Deception

Description:

Phoenix is a quiet, introverted girl living with her parents in a quiet suburban neighborhood. One overcast afternoon, she finds herself home alone, her parents having gone out for errands. The stillness of the house feels almost comforting—until the doorbell rings.

On the porch stands a man in his thirties, dressed in a utility uniform, claiming to be a repairman sent to check the power lines in the area. Phoenix hesitates. Something about him seems out of place, though his easy smile and gentle tone almost put her at ease. Wanting to be polite and cautious, she invites him into the entryway while she calls her parents to confirm his story.

But the calls don’t go through. Her parents aren’t answering, and the repairman begins to ask probing questions—whether she’s alone, how long her parents will be gone. When Phoenix finally tells him she’ll have to ask him to leave, the man’s demeanor shifts. His eyes harden, and before she can react, he lunges.

Phoenix’s world fades to black.

She awakens some time later, bound and gagged on the kitchen floor, the room lit only by the flicker of a ceiling bulb. Panic floods her as she struggles against the ropes. The man is still there, pacing calmly, as if waiting for something—or someone. He speaks to her in a chillingly casual tone, revealing fragments about himself, his grievances, and his obsession with “innocence.”

Summoning every ounce of courage, Phoenix begins to plot an escape. She manages to get her gag free. But the man is faster. He catches her and Phoenix’s fate may yet hang in the balance.