Horror means something different to everyone. To some, it's the subtlety, existentialism, the things where the more you think about it, the more you dread reality. To others, horror is something terrifying to look at, be it a monster, a demon, or something in nature that terrifies you to be around. Whatever the case may be, horror is horror all the same. It isn't just something we fear in the moment, it's the story and the scarring memories that come of it.
Unpacking was supposed to be the easy part of this entire moving experience. I'd spent several days trying to figure out who was going to help me move, what the place was even going to look like, and where it even was in the building. Sure, I should have shown up to get a tour of the place, but it's a little challenging when your only ride up there refuses to help you out.
It was frustrating, attempting to do everything I needed to in order to get the place all within the first 30 minutes of being in the new town you're going to be living in. Your first 30 minutes spent in stress and frustration.
I dropped down on the couch and turned on my television. It was the only thing I'd had completely set up and out of the box after moving in. The music from the starting show blared from the speakers, making me jump. My hands scrambled for the remote to get the TV back down to a reasonable volume. After it was quiet again, I breathed a sigh of relief and slumped back down. I was feeling tense, like I would have my neighbors pounding down my door at any given moment.
After a few moments of silence outside my apartment, I felt like I could finally relax. I looked to see what was on TV, it was some animated kids show with a kangaroo venturing through the woods with a couple woodland creatures frolicking along with them. I figured if I was a kid I would be somewhat into this. I hummed along to one of the songs before getting up and doing even more unpacking.
I opened a cardboard box and nearly screamed when I saw a brown mouse pop out. It looked at me for a few moments before taking off and hiding beneath the couch. I was so freaked out that I had no idea what to do about it. I knew I had to call someone.
It was just nearing sundown. I don't usually take jobs this late in the day but I was friends with the landlord, and I owed her. I looked up at the building as I made my way to the back of my pest control vehicle. I opened the back doors and looked over the shelves and shelves of tools and traps and chemicals. I grabbed what I needed, a few things from each shelf, packed them all into my bag, and shut the door.
I reached for the front door to the apartment complex and saw that the doors wouldn't budge. I'd forgotten they needed some special passcode to get inside. I pondered through my head, as I didn't want to have to call anyone this late to remind me of the code. That's when it popped into my head. I punched the numbers in the keypad in hopes of it working, and it did. I breathed a sigh of relief and stepped inside.
I made my way up to the third floor. Why did the kid have to live so high up? I finally found his door and knocked. I waited a few moments and could hear the squeaky floorboards inside. The door flew open and a nervous looking man looked to me.
"Hi, I heard you had a rodent problem," I said with a smile, trying to break the awkward tension.
"Yeah, the mouse problem," he said nervously. "Come on in."
Was this guy really that nervous to be around people? I didn't want him to feel uncomfortable around me. Of course, I had a job to focus on.
"Where's the last place you saw the mouse?" I asked after setting my bag down and began digging inside. "Was he inside a room, hiding beneath something, or what?"
"Last I saw it ran into the closet," he said, pointing toward a closed door. He still looked so nervous.
I made my way to the door and flung it open. It looked to be a dark hallway with a bar hanging across the top, but in an awkward direction. I stepped inside, looking at the ground, cautious to not startle the mouse. Just as I'd made it a decent way inside, I saw the room get darker. I looked behind me and saw the kid was shutting the door on me.
I ran to the door, struggling to open it but the knob wouldn't turn. Was he really locking me inside?
"I'm sorry," I heard the kid say nervously. "The mouse made me do it."
"What the hell are you talking about?" I shouted.
Just then, I heard a scurrying of small footsteps scampering across the wood floor behind me. I felt something crawl up my leg and bite me hard, taking a chunk of skin with it. I fought against the pain as I pounded against the door. I felt another mouse run up my leg and dig it's paws into my eyes, ripping them from my head. A swarm of them followed, tearing me limb from limb until I was reduced to nothing.
Unpacking was supposed to be the easy part of this entire moving experience. I'd spent several days trying to figure out who was going to help me move, what the place was even going to look like, and where it even was in the building. Sure, I should have shown up to get a tour of the place, but it's a little challenging when your only ride up there refuses to help you out.
It was frustrating, attempting to do everything I needed to in order to get the place all within the first 30 minutes of being in the new town you're going to be living in. Your first 30 minutes spent in stress and frustration.
I dropped down on the couch and turned on my television. It was the only thing I'd had completely set up and out of the box after moving in. The music from the starting show blared from the speakers, making me jump. My hands scrambled for the remote to get the TV back down to a reasonable volume. After it was quiet again, I breathed a sigh of relief and slumped back down. I was feeling tense, like I would have my neighbors pounding down my door at any given moment.
After a few moments of silence outside my apartment, I felt like I could finally relax. I looked to see what was on TV, it was some animated kids show with a kangaroo venturing through the woods with a couple woodland creatures frolicking along with them. I figured if I was a kid I would be somewhat into this. I hummed along to one of the songs before getting up and doing even more unpacking.
I opened a cardboard box and nearly screamed when I saw a brown mouse pop out. It looked at me for a few moments before taking off and hiding beneath the couch. I was so freaked out that I had no idea what to do about it. I knew I had to call someone.
It was just nearing sundown. I don't usually take jobs this late in the day but I was friends with the landlord, and I owed her. I looked up at the building as I made my way to the back of my pest control vehicle. I opened the back doors and looked over the shelves and shelves of tools and traps and chemicals. I grabbed what I needed, a few things from each shelf, packed them all into my bag, and shut the door.
I reached for the front door to the apartment complex and saw that the doors wouldn't budge. I'd forgotten they needed some special passcode to get inside. I pondered through my head, as I didn't want to have to call anyone this late to remind me of the code. That's when it popped into my head. I punched the numbers in the keypad in hopes of it working, and it did. I breathed a sigh of relief and stepped inside.
I made my way up to the third floor. Why did the kid have to live so high up? I finally found his door and knocked. I waited a few moments and could hear the squeaky floorboards inside. The door flew open and a nervous looking man looked to me.
"Hi, I heard you had a rodent problem," I said with a smile, trying to break the awkward tension.
"Yeah, the mouse problem," he said nervously. "Come on in."
Was this guy really that nervous to be around people? I didn't want him to feel uncomfortable around me. Of course, I had a job to focus on.
"Where's the last place you saw the mouse?" I asked after setting my bag down and began digging inside. "Was he inside a room, hiding beneath something, or what?"
"Last I saw it ran into the closet," he said, pointing toward a closed door. He still looked so nervous.
I made my way to the door and flung it open. It looked to be a dark hallway with a bar hanging across the top, but in an awkward direction. I stepped inside, looking at the ground, cautious to not startle the mouse. Just as I'd made it a decent way inside, I saw the room get darker. I looked behind me and saw the kid was shutting the door on me.
I ran to the door, struggling to open it but the knob wouldn't turn. Was he really locking me inside?
"I'm sorry," I heard the kid say nervously. "The mouse made me do it."
"What the hell are you talking about?" I shouted.
Just then, I heard a scurrying of small footsteps scampering across the wood floor behind me. I felt something crawl up my leg and bite me hard, taking a chunk of skin with it. I fought against the pain as I pounded against the door. I felt another mouse run up my leg and dig it's paws into my eyes, ripping them from my head. A swarm of them followed, tearing me limb from limb until I was reduced to nothing.
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