The Girl in Apartment 9A
---
Silence has always irritated me.
White walls, quiet beeping, and that oppressive silence before bad news is announced are all similar to hospitals. When I first entered Blackridge Apartments, that's what I thought. It was not a quiet moment. It was the type of thing that held its breath and awaited your survival.
The structure was ancient, reminiscent of a long-forgotten horror movie. Time-stained brown bricks and crooked windows that blinked like lifeless eyes. Haunted buildings, however, suddenly seem like blessings when you're broke, half-starved, and in your final semester of college with no one left to call.
The rent was inexpensive. Uncomfortably inexpensive.
But I was desperate, so I arrived outside the iron gate that guarded the complex like a deserted prison, suitcase in hand. When I arrived, the landlord was already there.
Mr Roland, in his late 50s. A faded jacket, a thin moustache, and eyes too sharp for someone that age. He guided me through the dim hallways without saying much. Boots squeaking on the twisted wooden floor, keys jangling, they simply shuffled in silence.
As we passed the corridor on the first floor, I felt my stomach tighten.
And there it was: Apartment 9A.
The door caused me to slow down, even though it didn't appear any different from the others. It was... strange. Like claw marks trying to get out from the inside, the paint around the frame peeled in strange patterns.
As we went by, the temperature dropped. I started to ask a question, but Mr. Roland spoke before me.
He came to a halt, turned around, and gave me a direct look.
If you wish to remain here, you must abide by three rules, he stated.
He spoke in a raspy voice, similar to the sound of dry leaves on pavement.
"One, No loud music after ten o'clock." Smoking is not permitted within the structure.
He stopped.
"And three, never ever knock on Apartment 9A. Ever."
I raised my eyebrows. "Is that a joke of some sort?"
He was not smiling. "Miss Elani, you don't make jokes about the dead."
My full name was Elani. I hadn't mentioned that to him. My mouth opened, but nothing came out.
He walked on as if nothing had happened before I could say anything more. It was as though he hadn't just thrown a bomb in my ear. With my heart racing, I followed. Two doors away from 9A, on the same floor, was my new flat, 9C.
Of course.
---
The flat was sufficiently clean. One window faces an alleyway, the floorboards creak, and the walls are bare. However, the air had an odd odour, like dust and forgotten perfume. I thought the previous tenant was the source.
I quietly unpacked while listening to low-volume music on my phone. The creaks in the hallway became more loud as night fell. The sound of water pipes groaning was like pain. I gave myself a nervous laugh. It was merely an old structure. Older structures produce noise.
With the covers up to my nose and a hoodie over my head, I dozed off.
---
At 3:12 a.m.
I woke up to faint cries.
A Female, it was soft, and muted.
I initially believed it to be a dream. I sat up, though, and it continued. It was real. Coming through the wall that was adjacent to Apartment 9A and behind my bed. My heart began to race.
My heart began to race.
The sobbing became more intense. Not merely sadness. Desperation.
I put my ear against the wall.
"Help me." The voice whispered to me. Not that audible. "Please."
I jumped out of bed and flipped the light switch.
Quiet.
No more crying. No more whispers.
My gaze was fixed on the wall. Was I being played with?
I picked up my phone and walked barefoot on the chilly wood floor into the hallway. Every nerve in my body cried out for me to turn around as I slowly made my way to 9A.
I knocked once.
Nothing.
I leaned closer. I held my breath.
Then, from the opposite side, there was a gentle tap-tap.
I almost dropped my phone when I leaped back so hard.
There was a person inside.
As if that would somehow protect me, I backed away and hurried into my flat, pushing my suitcase in front of the door and locking it behind me.
That night, sleep did not return.
---
It was a prank, I told myself the following morning. A strange dream combined with the eerie atmosphere of the new location. I tried to forget about it all after going to campus and attending two classes.
However, I later ran into a man my own age downstairs in the common area. He had headphones around his neck, a faded hoodie, and messy curls. With a relaxed smile, he identified himself as Greg from 9D.
He chewed gum and remarked, "You're the new girl." "Lani right?"
I gave a nod. "How did you figure out?"
He laughed. In more than a year, you are the first new tenant. People pay attention. How is life on the haunted floor, then?
I blinked. "Haunted?"
Greg's eyebrows went up. "You were not informed? 9A is next to your apartment.
The temperature dropped once more. "Yes, what's the matter with that place?"
Greg itched the back of his neck. Since then, no one has resided there. I'm not sure. Two years? Perhaps maybe longer. It is said to be cursed by all. There, a girl vanished.
I took a swallow. "Missing?"
Yes. basically disappeared. No note, no signs of struggle. Police were never able to solve it. She was reportedly hearing things. Speaking to herself. claiming that she was being whispered to at night.
My skin tingled.
Greg's phone rang and he left before I could ask him any more questions. My heartbeat was unstable and my hands were cold as I stood there.
---
I stayed up reading that night. Playing music. The lights are on. The door is locked. However, I fell asleep against my will. Sometime after two in the morning.
And the sobbing came back.
However, it was in my room this time. The sound of sobbing came from the far corner, and I exploded awake.
My lamp lit up. The temperature dropped sharply. In the corner was a shadow.
A girl.
Bending down, looking down. Her face was covered in hair.
I was still and unable to talk.
She raised her head slowly, and I could see her mouth, closed with stitches.
Her lips were weaved with bloody threads. Wide, hollow eyes. I let out a scream.
Everything became dark.
---
Sweat-soaked, I woke up on the floor. Sunlight peeking through the blinds in the morning. My lamp had broken. At 12:00, my clock was blinking. Additionally, and on my wrist was a thin red string I had never worn before.
---
I rushed to the office of the landlord. demanded responses. Mr. Roland examined me with unblinking eyes.
"Did you open the door?"
My blood turned to ice. "Which door?"
He didn't respond. simply stated, "You ought to have listened. The previous girl didn't.
I took hold of his arm. "Who was she? What became of her?
He removed my fingers. "You're already aware. You simply haven't recalled it yet.
---
I had trouble sleeping that night.
There was no crying.
However, I noticed something in the mirror as I was brushing my teeth. behind me. A structure.
Nothing was there when I turned around.
However, the mirror?
Fingerprints were found on it.
From within.
---
I pressed my ear against the wall once more.
Quiet.
Until... My own voice whispered to me:
"Please… help me…"