CHAPTER
ONE
A scraping sound jerkedGina James from her sleep.
Her eyes snapped open, every muscle instantly rigid as her dark bedroom came into view.
What was that noise?
The apartment was usually far from quiet at night. Her new roommate, Emily, had a habit of staying up late on her laptop, watching reality dating shows with her earbuds half in. The neighbor’s television typically droned through the thin walls until well past midnight. Someone upstairs paced like they were training for a marathon.
But tonight—nothing.
The entire apartment building seemed to be holding its breath.
The scraping sounded again.
Gina’s heart beat harder.
Was that a squirrel? The wind?
Her imagination working overtime?
The digital clock beside her bed read 2:47 a.m., its red numbers the only light in the room.
The past few weeks since breaking up with Colin had left her jumpy, second-guessing every shadow and sound. She was stilladjusting to living with someone again—a twenty-two-year-old who had to be reminded to pay her portion of the utilities. Emily had only moved in a month ago.
Click.
Chills pricked her skin.
The sound came from down the hall.
Was that the living room window? The one she’d cracked open earlier?
She listened but heard nothing except her heartbeat.
Call the police!an internal voice urged.Why are you waiting?
She forced herself from her paralyzed state and felt around on the nightstand. Finally, her fingers found her phone.
But as she hit the 9, the door flew open, and a blast of white-hot light exploded into her room.
Gina flinched and instinctively shrank back. As she did, the phone slipped through her trembling hands.
The device hit the wood floor with a hard, cracking thud.
A surge of panic ripped through her chest.
The one thing that could save her—gone. Out of reach.
She didn’t dare move to grab it.
The light at her bedroom door intensified, searing her vision.
Someone was in her room.
Her lungs seized. Her limbs froze. Her mouth opened in a soundless scream as primal terror flooded every cell.
