Meadow Woods

Apartment G6

For Sam, a single man living alone, Meadow Woods Lane Apartments biggest advantage was the lack of neighbours. It wasn’t as though Sam hated people, after all he loved his sister Kisha; he just really enjoyed his solitude. His tranquillity was an asset which he took great pleasure in. That was of course until the noises begun from the apartment upstairs.

Sam had been immersed in a deep sleep with his arms wrapped tightly around his pillow and his cheek smashed into the side. The first bang had him grumbling in his sleep. The second, had him burying his ears into the pillow, and the third was followed by footsteps so loud that his slumber was cut short.

“Are they keeping a baby elephant up there?” Sam groaned at the ceiling. He tried to wrap the pillow around his ears, clutching at it with a claw like grip until the running stopped.

Meadow Woods Lane felt silent again. It was the third night that he had experienced this, those neighbours really had zero sense of community spirit. He had been awoken far too many times.

“Thank God.” Sam grumbled as he turned over. It was no good though, his body was already waking up, and no matter how tightly he pressed his eyelids together he couldn’t sleep. Eventually he got up and took a drink. Standing by the window he looked out into the darkness. A few lights dotted the city, but for the most part it slept.

“How typical, he said, at least somebody is getting a rest.”

Sam finished his drink and left the glass on the side. He could have washed it off, but the sound would have cut the air like a hot knife through freshly churned butter.

“And I am not waking them up again, he thought to himself, not when they’ve just stopped.”

Sam nestled himself back into his comforter with the hairs on his arms prickling. He hated being cold, and he hated being woken up. It was always so hard to get back to sleep, not to mention, he was fairly certain that he had been having a rather interesting dream. Eventually, Sam managed to drift off

... for all of ten minutes.

“Not again!” His head snapped up and he stared at the ceiling as though his gaze would bore right through it and laser beam through the irritating neighbour.

Then A scream shook the apartment!

It chased through like a howl of wind whipping around a corner and into an alleyway. From outside, several apartment’s lights flicked on. Sam's own joined them with a click!

Then once again silence; apart from the ticking of the clock.

Tic tok tic tok tic tok.

The other apartment’s lights started to go out one by one.

“They probably thought it was a nightmare, Sam groaned with a look of disgust, well he’s been at it all bloody night.”

Sam checked the clock. 5 a.m. He decided that as soon as the sun rose, he would be having words.

...

After a jerky start to the morning and thrusting his boots on more angrily than he meant to, Sam stomped upstairs.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

He rapped on the door of the apartment above his own. His foot tapped on the wood flooring as he waited for a response. A huff blew out of his nostrils as the inside chain was irritatingly slowly pulled back.

The door swung open, revealing a woman in a white uniform.

“Sorry I just got off the night shift and having to deal with my brother Pete, I’m just exhausted, said Paula.” Dark circles hung under her eyes and she had the look of someone who knew the meaning of overtime.

“Well I’m glad someone’s getting some sleep around here. He’s been keeping me up all night.”

Paula cocked her head confused. “I don’t think it was this apartment.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “It most certainly was! You are directly above me. The steps were so loud that I could practically see my ceiling buckling. What does he think he’s doing? Running around up here all night?”

“I can promise you, that wasn’t Pete. I think that-"

“So, it was you then.” Sam snapped. He would not usually have been so rude, especially on a neighbour’s doorstep, but being tired made him grouchy.

Paula swung the door open fully. “I just got back from a night shift. I wasn’t here. And it was not Pete. It couldn’t have been. Come have a look for yourself.”

She stepped away from the doorway walking down the hall leading Sam into the back bedroom. He was ready to give Pete a piece of his mind. His lips parted, about to give way to the onslaught when he saw the man

... and halted.

“This is Pete?” He asked.

“That’s right. This is my brother.”

Sam looked at the man in the bed. Judging by the tubes and wires (not to mention the ghastly smell), Pete was completely bed ridden.

“And he doesn’t... he doesn’t, get up at night?” Even as he said it, he could hear how stupid he sounded.

Paula scrunched her brow. “Pete has been paralyzed for several years.”

“And nobody else lives here, not even a dog?”

“Just us. Unless it was one of the other neighbours. The family next door has a five-year-old niece who occasionally comes to stay.”

“This wasn’t a child...” Sam said more to himself than to her.

“Then I’m sorry I don’t know. Anyway, it’s been a long shift so-"

“And nobody else was here? A night caretaker or a nurse or something?”

Paula gave a half smile, intermingled with a huff. “If only we could afford that. Look I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s been a really long shift and I’m working tonight. I really could use a rest.”

He took the hint and let himself out, mumbling an apology.

3 a.m. and Sam was awakened again. There was a chill in the air, and he didn’t much feel like getting out of bed. The shadows of the room seemed to move, until he looked at them, in the teasing way that they do after watching one too many horror movies late at night.

There was a scratching above him.

“Definitely that apartment, but didn’t she say she had a night shift?” He mused as he listened. It sounded almost as though two people were having a conversation. He couldn’t pick out the words, but one seemed angry. The pitch was as sharp and spitting as a snake.

Sam craned his neck as he tried to listen. That was when he heard it – his name.

He tried to ignore it, but it came again and again. The eerie tones penetrated his room until it sounded like someone was right next to him. Sam trembled. He turned his eyes listening to the raspy call, dreading what he might see... but there was nothing there.

... nothing he could see anyway.

Odd things started happening to Sam after that. When he went to make a coffee, his kettle broke with a pop! When he closed a door, it seemed to open itself the moment he turned away. His washer just conked out mid cycle, forcing him to call his sister, Kisha, to finish his laundry at her place. Everything he touched seemed to give him electric shocks.

Most of all, he was tired. Every night was filled with scratches, footsteps and calls for him. So many nights he buried himself like a child under the blanket, unable to quiet his fast breaths and racing heart.

It was on a Saturday night that he woke up to pure silence...

He had wanted a peaceful night for so long, but something felt wrong.

He listened out. Even hearing his name would have been a relief, but nothing came.

Suddenly there was a drip on his covers.

“Just great, a leak.” he murmured.

Then there was another, and another.

Mustering all of his energy, Sam snatched the covers back and intently ran his fingers across the blue plaid comforter. He felt the cool wet spot near his knee. He then reached his other hand over to turn on his bedside lamp. Blinking rapidly to adjust his vision he glanced towards the ceiling

... and wished that he hadn’t.

Above him was Pete, or what appeared to be a twisted form resembling Pete. Its thin pale body contorted upon the ceiling as saliva dripped from his gaping jaws exposing what looked like rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth. The rancid smell of its flesh drifting through the air was nauseating. Its tongue dangled from its twisted smile. Its long, thin, greasy black hair barely covered its scalp. Its deep blood red eyes stared into Sam’s soul. The body clunked as it scaled the ceiling like a puppet being dragged along on knotted strings before it lunged its long slender arms towards Sam.

Sam cried out! He threw off the comforter and landed on his bedroom floor as he hastily tried to get away. He was up on his feet running before the fabric flopped back down on his bed. He made a dash for the opened door. Sam quickly made his way to his front door. His sweaty hands slipping as he attempted to grip the doorknob. He glanced in fear over his shoulder as he was certain the thing would be right upon him, but there was nothing. Just the stillness of the stale air and the glow of the full moon illuminating his apartment. No movement, no sound.

He ran his fingertips along the wall beside his front door searching for the light switch, being certain not to turn his back towards whatever horror that was sure to come. As he flicked on the light switch, he could hear his heart beating inside his chest. His body was sweaty and trembling. He took two steps forward quietly listening for movement only to hear his own heavy breathing. He swallowed and took a deep breath in hopes of slowing his heartbeat. Still there was nothing. He took a few steps to the side behind his recliner to give himself a better view down the dark hall and into his bedroom, but still nothing.

“Was I dreaming?” Sam thought to himself.

Had all the late nights and lack of sleep caused him to hallucinate. Sam shook his head in confusion.

“It all seemed so real.”

He leaned forward placing his hands on the headrest of his recliner. His thoughts all jumbled, not knowing how much of it had been real or how much of it his mind had created.

“Ok, just calm down Sam,” he said to himself once more.

He soon realized however, that the heavy breathing he was now hearing was no longer his own. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He felt hot breaths of air trace across his naked back. Too terrified to look behind him, Sam bolted for the door, but he was too far away. He stumbled as he reached for it and landed on his hands and knees. The creature lunged on top of him.

A hand curled around his neck as he now laid face down on the carpet. The long dingy nails of its bony fingertips dug into Sam’s flesh drawing lurid, red lines across his skin. Sam screamed with tears in his eyes pleading for his life, his warm blood dripping from his wounds pooling beneath him on the carpet.

Its putrid hot breath spilled out between the curled and carnivorous teeth as it snarled in response. Sam knew it was the end. He knew this thing would never allow him to escape. He tightly closed his eyes muffling out a prayer in between the sobs. This greatly upset the creature. It began ripping its nails deeply into Sam’s flesh. Blood and bits of tissue flew aimlessly across the room as it wildly swung its arms about digging deeper into Sam’s body. The creature thrust its slender hand into the gaping wound gripping Sam’s spine as it wrapped the bloody bony fingers of the other around Sam’s face. It slowly began to twist Sam’s head. He could no longer cry out, blood spouting from his nose and mouth. As the creature continued to violently twist Sam’s head, he could hear the sound of his own flesh ripping and his neck breaking. The deep blood red eyes and contorted face snarling at him was the last thing Sam would see.

“Sammy, I brought your laundry!” Sam’s sister, Kisha called as she let herself into his apartment. Just the week before, Sam’s washer had broken mid cycle. In fact, he had been experiencing a strange run of bad luck when it came to electrical appliances. Kisha had taken a share of the stress by washing his clothes at her place.

With the duffle bag of laundry in one arm she backed into the room, swinging the door open with her weight. In her free hand was a coffee, which she sipped as she dropped the laundry onto his sofa.

“I brought your clothes but I’m not putting them away.” She chuckled, as she walked into his bedroom and saw Sam sitting up in his bed.

The cup slipped from her hand. Coffee sprayed across the floor. Kisha let out a scream!

Unlike him, hers had escaped. He sat there in bed eyes wide open, his mouth agape as if he were trying to scream, and fingers and arms curled as if he had been clawing at something above him. Sam was not going to need that fresh laundry after all.