Death knocks at your door, and before you can tell him to come in, he is in the house with you.

On the door number 786, a knock had arrived.

Someone had knocked.

It was one gentle, simple and unknown knock.

Milo, like the kid she was, figured it was Zane.

But living in the slums and watching Zane closely, she had developed senses as well.

She was just about to open the door before she recalled a few things.

Zane had the key so why would he knock?

If he lost the key then knocking the door made sense.

But he had said that he would knock three times.

Neither of those things happened that only suggested one thing.

And when Milo understood them, her body reacted the way children react seeing their drunk father coming home.

But she still gathered her courage and formed the most logical question she could think of.

"Who are you?"

Her shivering voice went outside the door and in response, came a stern voice devoid of any love but filled with amusement.

"Your brother sent me. Open the door, princess."

Milo sighed in relief.

Her brother sent the man. And he also called her princess. So the knocking man must be nice.

She again held the door knob but again stopped herself.

Zane had also told her that no matter who came, do not open the door.

Milo ran her little mind once more and recalled the one final proof that Zane had given her.

The tongue twister their mother used to say.

Milo inhaled a deep breath and with another scoop of courage from her heart, she asked:

"What is the codeword?"

"Codeword?" The voice asked in return.

"Yes. If my brother had sent you then he must have also told you the codeword. Say that and then I will open the door." Milo said in one breath.

The voice on the other side went silent.

Milo stepped closer to the door, trying her best to hear anything that went on the other side of the door.

"The codeword. Yes. Yes. I know the codeword, princess."

Milo’s eyes lit up once more.

"Then say it. I want to meet my brother."

"Sure. Sure. But before that, can you please place your ear on the door so that you can hear the codeword clearly? Please?"

Milo shrugged. "Okay."

With a smile, she placed her left ear on the door.

"I am ready, mister. You can say it."

"Alright then. The codeword for the little princess is..."

Milo pressed her ear deeper as she waited for the codeword and it came. But it came like...

THAAM!

A spear tearing the door.

Milo didn’t register what really happened for a few seconds as in front of her eyes, a shining pointy spear rested that had pierced the door.

And not just it pierced the door, it came through the spot inches away from Milo’s head.

"Tch. Just missed. I was hoping to kill you and call it accidental."

Only after the voice did Milo snapped out of her daze.

Her heart picked up pace, the coldness went inside her body as she crawled away from the door as fast as she could.

She crawled on the floor, tapping every inch of it to find a hole. To find a hole just like one she had in her hut.

Her breath ran rampant, she panged for air. A hole. Anything. Anything she could hide in. Anything she could stay safe. Anything that could keep her alive.

But she didn’t know. She was already in a room that belonged to the building of monsters. Even if she found a hole here, she would only fall on the lap of the beasts.

"You wanted a codeword, princess of cunts..."

THRAM!

The door flew open.

It went above Milo’s head as it slammed on the wall behind the bed.

Tears stemmed down Milo’s eyes as she couldn’t think of anything. Someone was angry at her. Someone barged in the room. Someone barged in the room the same way someone had barged in their hut to kill her parents.

The severed heads of her mom and dad flashed in front of her eyes and to her despair, she imagined Zane’s cleaved head as well.

With shaking shoulders and sniffling cries, she crawled inside the next best thing she found.

She didn’t even turn around to see who was at the door. She couldn’t find the courage for it. She didn’t have the courage for it.

She crawled to the place she found. Which was none other than the bed.

She crawled under the bed, to the deep end only stopping because of the wall and hid her face.

She covered her ears, closed her eyes, muffled her cries and hoped with all her heart that whoever the bad man was, he would think that the room was empty and go away.

However, the world didn’t work with the logic of childhood. The death of innocence was the birth of adulthood. And the death of innocent children was the birth of entertainment in adulthood.

"Where are you~ Do you still want a codeword? I have one for you. Wanna hear it?" The intruder spoke, whistling as he came to the end of the bed.

Milo’s eyes were closed so she didn’t know where the bad man was but the next second...

"Do you want to hear the codeword?"

"Aaaaa!!"

A hand came from the side and held Milo’s left hand.

Milo cried out her lungs and there was no one but these two to hear that in the whole Citadel.

"I have found the codeword, princess. It goes like..."

The bad man paused and pulled his hand out from under the bed.

And with his hand, came Milo sliding as well and the man made sure to look inside her terrified bulging eyes.

"Filthy little shits shall be cut down to bits. Just like your brother covered in spits and just like his sister shivering her tits!"