Malefactor [H.S.]

4

The sound of something banging against my wall is what wakes me up.

I shoot up, rubbing my eyes with one hand as the other smacks along my bedside table to retrieve my glasses. I slide them on, my now clear vision scanning the darkened room to try and make sense of what's going on. I grab my phone and unplug it from the charger, tapping the screen once to see what time it is. 9:17 A.M.

It feels like someone stuffed cotton balls inside my head as I try and make sense of what's going on, my brain still operating like it's asleep. It isn't until I turn my head and look out the window to see rain pouring down that I slowly begin to understand more and more. The fog begins to lift.

Or so I think it does until the banging sounds out again. My heart practically stops as I immediately go to worst-case scenario, mentally envisioning the NYPD breaking down the door and raiding my apartment. I scramble to throw on a pair of sweats and step out of my room, already heading down the hallway and towards the front door. Somehow the idea of answering the police seems better than them just breaking in and raiding the apartment themselves.

But when I peer through the peephole and see no one's there, the persistent noise still chiming out, I realize that it's not coming from outside the apartment—it's coming from within.

I slowly turn back on my heel, my eyes zeroing in on Riley's door. That's where the noise is coming from.

My heart sinks further into my stomach as I realize Niall's no longer asleep on the couch like I left him last night. Fuck, what if someone broke in and stabbed him and now they're in there doing the same to Riley?

I rush towards her door, immediately going to push it open, only to find that it's locked. I try again, still no luck. My fist smacks against the door three times.

"Ry? Are you okay? Why is your door locked?" I knock loudly. The banging stops.

"Uh yeah, I'm fine!" she calls out, sounding a bit choked up. "I always sleep with it locked; don't you?"

No, I don't. But maybe I should, especially given recent events.

"Okay, well, can you open it?" I ask.

"Fuck, just, I'll be out in a few minutes, okay?" she calls out again, annoyance dripping from her tone.

"Fine, whatever," I mumble, heading into the bathroom.

I step inside, turning the water on to splash some on my face. I'm suddenly sweating despite the fact that when I glanced at the thermostat, it said it was 71 in here. I bend over so I'm closer to the sink and slide my glasses off as I toss some of the cold water onto my skin. It jolts me awake and I pull back, grabbing a hand towel and patting my face dry. I quickly go through the rest of my morning routine, slathering on an array of skincare drops and serums and moisturizers, brushing my teeth, and finally popping a pair of contacts in. As I step back out into the hallway, Riley's door begins to open up simultaneously.

Only instead of Riley stepping out, it's Niall.

"Oh my God," I gasp, taking in his appearance. He's just as sweaty as he was last night but this time, it's clearly for different reasons. Droplets of sweat glisten against his bare chest, leading my eyes down to the sweatpants hanging low on his hips. Where he got those from, I have no idea.

But most noticeable of all are the bright red marks left all over his chest and neck. I barely have time to process it before Riley steps out, her hair a wild mess as half of it's successfully escaped from her ponytail, the other half trying to as well. Her neck matches Niall and I can only imagine so does the lower half of her that's covered by her t-shirt.