The Walls Can Talk

Chapter 2

After a few days of the incident, you were beginning to settle down. Nothing odd had happened since reassuring you it must have been either someone outside or maybe you had just imagined it. Not to mention the weird sound from the first floor, animals got into homes all the time. Becca had even noticed that the backyard was a haven for racoons apparently. Time was doing well to calm you. Today was about getting your room the way you wanted. That meant cleaning and organizing. Especially when it came to your clothes. After hanging up about three dresses the first day you gave up and just lived out of your suitcase and boxes. But today you were going to handle that. Organizing the clothes into what should be put in the closet and what should be put into your dresser. Dresses and shirts would probably be best to be hung. While bottoms would be fine in the dresser. After a bit, you had everything ready. Bottoms were away and you were just finishing up with your dresses. One of the lights you had gotten fell to the floor. Maybe you should have doubled up on those command strips. Bending down to grab the light is when you saw it. The wallpaper you had noticed when you first moved in seemed to be in worse condition. That was odd. The few clothes you had in here before were on the otherwise of the closet so it couldn't have been your doing the few times you were in here. Hope it wasn't water damage, you couldn't afford to get a new wardrobe if they got wet and moldy. Moving your clothes further away from that side of the closet you finished up. Your room didn't take long, a few hours and you were done. Though the damaged closet had you worried. You knew this house wasn't the best, I mean it was cheap and old. It made sense for it to have some form of damage to it, but was it like that with all the walls? Was the inside of the walls suffering from water damage and possibly mold? Trying to push that thought out of your mind, you went to find Becca in her room. Knocking on her door, she called you in. "Done with your room?" She was currently putting on new curtains on the windows. "Yeah, just my closet seems to have like water damage or something." "Well, it's an old house. Hopefully, it isn't anywhere else though." She seemed relaxed which helped. "Hopefully, I mean the lease is for a year so hopefully the house will keep standing that long." You both laughed. Even if you knew the risk of renting this house, you guys couldn't afford to be too choosey. Low on budget was the issue for the two of you. Unfortunately, they don't pay students too well at both of your jobs. Plus with both of you only having to go onto campus only twice a week. It made sense to rent a little further and save. Gas wasn't too much, you guys only really used the car for getting to work and school. Even if you regretted picking this place now, it was too late. "I'm gonna start dinner, probably make pasta. Want some?" Becca nodded thinking you for the offer.

After dinner, Becca offered to tidy up the kitchen. Allowing you to go relax and maybe even shower. It was quiet, no noise from downstairs since that day. Which relieved you and caused a new fear. Maybe it wasn't just animals who got in. What if it really was someone living down there and they didn't know? Pushing that thought out of your mind you went to shower. Hopefully, that would put your fears out of your mind. The water damage and possible mold, plus the weird sounds that couldn't fully be explained. God, you felt like a kid again. Remembering those horror stories your friends would tell each other, making it harder to sleep alone at night. But you were older now, you knew better. All those stories were fake, it was most likely animals like Becca said, or at worst someone who broke in for the night to stay, but left when they realized people lived upstairs.

The shower felt nice, the warm water hitting your skin. At least the water pressure was good here. Too engulfed in the shower, you failed to notice that you weren't alone in the bathroom. Something was there, watching you. It kept its distance at first, simply watching you through the foggy shower curtain. Though eventually, it began to move closer. Inching towards you. Your back was turned, oblivious that you weren't fully alone anymore. Too busy scrubbing your face under the water. It had begun to pull the curtain back a bit, allowing for itself to reach into your space. Into the shower, aiming for your waist. That's when you felt it, felt something touch your waist. Forcing you to turn around, prepared to see nothing. But instead, you were meant with a shadow on the other side of the curtain. As if whatever it was had pulled back from you once you felt the light touch of fingers on your skin. Cold and light. Fear had frozen you for only a moment. Once you gained control over yourself, you pulled the curtain back. Rather than seeing the thing that had created the shadow, you saw nothing. You were alone in the bathroom. Rubbing the water from your eyes, you were still met with nothing. Quickly you shut off the water and got out of the bathroom, making a dash to your room. There had to be an explanation for this, right? It couldn't be animals though, nor a break-in. The shadow was gone too fast for human speed. Oh god, come one there had to be something to explain it. You weren't a child anymore, but even so. Those old stories that kept you up at night when you were young were beginning to make a reappearance again in your mind.