"Apartment 9C is locked from the inside."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdMliMWt2b
That was the first thing Maya heard when she arrived at the building. A small, wrinkled woman in a grey cardigan said it like a warning — or maybe a confession.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrb8ZTJGwO
Maya, a fearless investigative journalist, had moved into the crumbling apartment complex after hearing rumors: unexplained disappearances, whispers behind the walls, neighbors avoiding one specific unit. And always the same number. 9C.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72D7u9hIRT
Her first night, Maya heard the sound of tapping — slow and deliberate. Coming from behind her bathroom mirror. She dismissed it as pipes... until she saw a single word form in the condensation:
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8cLEibK0Ht
"RUN."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbfqf8R9Y3
Each day, the hallway grew darker, even in daylight. The elevator skipped her floor, and the neighbors refused to speak about 9C. One of them even dropped his groceries and mumbled, “There is no 9C.”
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Vue63QAbF
But Maya lived there. And every night, the same pattern of knocks began:
3 knocks.
Silence.
2 knocks.
Silence.
1 knock.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51zMDABqFK
It was a code. And she was determined to break it.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNRhDAwSf0A
On the seventh night, Maya removed the mirror from the bathroom wall. Behind it, she found a hidden crawlspace... and inside, an old tape recorder still playing static.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWsZBz4GaWt
As she pressed PLAY, a child’s voice echoed:
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWetjlSIAG
“Don’t trust the one who smiles. They locked us in here... and they keep us quiet.”
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU44e105Wta
Suddenly, her apartment door slammed shut. The lights went out. The tapping started again — this time from inside the walls.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGaP9OGmRj
When police later arrived, Apartment 9C was found empty. No sign of Maya. No mirror.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTvRdK8ybH
And the tape?
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1uu4qv3db
It played one final message:
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKOlwAENBU
“Another voice for the silence...”
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo30q4Xk6De
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMlErk5jw5
