The Roommate

Montana was delighted to learn that she had a roommate when she moved into a new apartment because she had always been a little bashful. Everything looked to be fine at first. They got along well, and Emily, her roommate, was a warm and vivacious person.

Yet after a few days, Montana started to notice Emily acting strangely. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, she would talk to herself, and Montana could hear her saying things that made no sense.

One day, Emily was sitting in the living room staring blankly at the wall when Montana returned from work. Emily turned to face Montana when she asked if everything was well and warned her not to enter the basement.

Montana was perplexed because their residence lacked a basement. But, Emily insisted that there was a basement door in the hallway and that it was full of dreadful creatures.

Montana wasn't sure what to make of it, but she couldn't get rid of the impression that Emily was strange in some way. She made the choice to stay up late that night to find out what Emily was doing.

Montana overheard Emily chatting to herself once more around midnight. She sneaked inside Emily's room and took a peak around. She was horrified to see Emily sitting up in bed, her eyes wide open and fixed on the horizon. She then overheard Emily say, "I'm not alone down here," in a whisper.

Emily was never seen again, and Montana was never made aware of what was in the basement. Yet she often pondered what would have occurred if she had disregarded Emily's advice and gone down there instead.

Montana tries to put the incident behind her after leaving the apartment, but she is unable to stop wondering about Emily and what might have happened in the basement. She becomes fixated on learning what happened to her former roommate and begins to explore the matter.

Montana eventually learns that the house they lived in was formerly a mental institution and that there was in fact a basement that had been closed off decades earlier. Local lore claimed that the most dangerous patients were put in the basement, some of whom had never been located.

Montana understands that Emily might have known more than she initially indicated as she shudders at the prospect of what might have been hiding in their apartment building's basement. She questions whether Emily was attempting to defend her or whether she was just crazy.

Montana is severely frightened by the encounter and can't help but feel as though she nearly avoided something dreadful. The unusual and uncomfortable experience she experienced in that flat stays with her throughout her life.

SUMMARY:

A young woman named Montana arrives into a new flat and is happy to learn that she has a roommate named Emily in the story "The Roommate." After a few weeks, though, Montana starts to notice Emily acting strangely, including talking to herself in the middle of the night and murmuring incomprehensible things. Montana is perplexed by Emily's warning not to enter the basement because their flat doesn't have one.

Montana starts to feel nervous at the apartment after Emily's odd behaviour and warning about the nonexistent basement. Though she can't quite place it, she begins to wonder whether there might be anything strange about her roommate.

Montana tries to carry on with her life as usual despite her disquiet, but she can't get rid of the feeling that something is amiss. Montana is alarmed when she notices Emily talking in the basement while sitting up in bed with her eyes wide open.

Montana's interaction with Emily in the flat left a lasting impression on her. She learns from her investigation that the basement of their apartment complex once housed a psychiatric institution and had been closed off for many years. The most dangerous patients were reportedly put in the basement, where some were reportedly never discovered. Montana wonders if Emily was trying to shield Montana from something or if she knew more than she admitted. Montana is severely rattled by the incident, and although she carries on with her life, she never forgets the odd and frightening things that happened in the flat.