The AC was turned off by who?

That June night's stifling heat was intolerable. Rose shifted and turned in her bed, urgently searching for a cool place on the covers as sweat dripped down her back. Nestled on the outskirts of the city, her little apartment had always been a haven of comfort. But tonight there was something different. There felt to be something awry.

A dependable friend over many hot evenings, the air conditioner has turned off by itself. Rose wrinkled her face in confusion. She remembered clearly turning it on to run all night. Her bare feet lightly on the hardwood floor, she pulled herself from bed and headed to the living room where the AC unit was put.

On the unit, the digital display was black. nor hum, nor cool air—just a spooky silence. Rose pushed the wall switch on. Not one thing. She checked the plug even though she knew it wouldn't be the cause. All seemed to be in order. Not from the frigid weather but from an unexplained sense of fear, a shiver raced down her spine.

Though deep down she didn't believe it, "maybe a power surge," she said to herself.

She turned to get back to bed and heard a weak, almost undetectable whisper. Her name sounded right. She stopped, each hair on her body poised on end. Once more, the whisper surfaced as a gentle, ghostly echo emanating from the very walls.

"Rose......"

Her heart hammered in her chest as she turned slowly to survey the blackened chamber. Not at all. Simply shadows and the flickering street lights outside light passing through the drapes. Breathing deeply, she tried to slow her beating heart.

"It's just the heat messing with me," she reminded herself, but the words felt hollow and dubious.

Driven to solve the AC riddle, she headed down the corridor toward the breaker box. She unlocked it and was relieved to see none of the switches trip. Her next action was under contemplation when the whisper returned, louder this time.

Rose, come to me...

Her eyes filled with terror, she whirled about. Her bedroom was where the voice emanated. She picked her phone with shaking hands and turned on the flashlight. She headed back to the bedroom, the beam of light slicing over the night.

Inside the air seemed like a tomb, oppressive. Her flashlight created long, spooky shadows as she arrived, the room seeming to shrink in on her. She swept the beam over the room and paused when she saw it—a black-covered figure in the corner.

Tall and skinny, this man had sunken eyes that seemed to radiate an otherworldly brightness. His face contorted into a hideous smile, and his bony fingers reached to her.

" Who are you?" Rose barely above a whisper, managed to choke out.

The man leaned forward and widened his smile. "I am the one arriving when the air freezes still. When the heat is intolerable and the night is darkest.

Rose staggered back, her hand failing on her lantern. "What do you wish for?"

The figure advanced, its motions methodical and slow. "I eat off of your anguish and anxiety. Heat makes you susceptible and weakens you. And right now you are mine.

Turning and sprinting, panic shot through her veins. She could slow, unrelenting footsteps of the figure behind her. She yanked the front door open, but it wouldn't move. It seemed as though some unseen power was locking it closed.

She turned to face her assailant and desperation bit at her. Now the creature was nearer, its eyes blazing with a terrible fury. Rose, there is no escape. Already the heat has claimed you.

Rose shot toward the window in a last, frantic effort. Her palms wet with sweat and shaking with terror, she battled to open it. She pryed the window open and hurled herself as the man reached out to touch her.

She dropped hard into the grass below, the cool night air an amazing contrast to the scorching heat inside. Not daring to turn around, she hurried to her feet. She still could faintly and fading hear the whisper.

"Rose.... I'll be back..."

She kept running till she came to a neighbor's house, hammering on the door until they responded. She never checked back into the apartment. Rose knew better even if the air conditioner had switched back on by itself the following day. She had heard the murmurs, felt the presence. Something had accompanied the heat—something that flourished in the dark and sweltering air.

And it was still there, just waiting for the next sweltering summer night.