What thing sends shivers down your spine? What makes you scream? What keeps you awake at night? Everyone has a fear or phobia that affects them in some way or another. There will be the traditional fears that are well-known and there will be a few...
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As long as I can remember I've been afraid of ghosts, even before I knew what they were I was afraid of them. The constant feeling of being watched and waking up every morning at 2:28 a.m. drenched in sweat. I couldn't even sleep without a nightlight, I'm in college now and it's really embarrassing.
"Hey Amber, how do you like the new apartment? Your room is over there." My new roommate said as I came in carrying a box. She pointed across the living room and I noticed I had a bathroom all to myself right across my room with a small utility closet between them.
"Thanks, and it's great, it's bigger than my last one." I said then I set down the box. "How long have you been staying here?"
"A few years, but I'm graduating in a few months so I will be moving back home after that." My roommate said and she followed me back outside to my car.
I didnt have a lot of belongings, most of it was destroyed from the fire in the another part of the complex last week. While I was at school a woman caught her kitchen on fire and it killed her and ten others that were trapped in their apartments. The fire was extinguished before it reached my room but the water damage from the fire department ruined most of my stuff by the time I got out of class.
"Do you know if they have found all of the bodies yet?" I asked once we got to my car and we looked across the complex at the destroyed building.
"No, they think there are more, I'm surprised they let you get your belongings." She said and we grabbed my last boxes.
"They didn't, I got it early in the morning a few days ago." I said and she shook her head.
"The building collapsed two days ago, you are quite brave or stupid to go back there." I felt a shiver go up my spine like someone was behind me.
I turned around quickly and I saw a black shadow disappear into the building and I froze in horror. "Are you ok? You look like you just saw a ghost."
"I...I, it was nothing." I said and my heart was beating so fast it hurt.
I was finally moving the last of the boxes into my room and saw that it was pretty spacious. I looked to my right and saw that the walk-in closet didn't have a door. It was daylight outside but the walk-in closet was pitch-black. I got the feeling that someone was watching me so I quickly flicked on the closet light and it flickered on. Electrical problems in a new building was weird but at least it worked.
As I unpacked and put up my clothes, my phone started ringing so I answered it. "Hey, do you mind if I spend the night?" My boyfriend asked and it was a little weird because he hasn't talked to me in a week.
"Sure, have your classes been making you busy? You haven't replied to my texts." I said then my roommate made a signal for food and I nodded my head so she gave me a thumbs up.
"Oh yes, I might have failed my last exam though, I'll see you tonight." My boyfriend said then he hung up.
After Jessie and I got home from lunch I felt something watching me again from my closet. Then I saw a shadow move, it was dark in the closet but I could definitely see something moving around. I was so scared that I couldn't move and it felt like something was sitting on my chest and my heart was beating so hard I swear I could hear it.
"Beating...heart." a woman whispered in my ear and I screamed.
But Jessie had left for class already leaving me all alone until my boyfriend got here in about hour. I put my hands on my head and closed my eyes so tight I thought they would be stuck. I was finally able to run into the living room and I turned on the switch that controlled all the lights in the kitchen, dining room, and living room, since they were connected.
The light closest to my room started to flicker again then I heard the bulb pop and the light turned off. "Beating...heart." the woman whispered from the shadows and I started to cry.
The doorbell went off followed by a knock so I quickly ran to the door and opened it to see my boyfriend was standing at the door. "Austin!" I yelled and I threw my arms around him.
"Whats wrong, why are you crying?" Austin said as he held my head then another light started flickering and it blew out. "What the fu-"
Austin was pulled away from me and he was pushed over the side of the stairs. His short scream was ended as I heard his body hit the ground with a muted thud. We were on the second floor and there was grass down at the bottom on the sides of the stairs. As I looked over the railing I was pulled back into the apartment by an invisible force that shut the door behind me. The only light on at this point was the kitchen light, so I ran to it and saw that the pilot lights for the stove were off.
"Why are they off? I know that they were on a minute ago. What happened to Austin?" I muttered to myself as I looked through the cabinets and found a lighter. I lit the pilot lights and turned the gas up so at least if the kitchen light goes out I will have the burners for a light source.
Just as I get them going, the kitchen light flickers off with a popping sound and the stove burners became a great source of light. When I looked up I saw a shadow moving in the darkness coming towards me.
"Stay back!" I squeaked out after I tried to yell but my voice broke from being so scared. I put up my hands to keep it away from me and close my eyes.
"Beating...heart...will...no longer." A woman whispered in my ear but then I recognized the voice, it was my neighbor Hannah from the other side of the complex. I suddenly could smell something burning and realized that a rag that had been sitting on the counter on the other side of the kitchen was on the stove on fire. I tried to grab the rag to throw it on the ground to stomp it out but I couldn't move, then I saw my neighbor smile just before she caught on fire and screamed in pain.
I could feel the fire getting closer to me and as my legs caught fire, my neighbor hugged me in a warm embrace and all I could think about as I was engulfed in fire was how warm she was.
The next day:
The fire department had finally went through the last of the rubble from the fire and found the last two bodies. They were college students by the names of Amber and Austin. Austin had fallen from the second floor stairwell as he and Amber fled from the fire. He died on impact and she had become trapped under burning rubble. Amber's roommate Jessie was in class when the fire had started and so afterwards she moved to a new apartment across the complex.
"Hey Jessie, how do you like the new apartment? Your room is over there. There is a spacious walk-in closet and private bathroom." The new roommate said as she came in carrying a small box. She pointed across the living room to show a nice size bathroom right across her room with a small utility closet between them.
"Oh, and please call me Hannah." She says with a smile as Jessie walked her box into her room and laid it on her bed.
