FtF Anthology 2022

Prompt 7 (Apartment 669)

Everyone knew the stories about Apartment 669, the murders that took place behind its closed doors. Anyone having watched its tenants move in knew it was only a short time before they were moving back out. Stories of children's voices echoing from behind the door, things being tossed and tenants growing violent with one another despite how well they got along initially. The stories seemed to be never ending, making Apartment 669 the most talked about and most haunted apartment in Covington Shores Apartments. 

Darkness had claimed the world, blanketing it in deep shadows. The night was filled with such eeriness, the wind having stopped blowing completely. It made the heat of the summer air that much more unbearable. The humidity only adding to it, making too warm and the air overly moist. Any sane person would remain inside where they could enjoy the comfort of an air conditioner. 

However, that wasn't the case for two best friends. 

Abriel and Kyla were standing on the second floor breezeway of building E in the apartment buildings they lived in. Both teenage girls had been staring at the numbers hanging upon the door in front of them. It was a door that led to what was possibly the most evil of all the rentals on the property. 

"You're certain this is alright to do?" 

Abriel asked, her emerald green eyes drifting to the light blonde teen that stood beside her. 

Kyla was the daughter of the apartment manager, the two of them having met shortly after Abriel moved into the nearby apartments. She hadn't seen much of Kyla's parents, let alone anyone else in the apartments for that matter. Regardless, the two had been able to get the master keys from Kyla's parent's desk drawer without them finding out they had done so. 

"Yes, I'm certain it's fine. As long as we return the keys before my parents wake up in the morning, no one will know a thing ever happened." 

The excited smile that stretched across Kyla's lips didn't bring any comfort to Abriel. It left her feeling far more uncomfortable and hesitant to actually enter Apartment 669. Even if she wanted to, she wasn't going to be able to turn back regardless of how she was feeling. They were already at the door, standing outside the threshold of the apartment they were sneaking into. 

When Abriel didn't give anymore inquiries about their haunted adventure, Kyla stuck the master key in the hole and turned it. The click of the lock confirmed it was open, their path into the haunted location was now open. Abriel could feel her anxiety and nervousness rising within her, but she was doing her best to keep it bottled within her so she didn't look like a coward to her only friend in the area. 

After Kyla pushed the door open, Abriel followed her into the apartment and jumped the moment the door closed behind them. It was as if a large gust of wind had caught it, slamming it shut. However, there was no wind, which is what made it a little unsettling. 

Turning around slowly, Abriel let her eyes roam around the darkened apartment. It seemed far darker than she had expected, not even the lights from outside on the breezeway seemed to penetrate the ever growing darkness that filled the inside of the apartment. 

Despite the shadows, Abriel could make out certain shapes and the doorways that led to the other rooms. She could also see the darker areas where cobwebs and spiders were nestled, watching her and Kyla with their beady little black eyes. It sent a shiver crawling across Abriel's skin, making her wonder just how many more creepy crawlies there were, hidden within the darkness. 

"What, you don't like spiders?" 

Kyla teased, trying to lighten the mood as she walked from the living room they had been standing in and moving to the kitchen. She had just missed the slightly annoyed glare Abriel shot at her as her darkened silhouette vanished from her sight.