 I woke up to a loud knocking on my front door. I reached for my phone to check the time, 6 o'clock, 6 a.m. Ugh! Who could possibly be knocking at my door this early in the morning? I rubbed my eyes and stumbled out of bed, groggily making my way to the front door. Through the window, I could make out the figure of a man. I turned the lock and opened the door. Morning, sunshine, surprised to see you up so early. I rolled my eyes, it was my neighbor, Rick. He's a bit of a jokester, doesn't take things seriously all the time. He always says, you can't be too serious on life, whatever that means. What are you doing here so early? I asked. I need you to do me a huge favor. I'm going on vacation, I'll be gone for two weeks, and I need someone to watch the house for me. I stared blankly at him, wondering why he'd ask a 19-year-old college student to watch his house. You'll be paid 600 a day. My eyes widened, 600 a day, 600 times 14 is $8,400. Well, what do you say? Rick asked. I, uh, will you do it? Rick asked again in anticipation. Of course, I replied ecstatically. Awesome, Rick said, holding up his hand for a high five. I'll need you to come over at some point today. He explained, there's some things I need to go over with you about taking care of the house while I'm gone. Okay, how does one sound? One o'clock would be great, Rick replied. All right, I'll see you then. I watched as Rick hopped down the steps and walked back to his house. I couldn't help but smile as I saw him pump his fists like a little kid who just won a bet. Well, I said, as I looked at the time on my phone, 6.13. I guess I'm up for good. I made my way to the kitchen to fix myself some breakfast. As I ate my cereal, I couldn't stop thinking about the money. 600 bucks a day, I said, shaking my head and smiling. When the clock struck one, I slipped on a pair of shoes and I made my way over to Rick's. I rang the doorbell and waited. I could hear him stopping over to the door. He swung it open and exclaimed, there he is. Come on in. I took a step inside as he closed the door behind me. Okay, Rick said, follow me. I followed Rick as he made his way to the kitchen. There on the table was a piece of paper. So I need you to be at the house 24 seven. He said, feel free to help yourself to whatever I made sure to stock up on food for you. He picked out a chair and sat down. He held his hand out gesturing for me to sit down as well. I've got a few rules for you to follow. There are three of them and you must follow each one. He said as he held up three fingers. He cleared his throat and began to read off the list of rules. Rule number one, make sure you keep all the doors locked. Rule number two, and this one is very important. Do not under any circumstances open the door to the master bedroom. This concerned me, not the rule itself, but the way he said it. He had a very serious tone to his voice. I've never seen or heard Rick to be serious. To be honest, I thought he was just messing with me so I let out a little chuckle. My eyes met his and he stared back at me, a very serious look on his face. I felt a chill go up my spine. I know you probably think I'm joking, but you must follow this rule to the teeth. He said, I cannot stress enough how important it is. I opened my mouth to ask why, but he continued on to the next rule. And rule number three, lastly, if you like, you may invite a few of your friends over to keep you company, but just a few. Throw on a movie, order a pizza, or help yourself to the kitchen, but be sure they're out of the house by 1 a.m. Rick looked up at me and smiled. I'll be leaving tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. Here's the key to the house. He said as he slid a key across the table toward me. Any questions? I sat for a second. I opened my mouth to ask about the second rule, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. I'll get it, Rick said as he hopped up. A few seconds later, he came back. Well, if you don't have any questions, great. I hate to cut you short here, man, but I gotta finish packing. He said I stood up from the table and made my way to the front door. So what time should I be here tomorrow? I called to Rick. And whenever, as long as you show up. Okay, I told Rick goodbye and told him I hoped he has a fun trip. That night I went to sleep with money on my mind. I couldn't wait for the next day. But alongside money, the second rule was also on my mind. Rick didn't provide much of an explanation for it. The first rule was pretty obvious. He doesn't want anyone breaking in, but the second one. I woke up the next morning at 10 a.m. I quickly got dressed and made myself some breakfast and was out of the door by 10 30 a.m. I was so excited I'd be able to have friends over even. I turned the lock to the front door and then made my way over to Rick's. As soon as I stepped inside, I remembered the second rule. Do not under any circumstances open the door to the master bedroom. What's behind that door I'm not allowed to see, I wondered. The day went on and eventually I got curious. I really wanted to know what was behind that door. Without much thought, I made my way upstairs and towards the master bedroom. I reached the handout to grab the door knob when I was overcome with this overwhelming sense of dread. Rick's voice boomed in my mind. I retreated from the door. I had this feeling that if I opened that door, something terrible was going to happen. I went back downstairs to the living room and plopped myself on the couch. I couldn't stop thinking about what was behind that door. What would happen if I opened it? I wondered as I drifted off to sleep. I woke up pretty late the next day. One p.m. Shit, I thought. I've slept throughout the day already. I decided to order some takeout since I didn't feel like making anything. As I waited for the food, my phone began vibrating. I picked it up and looked at the caller ID. I clicked answer. Hey man, how's it going at the house? John asked excitedly. Um, it's been alright. Kind of boring though, I said. That sucks. Hey, maybe I could come over and we could hang out? John said. Sure. Alright, I'll be there in ten. He said and hung up. I sat back on the couch and waited. About five minutes later there was a knock at the door. I got up and looked through the glass to see the delivery man with my food. Unlocking the door, I grabbed it. After he left, I locked it again and was just about to sit down when there was another knock. It was John. Hey, I hope you don't mind that I brought Amy along. He said, Amy is a pretty good friend of ours, so I didn't mind. I motioned for them to come inside and lock the door behind them. So who's the guy you're house sitting for again? Amy asked. His name's Rick. He's pretty cool. I replied. Rick, she said in a pondering tone. Hey, what's this about? John called from the kitchen. Amy and I went to go see what he was asking about. John turned the piece of paper toward me. Oh, that's just a list of rules Rick left for me. Pretty cool he's allowing you to have friends over. Amy said. Yeah, but what's up with this second rule? John asked with a puzzled look. Honestly, I don't know, but we're not allowed to open it. I said, what is he stashing drugs in there or something? John scoffed. I just shrugged and went back to the living room. As you can guess, the day was pretty uneventful. Before we knew it, it was already 12 a.m. Amy had fallen asleep and I decided to let her sleep until it was time for her and John to leave. We should open the door and see what's in there. John said. Just a quick peek, you know. I stood in my ground. I told him I'd promise not to open it and I was tired and just wanted to get some rest. I was awoken to the sound of footsteps. They sounded like they were coming from upstairs. Hey, Amy. I whispered not expecting a reply. I heard them too. She said in a shaky whisper. I sat up and turned on my phone's flashlight. John was nowhere to be seen. Oh no. I whispered. I jolted up and made my way up the stairs with Amy right behind me. I reached the top and shined my phone's flashlight around. Before I could stop him, the door to the master bedroom creaked open. I stood frozen. That same sense of dread was back, but only this time it was stronger. I heard Amy gasp behind me. Through the darkness, I could make out the silhouette of a man crouching in the room. A metallic smell filled the air. I was too overcome with fear to even notice Rick standing directly in front of me. I jolted upright, hyperventilating. I could feel the sweat running down my face. I looked at the time on my phone, 9.36 a.m. I scanned my surroundings. I was in Rick's living room. I looked down and saw that I was on the couch. I looked to my left and Amy wasn't there. I then looked to my right and saw that John wasn't there either. They must have left at 1 a.m. like the rules said. I figured that the mystery of rule two was getting to my head and making me dream crazy things. I got up from the couch, made my way to the bathroom just down the hall from the kitchen. I turned on the sink's faucet and splashed some cold water on my face. Man, I don't know if I want to spend another night here. I said to myself, that dream felt so real. I made my way to the kitchen to get myself a glass of milk and something to eat. All the while, I couldn't shake this uneasy feeling. This feeling that something wasn't quite right. I finished eating and decided to try and forget about the dream, but I couldn't. I couldn't shake that uneasy feeling and the longer I stayed there in the house, the worse it got. I made the executive decision to leave. Even though I really wanted that 8400, this feeling was almost unbearable. I just couldn't stand being in that house any longer. I hoped that when Rick returned from his vacation, he'd provide me with an explanation for the second rule. Maybe it was all just one big prank. And if I opened that door, Rick would pop out and say, gotcha. After all, he does like to pull pranks. I made my way to the front door to leave. I reached for the handle, only to my horror, to find that the doorknob was gone. I started panicking, thinking I must be extremely paranoid and just hallucinating. There's no way a doorknob could just disappear like that. I told myself, come on, man, get a grip. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called John. It rang, but then it went straight to voicemail. Shit, I shouted as I slammed my fist against the door. My eyes darted around the living room, searching for an escape. I bolted for the window and began to pull, but it wouldn't open. There was no knob to unlock it. My breathing got faster. I decided to try and call Amy. I put the phone to my ear and waited. Voicemail. I couldn't take it anymore. I dialed 911. I put the phone back up to my ear and listened. I heard a voice say, the number you were trying to call is not in service. What the hell do you mean 911 isn't in service? I shouted at my phone. I quickly looked around the room for anything I could use to break the window. I couldn't find anything, so I went to the kitchen. I grabbed a chair and went back to the living room. I slammed the chair into the window, glass shattering everywhere. I then threw it to the side and looked back up at my escape and gasped. There was no window. I started hyperventilating. No, no. This can't be real. I said, looking down there, resting at my feet was a picture of Rick's front yard. This is just gotta be a prank. I said under my breath, I was helpless. There was nothing I could do to escape. I dropped to my knees and began crying. I could taste the saltiness of my tears as they streamed down my face. How could I have been so stupid? I didn't even bother telling my family that I was going to be house-sitting. Maybe no one would ever find me. I then heard footsteps behind me and I slowly turned around. Before I had any time to process what was happening, Rick slammed something against my head. I slowly opened my eyes. Morning sunshine. I heard a familiar voice say, What the... Rick? Yep, that's me. He said, Shit, I thought, How could I have been so stupid? 600 bucks a day was just to lure me here. He wanted me to open that door. He even made me lure in my friends. Now I know why he wanted me to keep the doors locked at all times. Rick never even left. He'd been here this entire time, lying in wait in the master bedroom for me or one of my friends to open that door. I kinda can't believe you fell for it, man. He said as he slowly turned to face me. Did you really think I'd pay you 600 bucks a day? Another young, dumb and broke college student. And of course, because you're a college student, you like to break the rules. You don't know how excited I was when I saw you reach for the doorknob. Too bad you were too much of a coward to open it. Rick sneered. What did you do to John and Amy? I said. Oh, don't you worry about them? Rick said. They're safe and sound. Dripped down, I wanted to believe that, but I knew it wasn't the case. Rick slowly made his way to the table I was strapped to. He bent down and my eyes met his. He smiled. I felt a warm liquid drip down on my face. Now he said about your friends. He reached for something on the table. He turned and pointed a remote at the TV that hung on the wall in front of me. There on the screen was John and Amy. Their hands were tied behind their backs and they had tape covering their mouse. See, Rick said, they're safe and sound. Let him go. I said. Why, I told you they're safe and sound for now, at least he said and smiled. I was squirming and trying to break free of the restraints when Rick grabbed something else and slammed it against my head once more. There were so many questions. What was Rick going to do to them? Who was that guy crouching in the master bedroom? These thoughts slowly faded as I slipped into a state of unconsciousness. I don't know how long I was out for, but when I came to, I wasn't strapped to the table anymore. Instead, I was back in the living room. Surprisingly, I wasn't even tied up or strapped down to anything. I still didn't know where John and Amy were or what Rick was planning on doing to them. Suddenly, I heard footsteps slowly making their way downstairs. I squeezed my eyes shut, pretending to still be knocked out. The footsteps got louder as they drew closer. I then felt a hand wrap around my ankle. I felt a pull and then I slid off the couch and hit the floor with a thud. I kept my eyes closed until eventually we stopped moving. I opened one eye gradually to see why we stopped, but noticed Rick turning around so I snapped it back shut. I felt Rick put his arms underneath my body, then a feeling of weightlessness followed. I felt myself being placed on a cold hard surface. Rick grabbed my arm and yanked it so hard I thought he was going to rip it out of its socket. He did the same with the other arm and I still tried to stay quiet. Before I could make my move, he'd strapped me down to the table again. Then, silence, I waited a few more seconds before opening my eyes. There inches away from my own face was Rick just smiling. He slowly backed away from me and without batting an eye, reached up and began to remove the skin from his face. I looked on in horror as a metallic smell filled the air. I don't know how to describe what I saw. It had the frame and outline of a human, but it was obvious this thing was anything but. Rick, well, this thing proceeded to remove Rick's skin. It had pieces of rotting skin and flesh hanging from its body. Its face was a mix between that of a badly decayed corpse and how I picture the face of Satan himself. The sockets where its eyes should be were empty and hollow, but I somehow knew it was staring at me. I couldn't move. No matter how hard I tried, I wanted to run. I wanted to scream, but no sound would come out. It slowly took a step forward, then another and another until it was just inches from me. And then it spoke, morning sunshine. This thing sounded exactly like Rick. It's hard to explain because even though it sounded like Rick, it spoke in a way that made it sound garbled as if it was speaking with water in its lungs. It was then that I realized something. As I mentioned, Rick never left for vacation. Rick was here this entire time, but nor me, John or Amy knew it. And it was then that I realized the silhouette of a man we saw crouching in the master bedroom was Rick, Rick's skinned, lifeless body slumped on the floor. I watched in horror as the thing bolted out of the room at a speed that seemed impossible, leaving me strapped down on the table. I tried to move again, but I couldn't. I tried looking around for a way to escape, only to realize that my head had been strapped down as well. All I could do was look forward at the blank TV screen in front of me. My mind was racing. I got to get out of here. I thought, what is it going to do to me? What's it going to do to John and Amy? And then I heard the screams. I heard John first followed by a ripping sound. I heard Amy screaming and crying as she watched what was unfolding in front of her. With each scream that John let out, a ripping sound followed. Soon, John's voice became gargled. I think his vocal cords had ripped and he was choking on his own blood. I could hear Amy crying and screaming, pleading with the thing that was wearing Rick's skin. Her screams got even worse. And just like John, ripping sounds followed and then silence. The TV screen came to life and displayed an image there on the screen stood that thing beside it were John and Amy's skinned lifeless bodies. It just stood there staring back at me and smiling. It held up John's skin. It smiled even bigger knowing that even before the screen came on, I knew exactly what it was doing. And then it put on Amy's skin and smiled back at me again. And all the while John and Amy's eyes stared wide open at me through the screen blood pooling all around them. I I don't know why it spared me. I don't know why it wanted me to live. I don't know where I am. I think I might be in Rick's house still, but I don't know for sure. There are still so many questions that don't have an answer to their name. Did Rick know that this malevolent being was in his house all along? If so, why did he let me into his house knowing this thing was here with me? Maybe he knew that it was in his house, but he was trying to protect me by putting the second rule on there hoping I'd listen. No, that doesn't make sense either. Or maybe Rick is just an innocent victim in all of this. Maybe Rick didn't even know that this thing was in his house. His life was just ripped away from him as he prepared for his vacation, totally oblivious to what was about to happen. I don't know, though, and I don't think I ever will. All I know is that Rick is dead, as well as my friends, and it's my fault. Had I not invited them over, had I stopped John from opening the door, maybe they'd still be alive. What would have happened if we'd just never opened that door? Would John and Amy still be here? And maybe even Rick? I can't say for sure. I don't even know if that was the real Rick I saw at my front door that morning, and if it was, I don't know if there would have been anything I could have done to save him. The slam of a door coming from upstairs broke me from these thoughts. Maybe that thing retreated back up into the master bedroom, happy and content with its two new skins. But I don't know how long its state of contentment will last. All I know is that there's no escape and that I'm stuck here with that thing that stole my friends and Rick's skin. I still can't call anyone, but I've been using John's phone to try and write this message. If anyone reads this, please send help. And please, if anyone does come to my rescue, do not, under any circumstances, open the door to the master bedroom.