Afterlife?

Afterlife? Part 1

1

Miles looked around the apartment with something of disgust. Sure, he had had a fight with his dad, and he had stormed out of his house, claiming he will never darken his father's doorstep again, and meant it. And then his father had promptly blocked his credit cards so he had only the money in his wallet, which thankfully was more than usual because he had planned to replenish his stock of weed that night. And so, this place was the only apartment he could afford right now. But it was smaller than his bathroom. At least, it seemed smaller, because of the bed and desk crammed into it. The tiny kitchen had barely enough room for a person to stand, and the bathroom was a nightmare. For a minute, Miles seriously considered going back home and apologizing to his dad.

The real estate lady was talking nonstop about how cheap the place was and how it was conveniently situated, but Miles couldn't concentrate on anything she was saying, because he had just seen a stringy tail disappear under the kitchen sink. He jumped.

"Shit! I saw a rat! A freaking rat!"

"Those things can be caught, all you need to do is get a mousetrap."

He stared at her in disbelief.

"I am not going to live in a place like this."

"Well, this is the only place you can afford."

"I don't care, find me another place, and I mean it."

The woman glared at him for a second, thinking the commission was so not worth the time and trouble this young man was putting her through. Then she remembered something, and hesitated.

"There is another place, that's also quite affordable and much larger than this."

"Well then, let's go and see it."

"It's just that..."

"What?"

"Nothing, why don't we go and see it?"

..........

"Now, this is more like it."

Miles looked around the spacious apartment. It had a big living space with a queen-size bed to one side, an airy kitchen, and a bathroom with a glass shower stall. It looked clean and well-cared for.

He looked around at the real estate agent, who was hovering by the door, as if she didn't want to come in.

"And you said this is in the price range I mentioned?"

"Yes, it is quite affordable. There is only a small deposit to be paid, too, so you shouldn't have any trouble with that."

"Well, it's perfect. I'll sign the lease contract."

"Good, good. We'll go back to my office then."

The woman fumbled with her briefcase for a second, then, looking as if her conscience had got the better of her, she blurted out.

"Actually, there's a reason this apartment is so cheap."

"What, are there rats here too?"

"No, well, the thing is..."

Miles looked at her impatiently. She took a deep breath.

"It is said to be haunted."

"Haunted?"

"Yes, by the ghost of a young man."

Miles laughed out loud.

"Well, I guess everything will work out fine, then, because I don't believe in ghosts and I'm getting a fairly nice place so cheaply. So let's sign the contract."