An Unwanted Gift from Downstairs

They were a young couple, and they fought very loudly on a daily basis. I would see the female with bruises in different stages of healing every day, she was pale and very fragile. To be honest, I felt sorry for her, and, as a woman, I felt I needed to protect her when I could.

One night, the fighting got so intense my dogs were barking, growling, and jumping around by my door. I couldn't take it anymore. I called the cops, ran downstairs, and flung open my door, immediately grabbing their door knob. I had a metal bat in my hand as I didn't know what I was walking into and wanted to be prepared.

As soon as my hand touched the knob, everything stopped. The yelling, the items being thrown around, my dogs going crazy, it all fell eerily silent. The door wasn't closed and it slowly creaked open with the touch of my hand.

I yelled to announce my presence, and asked the female if she was okay. No response. I yelled for the male. Again, no response. I walked in slowly, my body shaking with a combination of fear and rage and began looking around. The apartment looked so different from the last time I was in it. The shades were drawn, and there were no lights on, but it was bright inside and easy to see.

I heard a whimper, quiet and feeble, that sounded like it was coming from the bathroom. I thought she was in there. I proceeded with caution, checking the rest of the apartment first to make sure I was safe. I saw no one, and walked to the bathroom door, the only door in the apartment that was closed.

I spoke softly, asking the female if she was in the bathroom and if she was okay. I assured her I was there to help. The door was locked. I heard the whimper once more, it was definitely coming from inside the bathroom. I told her I was taking her to my apartment and that she would be safe there, I would protect her. She didn't answer.

I tried the door again, this time, it opened with ease, but I never heard it unlock. The bathroom, unlike the rest of the apartment, was dark, very dark. I could not see anything inside. I asked her if she could stand and come to me, and where the male was. No answer. I heard movement in front of me then felt arms around my legs, like a child grabbing on to their mother. I reached down to touch her, yet felt nothing.

I groped the wall for the light switch, when I turned it on a dim light flickered and illuminated the bathroom in a way similar to candle light. I looked around the small bathroom and saw nothing, she wasn't in there. I asked where she was and assumed she had gone to hide in the bathtub, behind the closed shower curtain, it was the only place she could possibly be.

As I stepped up to open the curtain, I felt a tug on the bat that had been hanging by my side. I turned around, ready to strike, but saw nothing. I shrugged it off and turned back around to see the shower curtain now open, and no one in there. There were odd black marks, looking like soot and what appeared to be dried wax splotches. I bent down to investigate further and felt those arms once again wrap themselves around my legs, this time tighter, and pulling me back, away from the bathtub.

A small, feeble voice whispered "Don't." But the fascination had me. I had to look closer. I bent down further, and wiped at the marks, it came off with relative ease. I rubbed the black substance between my fingertips, it felt gritty.

The sink turned on, and I jumped, expecting to see someone behind me, but there was no one there. The small, feeble voice spoke again, "Wash." I did as I was told, washing the substance off my fingers as quickly as I possibly could.

“Leave.” The voice came again, but I couldn’t move.

“Come with me.” I begged, completely unaware that that was a big mistake.