g h ø s t e d

Prologue: 00

It feels like just yesterday I was sat down on a dirty couch in the stuffy basement of a fraternity house , beer cans littering the floor and drunken students stumbling around the room, talking gibberish to each other.
Next thing I know, I'm being handed a metal key to an old and rundown apartment on the outskirts of my hometown. It was noticeably rusty, the reddish and flaky mold-like substance covering most of the key. You could tell it hadn't been used in years.

Thank you parents, for renting me a sucky ass apartment. I should be grateful though, acknowledging the fact that they blew off all their money so I could get a bachelors degree in the liberal arts. Plus, they are paying the first few months rent, even though I insisted I would. Do it for your parents , I thought , for your parents.

        I grudgingly took the key from the manager of the apartment building, who had sweat stains in every place humanly possible. He was a squat man, wearing a white muscle tee covered in pizza stains as well as a pair of basketball shorts.  I somehow managed to hold back a gag, and instead flashed an awkward smile, saying a quiet thank you as I fled up the stairs to find my apartment, my suitcase trailing behind me.
        From the way the stairs looked, the apartment building wasn't in good shape. Every step creaked loudly when stepped upon , echoing through the building. The place was eerie, broken lights scattering the ceiling, shattered glass littering the floor, and paint peeling at every corner you turned.  Most of the lights were only
semi-working , flickering constantly as I jogged up the stairs.
         I had finally reached my floor ,  the fourth to be exact. I looked down at my rusted key to see the number "4579" imprinted on it. I hastily walked down the corridor to find that 4579 was at the end of the hall.  As I walked, I examined the building a bit more.
      It was completely silent, too silent almost. There was no sign of life in the building , except for a small and black spider spinning an intricate   web in a corner, which freaked me the fuck out . I had jumped out of fear, and upon landing , the floor shook slightly, emitting a creaking noise. I reminded myself to kill that thing in the morning.  The peeling paint continued throughout  the building, even on the doors, which I now knew were painted over. 
    Snapping out of my thoughts, I stared at my door, seeing that the eyehole was shattered and the door knob was rusted as well. Perfect, I thought. I took a deep breath, jamming the rusty key in the equally as rusty key hole. I turned the key slowly, my heart rate rising quickly. Why does anxiety always get the best of me?

I continued to breath heavily , waiting for the key to click. For what seemed like hours, but was mere milliseconds , it clicked and the door swung upon . 

And then I felt chills in my bones.