The Pop Up Screen Showed My Best Friend Was The Traitor

The text message popped up the moment I walked in the door after work:
Babe, I sent you that little triple-chocolate cake you love. It just arrived! Open up!
In the first life, I opened the door, didnt see a thing, and was stabbed to death instantly.
In the second life, I didn't open the door and hid in the closet, but the killer broke the lock, and I died in the closet.
In the third life, I scrambled into the basement ventilation shaft. The killer couldn't find me and left. But the moment I crawled out of the vent, the killer was there, grinning maniacally and raising his dagger.
Until my death, I never understood how the killer always managed to find me so precisely.
I blinked open my eyes again, and the familiar knocking sounded from outside my door.
My first instinct was to slam the deadbolt shut, and I was just about to look for a hiding spot when a layer of pop-up text floated above my head. This hadn't happened in the first three lives.
The side character is finally going to die. The Heiress is about to have a double harvest in love and career. This is great!
So excited! According to the setup, the side character is just an NPC designed to push The Heiresss storyline forward. Why cant she just wait to die gracefully?
A side character? An NPC? Were they talking about me?
I froze for a second. They want me to just wait for death?
But why? I was a person made of flesh and blood. I wanted to live!
1
The shock lasted only a few seconds.
Snapping out of it, I sprinted into the bathroom, turned the shower on full blast, then grabbed an old, prepaid phone. I threw it onto the sink after hitting play on a few songs I had cached previously.
Then, I quickly dove behind the abandoned clawfoot tub in the corner of the storage room.
The whole process took less than a minute.
Outside the door, the killer, disguised as a delivery driver, began twisting the doorknob.
His voice was sickly sweet, carrying a note of deranged intimacy: Little mouse, are you tucked away? Im coming in now.
As he finished speaking, the lock clicked open.
My nerves instantly tightened.
The next second, the door swung inward.
A set of light, measured footsteps slowly moved across the living room.
In the bathroom, the water was still running, roaring down the drain.
The footsteps paused for a moment in the living room and then headed straight for the bathroom.
Hmm, looks like shes taking a shower.
There was a strange hint of excitement mixed in his tone.
The pop-up text above me was still scrolling nonstop:
OMG, what is the side character doing? Can she stop making futile efforts?
So stupid. This killer is the serial murderer from the news. Thirty people in six months, never failed. The side character is so overconfident!
But that tub in the storage room is genuinely well-hidden. As long as she doesn't get reckless and try to run out the front door, she might actually survive this episode. After all, the big iron security door leading outside is already locked!
I watched the text scroll, my breath catching in my throat. A cold sweat broke out on my back.
That had been my original plan.
The storage room was right next to the front door. I would lure the killer into the bathroom and then make a break for it.
But now, I pressed my hands over my mouth, my body rigid and curled up under the tub, terrified of making the slightest sound.
The bathroom door was open.
The loud rush of water was unnervingly clear in the quiet apartment.
A second later, the water shut off.
The mans voice, trembling with perverse excitement, rang out in the room: Such an interesting little mouse. Ive changed my mind. When I find you, Im going to slice you into little pieces. It might be very tasty boiled in a hot pot.
The bedroom door was pushed open. He was muttering to himself: Not under the bed, not in the closet, not behind the curtains Where could she be?
The ghostly voice echoed through the apartment, and the slightly erratic footsteps slowly drew closer to the storage room.
I tightly clutched my chest, terrified that my frantic heartbeat would give me away.
The footsteps drew nearer to the tub. My heart shot into my throat.
A rustling sound came from outside the tub, then the footsteps headed toward the door.
Looks like shes not here either. Where in the world is she hiding?
The pop-up text paused for a moment, then rapidly scrolled again.
Holy hell, is she actually going to escape this time? Then what about The Heiress? Boohoo, will the side character go back and steal the heir position from The Heiress? Is The Heiress's sweet romance going to be ruined?
Ugh, refund, refund. I paid to see The Heiress's sweet romance, not this side characters awakening. What kind of plot is this?
In the middle of the frantic scrolling, my phone suddenly vibrated slightly.
It was a text from Sierra:
Babe, did you eat the cake yet? I bought it with my Christmas bonus. Got paid and rushed right out to get it. Arent you happy?
The vibration of the phone was faint, but the killer, who had just stepped out of the storage room, suddenly turned his head to look at the corner where the tub sat.
A strange, eerie smile stretched across his mouth:
Sweetheart, Im going to find you now!
2
The side character is finally getting her just desserts! The money wasnt wasted!
But I have to say, did the side characters best friend seriously not get bought offpfft, I mean, seduced by The Heiresss charm? She always messes up the side character at the crucial moment.
Upstairs, are you empathizing with the side character? Shes just an NPC. Shes destined to die tonight. What does her best friend have to do with it? Besides, aren't all the NPCs here to serve the main character?
The pop-up text was scrolling fast, but I couldn't focus on it.
The footsteps drew closer, and the killer crouched down, grabbing the edge of the old tub.
I was paralyzed with fear, my body trembling slightly, uncontrollably.
The next second, the tub was violently flipped over.
The bizarre smile on the killer's face instantly froze. He stared intently at the lonely phone beneath the tub, his eyes deepening with interest.
No one has managed to play games with me this long. Little mouse, Im getting more and more interested in you. I hope I dont catch you too quickly.
Oh my god, when did the side character get out from under the tub? Where did she hide this time? I was watching the whole time! How did I not notice she wasn't under the tub?
+1. But, suddenly, I kind of like the side character. Cant a smart, decisive character like her live for a few more episodes?
Actually, I saw it. The side character never actually hid under the tub. She just tipped the tub and tossed the phone underneath, hiding herself in the narrow crevice, like a little step, right behind it. Thats a blind spot, so the killer missed it.
Seriously? Did the side character know her best friend was in on it from the start?
That last pop-up guessed the truth.
Yes, I knew Sierra was deliberately setting me up from the beginning.
In the first life, it was her message that made me drop my guard and open the door. I thought it was my best friends love arriving. I didnt know it was a serial killer coming to take my life.
In the second life, I was hiding in the closet. The moment the killer got close, a message from Sierra popped up.
In the third life, I barely managed to dodge the killer and crawl into the ventilation shaft. I thought I was saved, but I ran right into the killer waiting for me at the exit.
But how did he know, with such precision, that I had climbed into the vent?
There was only one possibility: my phone had tracking software installed.
And it was just a few days ago that Sierra had accidentally cracked my screen. She apologized profusely and took it to the original service center for repair.
I only got the phone back today.
Looking back, how could there be so many coincidences in the world?
It had been a calculated ambush targeting me from the start.

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