The door buzzed, and Catherine pushed it open, rushing into the dim hall. The carpet was threadbare and stained, and the dim entry smelled like damp and mold. A door at the bottom of the stairs creaked open, and a wrinkled face poked out.

"You're not the police," the old woman said.

​​

"No, I'm not," Catherine replied. "I'm Sophia's friend. But I called the police ages ago. Why aren't they here yet?"

The old woman frowned, "I'm afraid they've been here too many times before. That man up there is a monster. I try to call them whenever I hear Linda screaming, but they never do much."

Catherine cursed and started taking the stairs two at a time.

"Where are you going, girly?" the old woman shouted. "That man is a monster. Stay away from him!"

Catherine ignored the warning and continued up the stairs. Footsteps pounded up behind her, and she stopped in fear.

"Mrs. Blair, wait," Geoffrey's voice shouted.

"Oh, thank god you're here," Catherine shouted. "Hurry up!"

The footsteps got louder and faster, and soon Geoffrey appeared.

"I came as quickly as I could," she said. "What's going on?"

"Sophia is trapped in there with her abusive father," Catherine said. "She said he killed her mom."

"Where's the mom?" Geoffrey asked.

"I don't know," Catherine said.

"And Sophia?" Geoffrey asked again.

"Locked in the bathroom," she answered.

"Okay, stay out of the way," Geoffrey warned. "I mean it. If you go inside, I might have to choose between helping you and helping them. And you know I have to choose you."

"I'll try," Catherine said.

"Get out of the way," Geoffrey barked.

She raised her leg and slammed a powerful kick into the door. The old wooden door shook in its frame, but it didn't open. Geoffrey lifted her leg and pounded her booted foot into the door again. Wood splintered, and the door swung open.

"Be careful, girls," the old woman shouted from the bottom of the stairs. "You should really wait for the police."

Geoffrey raced into the apartment, leaving Catherine standing helplessly on the stairs. The old woman hobbled up behind her, talking all the way.

"You know it's really such a shame, such a shame," the old woman said. "That man is always in the bottle, and one hears the most horrific screams and shouts—even from the bottom floor. And Linda is ever so nice, and the daughter too—just the kindest people you could expect."

Catherine ignored her, straining her ears for any noise coming from inside the apartment.

"And then Linda and Sophia are always walking around with these bruises and cuts, and they say they've fallen or hit their head on the cabinet or some other such nonsense, but everyone in this building knows the truth," the old woman babbled.

A crash sounded in the apartment and then a blood-curdling scream. Without thinking, Catherine raced inside, charging toward the bathroom as fast as she could. The bathroom door hung half off its hinges. Just outside the door, she saw Sophia's father struggling with Geoffrey. He wasn't a big man, but he fought with drunken ferocity, kicking and punching at Geoffrey.

Geoffrey grunted, ducking and dodging his blows. With surprising speed, she aimed a fist up at his face. It connected with his nose, and he crumpled forward. She raised a foot and slammed it into the side of his head with some force she'd used to break down the door. His head snapped sideways, and he crumpled to the floor.

"Go help Linda," Catherine shouted. "I'll take care of Sophia."

Geoffrey glared at her but raced off down the hall. Catherine ran into the bathroom and found Sophia standing in the stained bathtub with the plastic shower curtain rod in her hands. A dark trickle of blood oozed down her forehead. When she saw Catherine, she sank slowly to her knees.

"He was about to—he was going to—I—he was going to kill me," Sophia stammered.

"He can't hurt you now," Catherine said. "Come on."

She raced toward the tub and tugged on Sophia's arms.

"We need to go, Soph," she said. "Right now."

Sophia's face was pale, and her green eyes were frantic and huge. Slowly she rose to her feet and walked toward the hall as if in a trance. She froze when she saw Tom's crumpled form on the floor.

"He can't hurt you," Catherine said. "He's passed out."

Sophia nodded and stepped over her father. Catherine led her into the hall where the old woman still waited.

"Can you help clean her wound?" she asked the woman.

"Of course," the woman said, taking Sophia by the arm.

Catherine grabbed her phone and activated the recorder, and then charged back into the apartment, looking for Linda and Geoffrey. She found them both in the living room. The smell of whiskey was heavy and thick in the air, and broken glass covered the floor. A smashed chair lay near the door, and there were several holes in the faded wallpaper—as if something heavy had been thrown.

Linda lay in the middle of the room. Her face was pale, and her leg was twisted at an awkward angle beneath her. A pool of blood spread across the floor under her head.

"Is she dead?" Catherine asked.

"Bloody hell," Geoffrey shouted. "I told you to stay away."

"Is she dead?" Catherine repeated.

"No, she's breathing," Geoffrey said. "But she's badly injured—it's not safe to move her."

Sirens sounded in the distance, and Catherine ran to the window. She pressed her face to the glass, looking for the flashing blue lights. When she turned around, her heart froze. Geoffrey was crouched over Linda, and Tom was directly behind her. His eyes were glazed and bloodshot, and he staggered as he walked, but his mouth was twisted into a furious snarl.

"You bitch," Tom snarled. "Who the hell are you?"

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Geoffrey spun around, protectively spreading her arms out to block him from Linda. He lunged toward her, swinging his fists from side to side. Geoffrey blocked him, pushing her hands into his chest, so he staggered backward.

"Get out of my way," Tom snarled.

"You need to calm down," Geoffrey said, her voice cool and crisp.

"Don't tell me what to do in my own home," Tom said. "I'm the man around here, and I'm going to—"

"You need to calm down and leave this room," Geoffrey said again.

"Like hell, I will," Tom screamed.