The night began uneventfully, with Veronica and Reggie sprawled out on the couch, bathed in the warm glow of the television. They had just started a marathon of Selling Sunset on Netflix, Veronica clutching a glass of rosé while Reggie nursed a soda.
"I swear, if Christine pulls another one of her stunts, I might scream," Veronica muttered, her eyes glued to the screen.
"She's the best part of the show," Reggie countered with a smirk. "She's the drama, Ronnie. You live for this."
Veronica gave him a sidelong glare. "Just because I live for drama doesn't mean I want to deal with it twenty-four-seven."
As the show continued, their laughter and commentary filled the apartment. For a moment, it felt like everything was normal, like they had truly escaped Riverdale's chaos. But then, a faint tapping sound interrupted the flow of conversation.
Reggie paused the show and tilted his head. "Did you hear that?"
Veronica froze, listening. The tapping came again, soft but deliberate, echoing faintly from the front door. "What the hell is that?" she asked, setting her glass down.
Reggie got up, stretching his arms. "Probably just someone playing ding-dong ditch. Kids love messing with apartment doors."
He walked over to the front door and peered through the peephole. "No one's there."
"Reggie, check outside," Veronica insisted, her tone sharp with unease.
Sighing, he unlocked the door and stepped into the hallway. It was silent, the overhead lights flickering faintly. He looked left, then right, scanning the corridor. Empty. "See? Nothing," he called back to Veronica.
"Great," Veronica muttered under her breath, pulling the throw blanket tighter around her shoulders as Reggie closed and locked the door. Just as he returned to the couch, the sound came again—this time louder and more insistent. Knocking.
"Okay, now that's creepy," Reggie said, his face clouding with concern. He checked the door again, opening it quickly and stepping out farther. Still, there was no one there.
"Let's just ignore it," Veronica said firmly when he returned. "If it's a prank, they'll get bored and stop. Let's go to bed."
Reggie nodded reluctantly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, okay. Probably just someone messing around."
As they prepared for bed, Veronica decided to FaceTime her friends from Riverdale, hoping to ease her nerves and fill them in on the strange events of the past few days. The screen lit up as Betty, Archie, Jughead, Kevin, and Tabitha joined the call, their familiar faces instantly calming her.
"Veronica Lodge," Betty greeted with a smile. "Look at you, all fancy in your new apartment. How's Columbus?"
"Haunted, apparently," Veronica said dryly, adjusting her hair. "I'm serious. Reggie and I have been dealing with some really weird stuff. Power outages, noises, tapping on doors. The works."
"Classic horror movie stuff," Jughead remarked, smirking. "Are you sure you didn't move into some cursed building?"
Veronica rolled her eyes. "Very funny. I'm just saying, it's strange. And, get this—we're throwing an apartment warming party tomorrow night. You're all invited, by the way."
"Does this mean we're bringing sage to ward off the evil spirits?" Kevin quipped.
Tabitha laughed. "Don't joke. Sometimes these things are real. I've read stories."
"I'll send you the address," Veronica said, ignoring the jokes. "Let me know if you can make it. It'd be nice to see all of you again."
The call ended after a few more exchanges of updates and memories. Reggie was already half-asleep by the time Veronica crawled into bed, her mind racing with a mix of excitement about the party and unease about the knocking earlier.
But just as she began to drift off, the knocking returned. This time, it wasn't at the front door—it was coming from her bedroom door.
Veronica's eyes snapped open, her pulse quickening. She sat up, staring at the door. "Reggie?" she whispered, but he didn't stir. She hesitated, then got up and walked to the door, her bare feet silent on the floor.
She opened it cautiously. The hallway beyond was dark, the faint hum of the apartment building's air system the only sound. There was no one there. She closed the door and went back to bed, shaking her head. "Just my imagination," she muttered.
But as soon as she settled back under the covers, the knocking came again—louder this time, more deliberate. She shot out of bed, her heart hammering in her chest. She yanked the door open, expecting to catch whoever—or whatever—was responsible.
The hallway was empty again.
She stood there for a long moment, her breathing shallow. Slowly, she closed the door and leaned against it, her back pressed to the wood as she stared into the room. Something wasn't right. She could feel it, like a presence lurking just beyond her reach.
The thought of going back to bed seemed impossible now, but she couldn't wake Reggie—not yet. Instead, she climbed back under the covers, her body tense as she kept her eyes on the door, waiting for whatever came next.