The elevator dinged at the eighth floor of the Aurora Residences, one of those modern, glass-and-marble kinds of condo buildings where everything looked expensive—even the silence.
The metal doors slid open and Aiah stepped out, cradling a box labeled 'Kitchen-ish' with her foot nudging a suitcase along. She wore her go-to "moving day" outfit: loose shorts, a cropped hoodie, and a tired ponytail that had already started to slip into chaos. Behind her, three more girls tumbled out of the elevator, arms full of bags and mismatched boxes.
"Girl, saan ba 'yung unit mo?" Stacey asked, already breathless.
"807," Aiah muttered. "Right side. Next to the... green plant thing."
Jhoanna squinted down the hallway. "May... dalawang green plant thing, bes."
Maloi, dragging a bean bag wrapped in plastic, groaned. "You couldn't have picked a lower floor?"
"May mas mababa pa ba sa heartbreak ko ngayon?" Aiah deadpanned, and all three of them let out synchronized 'awwwws'.
Behind the jokes and backbreaking lifting, the air clung thick with unsaid things. This wasn't just a move—it was an escape. Three days ago, Aiah had walked in on her boyfriend of two years cheating. Not the cliché lipstick-on-the-collar kind. No. He was on the couch. With someone else. Pants halfway down. No shame. No guilt.
She didn't cry. She didn't scream. She packed a week's worth of clothes into a duffel and called Stacey, who said, "You want me to key his car or key your new beginning?"
Aiah chose the latter.
That same night, Stacey found a listing online. A newly vacated unit. Eighth floor. Decent rent. Balcony view of the skyline.
It felt like a sign. Or a distraction. Or both.
Now, as the girls dumped the last of her things into the one-bedroom unit, Aiah stood in the middle of the floor, hands on her hips, eyes scanning the empty space.
It smelled of lemon cleaner and fresh paint. The sunlight spilled across the tiled floor like it belonged there.
"This is it," she said quietly, almost to herself.
"Fresh start, baby," Stacey beamed, giving her a side hug. "New place, new bed, new life."
"New neighbors," Maloi added, peeking through the peephole. "Kapitbahay mo hot kaya?"
"Or weird," Jhoanna chimed in. "Ako I feel like may weirdo vibes itong hallway na 'to."
Aiah rolled her eyes. "Please, I just want peace and quiet. The last thing I need right now is drama."
It was midnight when the last of her friends had left, and the new apartment had settled into a half-organized state of chaos. Boxes remained unopened. Her bed was just a mattress on the floor. The fridge contained a single can of Coke Zero, a bag of sour cream chips, and a bottle of white wine they didn't get to open.
The quiet was nice at first. Until around 2:48 A.M.
That's when she heard it.
The thud. Then a laugh. Then a rhythm.
A rhythm no wall paint could hide.
Ung. Ung. Ung.
Aiah sat up in bed, eyes wide. She blinked. Held her breath.
"Oh my god," she whispered.
Another moan. High-pitched. Delighted. Then—
"Fuck, Mikha—faster—"
