The Footsteps

 23.34

DESICAN 

“I’m home, buddy.”

 Jessica stormed into the room.

“Hey, Jess… what took you so long?” Anna was perplexed to see Jessica storming into the room.

Anna and Jessica shared a 1BHK room in an apartment near the cold town of Dessican. Their apartment was over 50 years old and it's being renovated. Jessica worked in a supermarket as the cashier while Anna was a sales executive working in the same supermarket. Anna’s work commences at 22.00 but Jessica being a cashier worked a half-hour extra as the cash has to be denominated and should be sent to their superiors. 

“Aww it’s Harris, he again started to give me more burden Anna.” 

“Jeez… I thought he was flirting with you, Jess.” Anna chuckled at her own antics.

 “Woah…. Very funny Anna, well did you buy the doughnuts and milkshake?” Jessica and Anna usually take their supper at 23.00 as their work was very tiresome and they were not financially well suited. So, they lived a normal life but both girls never felt bad or worried about their condition.

“It’s time for bed Jess,” Anna cuddled in the mattress very sleepy.

‘Pat. Pat… Pat…’ 

Footsteps pounded up above their floor. It was from the room above theirs.

“Oh No! not again,” Anna cursed to herself. 

“Come on Jess they might be on a night shift or something, they would may go after a few minutes,” Jessica was very tired and was sleepy.

Both girls were sound asleep. The clock ticking past 23.55 and it struck midnight. The dong went on. So did the footsteps. Again, there was the sound beaming up into Jessica’s ear which irritated her like anything. The sound soon faded away. But started a few moments later now very heavy.

“Curse you… Curse you idiots.”

 Anna was fast asleep and woke up only to the anguished screaming of the voice of Jessica. 

“What the fuss are you creating Jess…”

Anna shouted. Anna saw the reflection of a shadow near the window and began to walk towards it, assuming it to be Jessica.

 When she neared the window… 

“Hey, Anna, why the hell are you shouting at this hour?” 

Anna was startled to hear the voice behind her… And slowly turned back and was horrified to see Jessica still in their bed muttering in her sleep.

“If Jessica is on the bed whose shadow did I see before…” Anna’s blood went cold. 

‘Thud. thud…Thud...’

 The sound of the footsteps started again. But it was not from the room above. It was right behind the bedroom door. Anna frightened to her heights started to panic. The power outraged now added to her fear.

“Jess … Jess... wake up Jess.” Anna woke Jessica up.

“What happened Anna?” Jessica was still in her dreamy state and her eyes were still half shut.

‘THUD…. THUD, THUD.’

Now the voice was very loud and it was nearing them. Jessica horrified at the scene now jumped up from the bed.

“Annnnaaaa…, I’m scared what do we do now,” Jessica now completely out of her sense was very scared that she started to cry.

Suddenly the voice stopped pounding and it was quiet again. Slowly Anna and Jessica neared the bedroom door. Anna slowly removed the latch and opened the door and both could not see anything in the dark. But they were sure that there was someone maybe something in the dark. The main door was open ajar.

“Jess… did you leave the door open when you came?”

“Nope, Anna. I latched the door and I latched the second lock also. I am damn sure about that.” Jessica trembled at her own voice.

In spite of the dark, their hall mirror was still lit up with brightness as it reflected both of them clearly but it showed something moving behind them. The face of a gruesome-looking man with dark eyes reflected on the mirror. Both girls ran to the main door slamming the door shut. Now another problem rose to the girls. Now they were standing on the 13th floor, not the 12th floor their room used to be. 

“It’s the 13th floor; how come we appeared here Jess?”

“Jess…. Jess…”

Anna searched for Jessica but she was nowhere to be found.

“Hey Jess where are you? Jess...?” Anna couldn’t find any traces of Jessica. Suddenly something in the dark approached Anna rapidly. Anna searched a place to hide and suddenly a hand pulled Anna out of the floor into a room. Anna was about to scream. But a hand prevented her from screaming as it held Anna’s mouth shut.

“Hey Anna it’s me,” Jessica let Anna’s mouth free.

“Jess… Where are we now…?”

“On the room just above ours Anna. It was open when I entered.”

“WHAT ON THE WORLD ARE YOU TWO GIRLS DOING IN MY HOUSE?” 

The lights were on. And a weird looking man with a neck covered in shawl approached the crouched girls near the door.

“Sir… Sir. please don’t mistake us, something is happening out there now and it feels that we are being kidnapped, will you spare us a moment to call the 911 sir?”

The man didn’t say a word and went to his room.

Anna dialled the 911 and soon a voice of male police voiced up from the other end.

“Hello, this is 911. May I help you?” 

“Sir. Sir, please help us we have an emergency at Hoff Land apartment, we are being hunted by someone. Please help us, sir.”

Anna’s voice was very shaky that the officer on the other hand was quite left aback when he heard their apartment’s name. 

“Which flat no: are you now in mam?” The officer asked. 

Jessica urged Anna towards the number board that she saw when she entered the room. Even though the background was dark, Jessica was clearly able to see the flat number. 

“It’s no: 136 sir, a weird looking man is here and I think he is the inmate here,” Anna said.

The voice at the other hand paused for a moment.

“Listen, miss, you girls should leave the room now immediately.”

The officer seemed to be in an alarmed state.

“Why sir? What is the problem here?”

“Because the weird looking man you saw is impossible to be there. Before 13 months the only inmate in the flat no:136 committed suicide and gave his soul to the satanic rituals he was practising there. He killed more than 8 young girls by luring them to his room and sacrificed them all to the devil by killing them very cruelly. We have sealed and locked the room long before…... I… haaaveee……”

The trailing voice now hung down. Anna looked at the alarming face of Jessica petrified with horror. Anna saw in the direction where Jessica has been looking. She slightly slid the door near the main door. And she saw the scene which froze her blood. Blood splattered all over the room with the holy cross pointed downwards and a 3-digit number scribbled all over the room. Numbers were a palindrome and it read 666. 

Now the girls knew who the man was…. 

“THUD…THUD…THUD….” 

THE END