Cassie struggled to open her eyes against the throbbing pain in her forehead, the dizziness threatening to overwhelm her. As consciousness slowly returned, she realized she was still in her own apartment.

Blinking to adjust to the darkness, she felt the tight tape over her mouth and the restraints binding her to the chair, her hands secured in front of her. Suddenly, a flashlight beam pierced the darkness, blinding her momentarily. When she managed to open her eyes again, the room had returned to its dark shroud.

As the person in the ghost mask stepped into the beam of the flashlight, Cassie's scream was stifled by the tape over her mouth, emerging only as a feeble whimper. Her heart raced as the masked figure drew closer, their faces almost touching.

Desperately, Cassie tried to retreat, but the chair held her fast. With a firm grip on the chair, the intruder advanced, brandishing a gleaming knife at her throat. Terror gripped Cassie as she stared at the menacing blade, tears welling in her eyes.

The tape was ripped from her mouth, and before she could utter a cry for help, the cold steel of the knife pressed threateningly against her skin.

"Shhh... Scream, and I'll trace every inch of your neck with this knife," the masked figure whispered ominously. Cassie's lips trembled as she struggled to speak.

"Who... who are you?" she managed to croak out.

"Take a guess," came the playful response as the knife lightly scraped against her skin, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from Cassie.

"I-I don't know. What do you want? If it's money, I'll give it to you. Just please, let me go," she pleaded, her voice trembling with fear.

"Money? I have no interest in your petty wealth," the figure scoffed. "But if you're offering, I might consider taking something else."

The figure reached out with gloved hands and gently clasped Cassie's trembling hands in his own. With an eerie tenderness, he caressed her delicate fingers as if they were precious treasures.

"You have such beautiful nails, Cassie," he remarked softly, his voice filled with an unsettling intensity.

Cassie's eyes widened in alarm upon hearing her name uttered by the person behind the ghost mask. The voice, distorted by the mask, sounded hoarse and unfamiliar, sending shivers down her spine.

As the mysterious figure focused on her nails, a sense of unease washed over her. She attempted to withdraw her hands from his grasp, but his grip only tightened, leaving her feeling trapped and vulnerable.

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"Please…leave me" she pleaded with him.

"Of course I will let you leave but before that….." the man put the knife away before taking a long nose pliers from his pants.

"Let me discipline you" he took the rag nearby and stuffed it into her mouth. He gripped her entire right hand fingers in a tight grip, using the plier he clutched her index fingernail.

Dread filled her mind as she realized what this man intended to do. She tried to escape from his clutches, but the grip of the pliers tightened on her nails with every movement she made.

The man chuckled, "Your eyes look lovely with fear flowing in them," he remarked callously.

Tears streamed down Cassie's cheeks as she cried out in pain and pleaded for him to stop, her eyes conveying her fear and desperation.

"Scared? This is why you should not offend someone you can't afford," the man remarked coldly, his voice muffled by the ghost mask, yet carrying a tone of undeniable menace.

Without hesitation he pulled the nail out of her fingertips. Blood started to drip immediately due to the force he plucked it out. She screamed in agony but that didn't stop him from plucking out her middle fingernails. The entire room was filled with her sobs.

"Hmm…That was very tiring, you won't mind me using your kitchen right?"

The man strolled towards the refrigerator, upon finding only a bottle of mineral water and some canned foods, he rummaged through the cupboards in the kitchen. Finding a pack of noodles, he simply fixed himself with simple lazy noodles.

"Tch..Tch…you should go shopping to stock up your fridge. Eating canned food is not good for your health," he remarked casually, taking a seat on a stool he dragged over in front of Cassie. Her sobbing had turned into sniffling, and she glared at him with her eyes red.

The man held the bowl and seated on the stool, "Is that a glare what I see? Seems like you don't like your thumbnail. Should I pluck it out for you?"

Hearing this she turned her gaze away from him and continued to sniffle. She could feel the burning sensation of flesh where her finger nails are missing.

Only when he begins to eat does the man remember that he wears a mask.

"Fuck"

As the man cursed, Sara turned to see that he was about to remove the mask. She wished at least she could get a glimpse of the man's face so that she could report it to the police later. But it was just wishful thinking, as the man turned, showing her his broad shoulder before removing the mask.

After finishing a bowl of noodles, he wore his mask again and obediently washed the dish before placing it on the shelf to dry.

"Ah! I am full, hope my baby doesn't wait for me for dinner," he whispered to himself.

He kicked the stool aside and came to stand behind the chair, warning her in a dark tone, "Hope you learnt your lesson. Make sure to behave, or otherwise it won't be just the fingernails that would be missing."

Even though Cassie didn't know why she was tortured like this, she nodded her head vigorously, not wanting to lose even a strand of hair from her body.

"Good girl. See you again, Cassie. It was nice to meet you," he said before running towards the window and jumping out of it.

Her eyes widened as she realized the rope around her had come loose. Hastily unbinding herself, she removed the rag stuffed in her mouth and gently clutched her fingers, which were still dripping blood. She made her way to the window, peering out cautiously.

Though her apartment was only on the second floor, it was still quite high for someone to jump from without injury. The thought sent shivers down her spine. She could only hope that they wouldn't cross paths again in the future.