The Rule of the Apartment

Alex’s last box of personal effects came down on the bed with an unpleasant rattle. He might have been more careful with the container, considering its ‘fragile’ label, but Alex had enough with moving for the day. He was not a fit sort of folk, and couldn’t be bothered to care after how long the move had taken. Outside the window, he could see that the day was already drained completely of it’s light. 

“Last box, thank God.” With an unpleasant hack, Alex let out a cough, then sniffed. The place was unusually dusty, and he could swear there was animal fur, but a beggar couldn’t be a chooser. The studio was a steal of a deal, and the perfect place to get away from his past mistakes. Besides, he thought that he had probably just been overexerting himself. 

Alex looked up at the moldy looking ceiling and leaned back into the bed to rest. Before his head even touched the mattress, an invasive ring resonated through the room, signalling the doorbell. He shot back up with surprise. “Who?” thought Alex. He had quite literally just arrived, and the hour was dark.

The walk to the front door was short, and his eye met the height of the peephole. The silver haired and denim clad landlady, whom he had only made acquaintance with in the late afternoon of his arrival, was waiting. Alex didn’t want to get on her bad side, and opened the door. 

“Miss Jen, good evening.” He rocked the door awkwardly.

“Hello, Alex. I know it’s late. There were just a few things I didn’t get a chance to tell you about regarding the apartment earlier. Do you have a moment, dear? I’ll be out of your hair after.”

“Sure, sure.” He waved her in. 

She wasted no time, and waddled in. “Thank you, dear. Now I know it’s your first night, and you’d probably like to get settled.” She waved her finger. “Just some standard rules, deary. Quiet hours after ten P.M., make sure to be settled by then. No smoking inside, are you a smoker, Alex?”

“No, Miss Jen. Can’t say I’m partial to the things.” 

Her aging face crinkled. “Good, good for you sweetie… There’s just one more thing we didn’t discuss. You can’t leave your apartment between two and three in the morning.”

Alex’s brow tensed in amusement. “Pardon?”

“No leaving between two and three.” she repeated. “These parts just aren’t so safe, dear… There are a few bars nearby, you see. Anyone up at that time might run into a malcontent. Simply not safe, deary.”

“I see.” Alex let his eyebrows raise a little, but he couldn’t get a question in before she began to ramble on.

“Malcontents, yes… yesiree! They come knocking right on your window, even, the old bludgeons… Ignore them if they do.”

“Knocking, on our windows?” he asked.

“Oh yes, they have no shame, the bloody creatures.” There was a pause between the two, and the silence disturbed Alex. Then she continued. “Well, I told you I’d be out of your hair quickly. You have a good first night here, please make yourself comfortable.” She took a few steps into the low light of the hall. “And dear.” She turned and looked deeply, as if far past his room. “Remember what I said.”

The door closed, and Alex sat once again. “Great. A crazy landlady. Just what I get for…” He let it go. She was far too old to hold an angry thought against, and Alex knew it wouldn’t do any good. “Sleep.” he thought. “I just need to get some sleep, tomorrow I’ll feel better. Finish this damn unpacking.” 

He laid his head low onto a pillow. Try as he might while the hours passed, sleep would not find him. To make matters worse between tossing and turning, his cough worsened. A rainstorm slowly crept in while he thrashed away the night. The patters and pitters against the roof and windows grew ominous in volume, and certainly did nothing to assist Alex in his rest.

He had enough, stood up, and walked to the restroom for sleep medication. 

Tut, tut, tut…

A “What?” barely escaped Alex lips. He thought he had heard a knocking on glass, and looked to his window. Nothing but the rain.

He felt like he was losing it on this wave of tiredness. He walked back to the restroom cabinet and slid the small door open with a creak… empty.

“Damn it… Of course.” He palmed his face in frustration. The medicine was still outside in the rental van, he had kept it in the front seat in case he needed anything during the long drive. Alex snatched the keys, slipped into his shoes and headed out to brave the rain. His van was a short walk away, and the soft cold bites of the raindrops didn't bug him. 

He was by the passenger side door before long, and found himself thumbing around the dark compartments of the vehicle. He pulled out his phone for the light, and spotted the bag of varying medicines which had fallen under the seat. “There you are.” After grabbing the bag, Alex looked back to his phone to turn off the light. The screen clock revealed to him that it was past two. Then behind him, he heard footsteps running up, and in a panic, turned.

Nothing but rain against the cement streets, but Alex heart was now racing. He was sure he had heard footsteps quickening. There was a thought he may have mistaken a rain spout for the noise, but there was no shaking the unease. Alex made his way back to the apartment, closed, and then with a click locked the door. He wasted no time popping open his sleeping pills, and then downed quite a few.

And then, over the roaring waters…

Tut tut tut…

He had heard it again… The window?

TUT TUT - and then a screeching noise. It was terrible sound of several nails dragging along glass.

Alex ran out to take view of the disturbance, but quickly wished he hadn’t. The creeping elongated face of a man - no - it was far too inhuman. Something, was at the window. In the dark, he could barely make sense of its grotesque shape and crooked protrusions. It seemed like an animal, and yet the nails on its hands clawed and tapped against the window. 

Tut tut tut.

The shimmer of its silky pale eye followed Alex as he paced back in terror. His breaths were stressed and quick, and in folly his ankle caught against the corner of the wall, tripping. The freakish thing jumped forward at the opportunity like a predator to prey, crashing straight through the window. Alex was screaming. He fumbled his way to a stance, and rushed out the door following the only response his body allowed, run.

Alex was nearly crying as he slammed against the van door. He was frantic. He checked his pocket. The key wasn't there. 

In the downpour, Alex froze to the sound of soft clicking steps. Wide-eyed, he turned and was met by Miss Jen, who stood under a crooked umbrella.

“Oh dear. Would you look at the time, Alex? Not even one night, and we broke the rules.” Her eyes were glazed over in pure black. Behind her was a hulking creep of bones and viscera, lurching forward from the apartments. It ran on all fours with spindly human arms, and its nails were ripping apart against the cement. 

Alex was frozen, leaning backwards into the van door enough to dent it. Just as the creature was about to set upon him, there was an eerie pause. Teeth were hovering just in front of his fear contorted face. As if giving permission, Miss Jen waved her free arm. He let out a final scream before his voice was cut by the creature ripping down into his torso.