No One Believed Me—Until It Was Too Late / Chapter 2: When the Screaming Starts
No One Believed Me—Until It Was Too Late

No One Believed Me—Until It Was Too Late

Author: Anna Miller

Chapter 2: When the Screaming Starts

← Prev
Next →

Suddenly, a scream rang out in the hallway, and the delivery guy’s phone went straight to voicemail.

The scream was sharp and real—no mistaking it for a joke. My hands froze on the doorknob, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

A moment later, I saw what looked like a foot slowly disappearing through my peephole.

I pressed my eye to the peephole, heart pounding. The hallway was empty except for a scuffed sneaker, vanishing around the corner. The silence that followed was worse than any noise.

I pressed my ear to the door. That’s when I heard it—clear as day.

Hiss hiss.

The sound was low and drawn out, like something huge dragging itself across the tile. My skin prickled, and I pressed my back against the door, barely breathing.

No snake? Then what’s in the hallway right now?

I kept replaying the manager’s words in my head, feeling angrier by the second. I wasn’t making this up. Not for a second.

That delivery guy was probably in serious trouble.

I thought about his friendly smile from the app profile, the way he always waved at the security camera. Now, I couldn’t shake the image of him being dragged away.

No way a garter snake could do that. This thing was a monster. For something to take down a grown man that fast, the snake had to be seriously dangerous.

I pictured the size of that skin—longer than my couch, easily. This wasn’t some garter snake. This was something out of a nightmare.

I called 911 and told everyone in the group chat not to go out until the professionals arrived.

My fingers shook as I dialed. The dispatcher sounded skeptical, but promised to send animal control and the police. I posted a warning in the chat, my words coming out more desperate than before.

The guy from 1008 teased: "Is this a prank? Maybe the delivery guy’s just messing with you."

Someone else replied with a laughing face, like this was all some elaborate setup. I wanted to scream.

707 chimed in: "Not going out? I still have to pick up a package."

I could almost hear him shuffling around his apartment, more worried about his Amazon box than the monster outside.

Mrs. Ramirez added, "My baby needs to go down for some sun every day."

I rolled my eyes. Did she really think a little sunlight was worth the risk? People’s priorities never cease to amaze me.

You can’t help people who won’t listen. If something happens, that’s on them.

I sat down on the floor, back against the door, phone clutched in my hand. I’d done my part. The rest was up to them.

All I could do was lock my doors and windows and wait for the professionals.

I checked every latch, pulled the curtains tight, and sat there, watching the hallway through the peephole every few minutes.

← Prev
Next →

You may also like

I Exposed Him—and Saved Her Life
I Exposed Him—and Saved Her Life
4.9
He was Ohio’s most pitied father—until I found the bruises. Fresh out of journalism school, I chased a viral story about a dad livestreaming his daughter’s illness, drawing thousands in donations and a nation’s sympathy. But inside their crumbling apartment, nothing was as it seemed: the girl’s pain ran deeper than disease, and her father’s lies stretched further than anyone guessed. Every question I asked uncovered a new layer of betrayal, desperation, and abuse—until the truth threatened to destroy us all. When the camera stops rolling, who really pays the price? If you could save one life by exposing another’s darkest secret, would you risk everything?
Expelled for Telling the Truth
Expelled for Telling the Truth
4.6
When his prankster classmate steals his phone, a desperate teen becomes the only one who knows a mother’s life is on the line. With everyone convinced he’s lying for sympathy, he’s branded a villain, humiliated, and thrown out of school. But as the truth fights to break through, will anyone believe him before it’s too late?
I Was His Test—Now I’m His Exit
I Was His Test—Now I’m His Exit
4.8
Betrayal doesn’t whisper—it screams in neon. For three years, I sacrificed everything to care for my comatose husband, only to start seeing a barrage of floating comments that expose every secret, every lie, and every humiliation I was never meant to know. Each step I take, the invisible audience mocks my devotion and cheers for the woman stealing my life. When an accident proves their predictions true, and my so-called best friend is unmasked as the ‘heroine’ in their twisted story, I realize I was never the main character in my own marriage. But what happens when the side character finally breaks the script? Is it too late for me to rewrite my ending—or will the world keep rooting for my downfall?
I Died Begging—Now I Refuse to Love
I Died Begging—Now I Refuse to Love
4.9
I jumped to prove I mattered—but even my death didn’t make them love me. When I’m sent back to the day I was adopted, I see every lie and manipulation for what it is. My parents and brother treat me like a burden; my so-called sister sets traps with a smile. I won’t beg for scraps of affection this time—I’ll carve my own place, even if it means being alone. But freedom comes at a price: every move I make, Ava is there, twisting the story, turning my family further against me. Each memory is a warning: loving them almost destroyed me. Now, I’ll risk everything to love myself instead. Can I break the cycle before they break me again—or is it too late to escape their web?
He Wasn’t My Son—But We Believed
He Wasn’t My Son—But We Believed
4.9
He vanished at thirteen. Three years later, he reappeared—changed, mysterious, and claiming to be the boy who was lost. When ‘Nate’ returns from the dead, the whole world wants answers: Where has he been? Why does he look—and sound—so different? FBI agent Nancy Whitaker is determined to uncover the truth behind his wild tales of abduction and human experiments, even as the boy basks in newfound fame. But behind every headline and tearful reunion, a darker secret waits to be exposed: the returned son is a masterful impostor, and the greatest con of all is just beginning. How far can one stranger go to steal a life—and will anyone see the truth before it’s too late?
Framed by a Mother’s Lie: My Life Destroyed
Framed by a Mother’s Lie: My Life Destroyed
4.8
One accusation from a desperate single mom turns me—the local sandwich shop owner—into America’s most hated man. With the internet baying for my blood and my family hunted by strangers, proof of my innocence means nothing. How do you survive when the world demands a villain and you’re it, no matter the truth?
My Mother’s Love Went Viral—and Destroyed Me
My Mother’s Love Went Viral—and Destroyed Me
4.9
She was the internet’s favorite mom—and my personal nightmare. In the glow of her viral breakfast videos, my life was staged for strangers, every emotion twisted for likes, every private moment a new performance. Behind the camera, I was trapped in a cage of love so tight I could barely breathe. My father fled, my classmates turned away, and my secret crush became Mom’s next headline. When her obsession with online validation ruined my last hope for normalcy, I was forced to choose: keep playing her perfect daughter, or risk everything for freedom. But even after I broke away, her betrayal followed me across the internet, and the world had to decide who to believe. Can I reclaim my story before her version goes viral forever?
She Lied, I Nearly Lost Everything
She Lied, I Nearly Lost Everything
4.8
Some rides change your whole life. One stormy night, a rideshare driver is caught between a desperate passenger and a toxic ex-client—Sydney Ramirez, a woman who turns a lost phone into a public nightmare. When Sydney’s insults escalate and the driver’s own family crisis explodes, everything unravels at the police station, where truth becomes a weapon and the crowd turns savage. With reputations, jobs, and even lives at stake, can justice survive the noise, or will one lie destroy it all? When the world is watching, whose story will be believed?
She Was My Forever—Until He Was
She Was My Forever—Until He Was
4.9
First love isn’t always a fairytale—sometimes, it’s the storm that ruins everything. I was supposed to go to Stanford with Autumn Reyes; we were childhood sweethearts, inseparable, until the day she chose the school’s new heartthrob and left me in the shadows. Her wild love story with Mason burned through our town, leaving rumors, heartbreak, and broken promises in its wake. I tried to save her—tried to save us—but my loyalty only led to betrayal. When Autumn’s trust shattered and my dreams were locked away, I was left with a question I can’t stop asking: how do you forgive the person who turned your first love into your deepest wound?
He Stole My Song, Then My Voice
He Stole My Song, Then My Voice
4.8
Betrayed by my childhood friend and silenced by trauma, I watched him hand my song—and my secret love—to the campus queen for her own glory. When I fought to reclaim what was mine, they called me jealous and unworthy, all because I can’t speak. But with the help of the mysterious senior who knows my pain, I’ll expose their lies and prove that even the voiceless can make the world listen.
I Was Her Backup—Until I Broke
I Was Her Backup—Until I Broke
4.9
I was always her backup plan—until she asked me to take the fall for a mistake that wasn’t mine. When Lila, my childhood friend and the girl I secretly loved, showed up sobbing and pregnant, I was supposed to save her like always. But this time, I’m done being the background character in my own story. In a high school ruled by secrets and SAT scores, reputations are everything and rumors spread faster than wildfire. When Lila’s new boyfriend pushes me too far, old loyalties snap and I’m left with nothing but the truth: I can’t keep fixing what’s broken, not when I’m the one left shattered. But as Lila’s world unravels and she begs me to step up, I’m forced to decide—will I finally fight for myself, or let her drag me down one last time? What happens when the backup refuses to play along?
He Faked His Coma, Then Broke Me
He Faked His Coma, Then Broke Me
4.9
He faked a coma to test my love—then left me for my best friend. Three years by Owen’s hospital bed, Morgan gave up her dreams, her home, and nearly her sanity, all for a husband who never planned to wake up for her. The night she sells everything to bring in a miracle doctor, her phone floods with cryptic online comments—predicting her every heartbreak, exposing her as a villain in a story she never chose. As betrayal unravels and the truth claws its way to the surface, Morgan faces a devastating choice: cling to a love that was always a lie, or walk away before the final curtain falls. When your whole life is just someone else’s cruel plot twist, can you rewrite your ending—or will you always be cast as the side character who lost it all?