The Rules of Oakwood

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CHAPTER 6

INT. OAKWOOD APARTMENTS – HALLWAY – NIGHT

Lena stood frozen in the doorway of Apartment 3B.

The chair was gone.

Her breath came in sharp, uneven gasps.

"Lena."

Damien's voice pulled her focus.

She turned back to him—his face unreadable, gaze locked onto her.

"You shouldn't have gone in," he repeated.

Lena swallowed hard, her pulse erratic. "You gave me the key."

"I did." His expression didn't change. "That doesn't mean you were ready."

Her skin prickled. "Ready for what?"

A long pause.

Then, instead of answering, Damien reached into his pocket.

Pulled out the key to 3B.

She hadn't even noticed she'd dropped it.

When she tried to take it, he didn't let go.

His grip was light, but there was an unmistakable resistance.

"You need to listen to me now, Lena," he said softly.

She stiffened.

"There are rules here."

---

They sat across from each other at her kitchen table.

Damien turned the key over in his fingers, his gaze steady.

"Whatever you think you heard," he said finally, "forget it."

Lena's hands curled into fists. "I can't just forget it. Something—someone—was in there."

He studied her for a long moment before sighing.

"You're new, so I'll tell you this once."

His fingers tapped against the table.

"There are three rules in Oakwood."

Lena held her breath as he continued.

"Rule one: If you hear someone knocking after midnight, don't answer."

A chill swept through her.

"Rule two: If you hear footsteps in the hallway, but no one's there, go inside and lock your door."

Lena's pulse quickened.

"Why?"

Damien's jaw tightened slightly. But he ignored the question.

"Rule three." He placed the key down on the table, sliding it toward her.

"If you ever find a door open when you know you closed it… don't go inside."

Lena felt a lump in her throat.

"But I already did."

Damien's expression darkened.

A long silence stretched between them.

Then, finally—

She whispered, "Ryan Thomas. What happened to him?"

Damien's gaze didn't waver.

But the muscle in his jaw clenched.

Then, quietly, he said—

"He broke the rules."

---

INT. LENA'S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Lena lay in bed, wide awake.

Damien's words looped in her head.

"There are three rules in Oakwood."

She had already broken one.

And now, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was waiting for her to break the others.

The air in her apartment felt too still. The kind of stillness that makes you realize you're not alone.

Then—

Knock.

A single, sharp tap on her door.

Her breath hitched.

She grabbed her phone. 12:03 AM.

"Rule one: If you hear someone knocking after midnight, don't answer."

Lena clenched the sheets in her fists.

This was a coincidence. It had to be.

She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to stay still.

Knock.

A second one. Louder.

Her heartbeat thudded in her ears.

She forced herself to look toward the door. The peephole.

It was dark.

Someone was standing there.

Lena's breathing was shallow, her body rigid.

"Don't answer."

She wasn't going to.

But her gaze stayed locked on the peephole.

Knock.

A third time.

Slower. More deliberate.

A warning.

Then—the doorknob twisted.

Lena shot upright.

Her lungs refused to take in air as she watched the knob rattle.

Someone was trying to get in.

Her hands shook as she reached for her phone, ready to call the police—

But then.

The doorknob stopped moving.

And the peephole—emptied.

Whoever had been there was gone.

A silence so deep it pressed against her ears.

Then, in a whisper so soft she almost didn't hear it—

"See you soon."

---

Lena barely slept.

She sat in the dim lobby, fingers curled around a cup of coffee.

Waiting.

She knew he would come.

And he did.

Damien walked in like he already knew she'd be here.

His gaze locked onto hers immediately.

Lena swallowed.

"He knows."

She didn't wait for him to speak.

"The knocking," she said. "It happened last night."

Damien didn't blink. "Did you answer?"

She shook her head.

A long pause.

Then, for the first time, she saw it—

Relief.

Just for a second.

Then he sat down across from her, fingers tapping against the table in the same slow rhythm as the knocking.

"What did they say?"

Lena's skin prickled.

"See you soon."

She didn't answer.

Damien exhaled. Leaned in slightly.

And then, voice low, he murmured—

"They're not done with you yet."