The Return Home

Finally, an open spot, Harold thought to himself. He had just gotten off of work and he was just ready for this day to end, working overtime the past few days had begun to take its toll. The parking garage connecting his apartment is unusually crowded tonight. Well that is a price you have to pay whenever you live near the party district, but even for a Friday there was a lot of people. Probably one of the bars was holding a concert for a popular band or something of that nature, that seems to always happen September around here. Putting the car into park, Harold raised his head and let out a heavy sigh and rubbing his eyes, trying to find the energy to walk to his apartment. Thinking about the flight of stairs from the 5th to the 2nd floor made filled him with dread, why did the elevator have to break down this week of all things. Finding the motivation, all be it reluctantly, Harold grabbed his suit jacket and tie exited his car. He absent-mindedly made his way to the stairs on the other side, being too occupied with the thought of going to bed that he didn't see the other car coming. What could have been a devastating accident, it was nearly avoided with the driver slamming on the brakes. With the driver honking his horn, Harold returned to his senses and was now at least aware of what was going on around him, jumping a little as he moved to the side to let it pass. As he watched them pass, he was able to compose himself and continue to make his way to the stairs.

Upon opening the door that lead to the stairs, Harold began to feel uneasy and felt as though he was being watched. Propping the door open, he turned back to the parking garage to see if someone was there, thinking it might have just been the driver of the car that almost hit him. Not seeing anyone, Harold realized that he felt the gaze coming from within the stairway, though as he turned back, he didn't see anyone within the stairway with him. A little unnerved by this, once the adrenaline began pumping through, Harold rushed down the stairs till he was on the second floor. Trying to open the door connecting the garage to the complex he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Thankfully the door didn't give him too much trouble and rushed inside hoping to make it to his apartment.

In his panic, Harold was already down the hall and around the corner when he turned to see if anything was behind him. Behind him, he could see what appeared to be a man peaking around the corner, seemingly watching what he was doing. Based on his features, the man wouldn't seem too out of the ordinary, appearing to be a white male who appeared to be in his late 40s early 50s with graying blonde hair and his face beginning to develop wrinkles. Still Harold was horrified to see that the man was peering from the top of the hall, about 8 or 9 ft off the ground. His eyes were wide with intrigue and seemed to be studying Harold very closely. Scared about what might happen next, Harold turned and ran to try to escape by getting to his apartment. His apartment was just a short distance away, so close that he was already fishing his keys out of his pocket in order to quickly unlock his door. Once he made it to his front door, Harold fumbled and dropped his key. Panicked, he quickly he bent to down to pick them up and looking through his key ring to find the right on. Finding it, he put the key in the lock and quickly unlocked the door. Finally, home at last. A wave of relief washed over as he began to open his door. This night can finely end he thought to himself. "Howdy Neighbor," a voice behind him caused his heart to race. Looking over his shoulder he was terrified to see what was behind him. Behind him stood the man from earlier but his inhuman body was could be seen. He was not wearing any clothes and, unlike his head, his body appeared gray in color and had the anatomy of a store mannequin . His torso was of average size but his arms and legs were elongated, making him look as though he was a humanoid cellular spider, with his limbs being about 4 times as long as his body. Frozen with fear, Harold tried to find the power to move as the thing began to reach one of its arms toward him.