Horror Short Story | The Doorbell

Chen Cheng's doorbell had been broken for a long time. It wouldn't ring when pressed. He was too lazy to fix it, and friends always contacted him by phone anyway. One night, in the middle of the night, he heard the doorbell ring. A very short ring, like someone pressed it lightly and let go. He thought he misheard and rolled over to go back to sleep. The next night, the doorbell rang again. This time he was sure he hadn't misheard. He went to the door and looked through the peephole. No one was in the hallway. He opened the door, and on the floor outside was a piece of paper: "The doorbell is fixed." He found it baffling and looked up at the doorbell. There was no dust on it, as if someone had wiped it clean. He reached out and pressed it, but it didn't ring. After closing the door, he went back to bed. The doorbell rang again. This time, three short, consecutive rings. He rushed to the door and pulled it open. Still no one in the hallway. But there was another piece of paper on the floor: "You pressed it, so I came." Chen Cheng froze. He looked down at the doorbell. He had indeed pressed it just now, but it didn't ring. He took a step back, closed the door, and locked it. The doorbell rang again, this time long and continuous, as if someone was holding it down. He didn't dare open the door and hid in his room. The doorbell continued to ring for a full minute before stopping. The next morning, he went out to work and found that the doorbell was gone. Only two wires were left hanging on the wall. He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was over. That evening, he returned home and found the doorbell reinstalled. It was brand new, silver, with a clear fingerprint on the button. He reached out to press it. The moment his finger touched the button, the doorbell rang on its own. A long ring, as if someone was holding it down from the inside. He suddenly pulled his hand back, and the doorbell