standing in front of the elevator. She was looking right at the deliveryman.

She had been killed in that exact spot in our last lives.

We had cowardly hid behind the door, watching her die as she tried to save us.

We couldn't let the same thing happen again.

"Open the door," I said resolutely.

William and Leon were momentarily stunned, then nodded.

Leon hastily ran into the kitchen to grab a fruit knife while William picked up a mop.

I slammed the door open and yelled, "Get in here now, Josie!"

William swiftly grabbed Josie before she could react, dragging her into the apartment.

Leon immediately slammed the door shut, but right before it fully closed, the deliveryman shoved his knee into the gap and forced the door open.

The deliveryman stalked into the apartment. His eyes were cast in shadow by the cap he wore, but we could feel him sweeping his gaze over us.

"Did one of you order delivery?"

This time, I chose to step forward, shielding Leon and William behind me.

"I did. What do you want?"

The deliveryman pinned his gaze on me. When he didn't immediately kill me, I knew I had made the right choice.

The deliveryman handed a bag to me, saying, "It's a valuable item. I need you to verify that you received it in good condition before I can leave."

I hesitated for a moment before taking the bag from him. It was extremely light, practically weighing nothing.

I was stunned when I opened the bag. It was completely empty except for a crumpled sticky note. However, before I could get a good look at what was written on the note, the deliveryman raised his machete and drove it into my chest.

Right before I lost consciousness, I heard him hiss, "Liar! It's not you!"

I slumped down on the couch after the third time I sprinted out of the bathroom, letting out a heavy sigh.

William and Leon rushed out of their rooms soon after, looking even more upset than before.

"He killed us after he killed you."

William's voice was thick with tears as he asked, "What did you see inside the bag? Why did you look so shocked?"

I forced myself to calm down before answering, "It was empty. There wasn't anything inside."

"It was empty?" Leon asked, frowning. "Why did he insist that you had to verify it then?"

I shook my head. All I knew was that my thoughts were a complete mess.

"Wait," William said suddenly. "The first time, he killed us right after asking if we were the ones who ordered the delivery. The second time, he killed us without asking us anything. The third time, he still killed us even after Zack told him that he was the one who ordered the delivery.

"Could it be that he's not here to deliver something at all? His true motive is to kill us all along!"

A chill ran down my spine. "But why? We don't even know him."

"Perhaps he's a hired assassin," Leon muttered. "I said it before, didn't I? It's obvious that he's professionally trained."

I shook my head. "But who would go through the trouble to kill us? He must have some sort of motive."

The three of us got lost in our thoughts once again as we began combing through every detail of the incidents that had led us to our current predicament.

I suddenly recalled that there had been a sticky note in the bag. Although I hadn't been able to get a good look at it, I had a strong feeling that I knew what was written on it. However, my guess was a little too far-fetched, so I wanted to verify it with my own eyes first.

I stood and said, "This time, we're not just going to stand around and let him kill us again. I'm going to confront him and ask him what he wants."

William immediately grabbed me, looking alarmed. "No! That's too dangerous! He has a machete with him!"

"Let's go together," Leon chimed in. "We might be able to overpower him."

"It's no use," I said, shaking my head.