**Justin's POV:**
The clock struck 10:00 p.m.
It was a normal day in my life, dealing with routine pizza delivery calls like every other day.
On that particular day, I was exhausted from delivering pizzas, more than twice the usual number I delivered daily.
Most of the staff had already left, so I began packing my bag. But, my luck wasn’t with me at all. Just as I was about to leave, the store's phone rang.
Since I was the only one there, I answered it. But within seconds, I realized it was a prank call; all I could hear was a busy tone on the other end.
I thanked God and prepared to leave. Suddenly, the phone rang again. I sighed.
"Hello," I answered, though I had no energy left.
"I need 10 large cheese pizzas," said the person on the other end.
For a moment, I stared at the phone in disbelief. It was an old lady's voice, but it sounded eerie, as though her throat had been burned.
But as they say, "the customer is king," so I took down the address she gave me. I put the call on hold and went to the kitchen to ask the manager about the new order.
My manager said, "You can deliver this, and after that, go straight home."
Ugh.
I was too tired to argue, but I knew I’d be the only one getting the extra tip. So, I sighed. The woman who had called was rude, though. She had hung up without waiting.
*****
After getting into my car, the first thing I did was track the address using GPS. That’s when I realized this was going to be the longest pizza delivery of my life.
Little did I know, it would also be my last.
Our company promises delivery within 30 minutes. Since I still had plenty of time, I started dreaming about the generous tip I was bound to receive. After all, the woman had ordered 10 large pizzas!
Driving on a dirt road is never easy, but eventually, I arrived.
It was nighttime, and the address was in the middle of a forest. The only thing I could make out was an old house to my right, illuminated faintly by the moonlight.
Something felt off. There were no cars parked outside, and not a single light was on in the house.
"Is the party already over? Am I late?" I thought, but my phone showed I was on time.
I parked the car and called my boss.
"Hello!" he answered in a cold voice.
I figured he was probably fighting with his wife again, but I needed to confirm if the address was correct.
"Boss, please double-check this address. There’s no one here, and I don’t want to get out of the car."
"Just knock on the door and check if anyone's there!" he shouted before hanging up.
I was stunned. How could anyone treat their employees like this? Then again, I knew how my boss was. He always got angry, especially when I brought pizzas back.
And this time, it was 10 large cheese pizzas.
Ugh.
I calmed myself down, mustered up the courage, and got out of the car—without the pizzas.
I was alert the entire time, but I eventually reached the door. And, of course, there was no doorbell.
I was disgusted. It had to be a prank.
Still, I knocked on the door, just as my boss had told me.
Knock, knock, knock!
Even after knocking loudly, there was no response. I wasn’t really expecting one, though.
I was extremely disappointed. Not because no one answered, but because I realized I had just wasted my time.
Frustrated, I knocked again, hoping for a miracle.
Knock, knock, knock!
Huh, no one answered. I was ready to give up. I turned around, but just as I was about to leave, I heard footsteps.
Someone was approaching the door.
I sighed. My boss was right after all.
Maybe they had fallen asleep after the party.
Excited, I knocked again.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Hello, sir! I’m the pizza delivery guy!" I shouted.
But as soon as I spoke, the footsteps stopped.
I frowned, feeling a wave of discomfort.
Shaking my head, I glanced around, and that’s when I noticed the window.
My gut told me someone was watching me from inside.
I didn’t know who it was, but I could feel their eyes on me—staring without blinking.
It was the scariest thing I’d ever experienced. Even though I’m a grown man, I was terrified.
Staying alert, I ran straight back to my car. Thank God I made it and locked the doors.
But the real problem was that the engine wouldn’t start. My heart pounded in my chest, but at least the doors and windows were locked.
Still, the car wouldn’t start.
Finally, on the seventh try, the engine roared to life. I breathed a sigh of relief and started driving.
But I only felt safe for about five seconds before realizing something was wrong. The car wasn’t moving smoothly—it was shaking.
Damn it.
But I didn’t care. My only goal was to escape the forest as fast as possible.
But my luck had run out. Not even sixty seconds later, I started hearing strange noises coming from the car.
Krrr... krrr... eee... eee…
Then, just like that, the car stopped.
I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, and got out to check what was wrong.
What I saw left me stunned. My jaw dropped, and my eyes widened in shock.
All four tires were flat. Not only that, but the screws were loosened—ready to fall off at any second.
Someone had done this while I had been knocking on the door.
My heart pounded wildly. Running didn’t feel like an option. The safest choice was to get back in the car and think about my next move.
So I did. I locked the doors again and didn’t dare look back toward the house.
Finally, I called the police and explained everything. They were very helpful.
"Don’t worry," they said. "We’ll be there any minute. Just find a safe place to hide."
I asked, panicked, "Should I stay in the car or run?"
"Stay in the car," they said. "We’ll be there soon. Trust us."
I didn’t want to hang up. Talking to the police made me feel less alone.
But then, something happened that shattered me inside.
Whenever I think about that moment, my body still trembles. I pray to God that no one, not even my worst enemy, has to go through what I did.
As I scanned my surroundings, staying alert, my eyes caught something in the rearview mirror.
It was the same person who had been staring at me from the window.
It was a woman—an old woman, probably. Her eyes were wide, and her hair was a mess. She was standing there, smiling creepily.
I closed my eyes, hoping she’d be gone when I opened them again.
But when I did, she was still there.
I didn’t dare turn my head. I just watched her through the mirror.
I was terrified. Her face was covered in blood, and after a moment, I realized something even more horrifying—she wasn’t just old. Her whole body had been burned.
Her smile grew crueler, and she started taking slow, deliberate steps toward me.
Slowly... slowly...
I panicked.
Frantically, I searched for something in the car I could use as a weapon, but there was nothing.
I had two choices: wait for the police or run.
But since the car was locked, I figured she couldn’t do anything to me. Then I noticed her hands.
Oh my God!
She had an axe!
