Floor 13

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The Italian gasp, sitting up in her apartment bed, breathing hard. She held on to her head, remembering the horrifying dream she had.

"God, I hate nightmares." She breathe out, in her language.

Marzia reached over to the lamp and switched it on, and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. But as she sat there, she felt as if something was wrong and out of place. Looking around her bedroom, she could see her drawings and paintings.

Normal. They were still in the same place, and stayed how they looked before.

"That stupid nightmares is getting to me." She sighed. "Maybe a glass of water or something will help."

She jumps down off the bed, going towards the door. Shaking off the feeling, she twisted the knob and opened the door, which led to the living room and kitchen. Simply flipping on the light and walks straight towards the kitchen .

BUMP

That type of noise made Marzia jump and turn around in a flash. She sees that one of her paintings had just fallen off the wall and calms down. Getting closer to it, she notices it's one of her favorites. A dark figure with golden eyes.

Beginning to pick it up, she starts to see that the figure sees to be coming out of the painting. She becomes frighted and backs away from it. As each step she takes, its seems its coming towards her. With arms coming out of the painting it grabs onto her ankle.

"STOP!" She screams out terrified."Let me go!"


She continues screaming and begins kicking the painting to get it to let go.

 
"Tom! This is dangerous, this is not an animal! He comes into my dreams! But... He's changed. He's more powerful. Look what he's done tto me! LOOK!" she wails through insanity, motioning to her apartment, where almost every surface has the word "blood" written or scratched into it.
 
One moment Danielle had felt alone, so alone, in the dark. And now, it was kind of becoming a tad crowded in this slim hallway. Acknowledging all the others as they showed up with a blink to each, she listened to them all. The scratching noise was common between everyone, so, at least that wasn't just her mind playing tricks on her. A sigh of relief, she was sane once more. Pushing herself off from the wall, shoulders back and back up straight, she squinted at the faces around her. She recognized a few.. but not all of them. Knowing that they all lived in the same building, on the same floor, however, helped reassure her for some reason. She felt more.. safe now than before. Also, noticing the wooden spoon she had been carrying along with her as a weapon had a smidgen of spaghetti sauce still on it, she thought, perhaps the Monster terrorizing them had a weakness for human food. If that was the case, she'd definitely be the most valuable member of their strange, awkward group. Yeah, wouldn't that just be a catch. Suddenly, Dani felt brave. Holding her chin up high, a few strands of hair were thrown off from her forehead as she cleared her throat.

"I agree. We should all go speak with the superintendent, right away."

There. She gave her two cents. Good job, girl. Good job.
As her arms came back down to hang at her sides, Dani jumped at the loud BANG of a door coming to a close in the hall. Finding the outline of another figure, she blinked a few times before recognizing him as well, seeing as he was one of the rooms closer to her own. What was his name.. something that began with an 'L'? Lucas?.. Leon!.. No, it was a 'J'. Jim. Jake. Johnny.. Jonathan! Proud to remember more names than she had expected herself to with all of these bodies around her, it took a moment longer for Danielle to notice how heavily he was breathing. Taking a step towards him, her brows furrowed in immediate concern. It was the big sister in her, it came out whenever she saw someone in shock, worry, pain, or distress,

"Jonathan?.. What happened? What did you see?"
In the dim light, she could see how his eyes twitched. It was like he witnessed something horrifying. And with everything that was going on thus far tonight, she would not be surprised at this point if he said he saw a giant giraffe spitting acid outside his window at a gorilla wearing an old lady hat.
She really needed to stop watching Japanese cartoons late at night..​
 
Marzia continues scream and kicking in fear until the painting lets go of her. She had time to run back into to the kitchen, away from the horrifying painting and quickly grabbing a knife from the knife block set.

The painting is busy crawling towards her, with the torso now out. Marzia sees it crawling after her, busy trying to get a good aim, the painting grabs onto her ankle once more causing her to fall again. It scratches her leg causing Marzia to scream louder than before.

Back getting her focus, she was only able to stab it in the shoulder. She hears is shrike as it bleeds black ink, she takes her chance stabbing it again, making it shrike more. The painting takes it chances as well scratching her back, the scratches cause her to bleed and she stabs it once more and kicks it away from her.

She first looks at it full of shock and horror, but snaps out of it and runs around it. She runs to the door unlocking it going it into the hallway. Covered in ink and some scratches that are bleed she leans onto the wall, trying to catch her breathe.

She slides down onto the floor, remembering the events.

"Even worse than the nightmare." The Italian says.
 
"Danielle?" he said surprised to see her in the hallway along with most of the other tenants of floor 13. "Why…Why is everyone hanging out in the hallway?" His response was clearly an avoidant act, trying to disassociate himself from what had just happened.

Recognizing this action after the fact he shook his head and he looked back down again running his fingers alog the surface of the high traffic carpet.

"I'm not quite sure how to say this without sounding completely mad…But there was this awful scraping sound, and then the lights…" He wiggled his fingers slightly to indicate flickering. "And then it began to follow me around the apartment. Danielle, I think there's something, living inside my walls."

Disbelief was evident in his own voice as he spoke these words. He laughed nervously as he rolled clumsily into a low squat before coming to his feet and dusting off his slacks before leaning back against the wall and folding his arms uneasily.

"Or maybe its just my mind's playing tricks on me. The night can do strange things to you when you're up late by yourself."
 
Abigail walks up to her neighbors. "You know, I was being really freaky last night... the second law of thermodynamics can do that to you. Well, anyway, hope there's no more noises tonight!" She said, faking a laidback smile.

When she lied down on her bed, all she could do was think. Everyhting that had happened... everyone heard it... this isn't a coincedence. Someone... Something is here. I have to find it. I have to see it, she thought.

She pulled out a notebook and started recording what she saw.

"Stay calm. Stay calm. Steady observation gets the job done."
 
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[dash=darkred]ELEANOR MCARTHUR

It seems that everyone on the floor is in a frenzy, but at least they were also hearing the scratching. As to the banging, perhaps that was just my overactive imagination trying to add to the level of horror that I outwardly perceived. The mind was a cruel mistress! One of the females was calling names, and I gathered that the girl on the ground must be Danielle then, and one of the two males was called Tom. Hell if I knew which one I could barely remember my own name some days. The bald one standing next to Danielle was the only one to really answer any of my questions. He seemed to think we should get ahold of the super and let them know what was going on.

Yes, a grand idea. At an ungodly hour of the night let us go bother the super about weird scratching noises that we all seem to be hearing in our minds in the middle of a pitch dark hallway with people--BANG! I jumped some and gasped as I turned to see another male appear on the floor nearby. My eyes turned to stare down at him, he looked familiar, but then again everyone here looked familiar. If I were in a better state of mind I might consider writing this experience as a new psychological thriller and try to pave my way in the world of writers. I'd tried every other genre, so why not attempt horror or thriller? It was then Danielle addressed the man on the floor as Jonathan. Then the other female began to get frantic.

"Tom! This is dangerous, this is not an animal! He comes into my dreams! But... He's changed. He's more powerful. Look what he's done tto me! LOOK!"

We must have been near her apartment as she was pointing frantically at her dark doorway. My eyes scanned that way but then a thought occurred to me. He?

"What do you mean he? Do you KNOW who is doing this?" I said gripping my scissors tightly again. If they KNEW why weren't they telling me?! My eyes fell accusingly upon them all, perhaps unjustly, but in my own defense it was a godforsaken hour, I'd had a horrifying nightmare, and no one was making any sense right now.

"Look, if you know who is doing this, you should tell someone. I don't think the super needs 6 people raving about the same story. If you need me I'm going back to my apart--" There were more screams. This time coming from inside one of the apartments. My head jerked in that direction as I drew my hands up to my mouth some, the scissors clearly still held. Okay, maybe there WAS more going on here. My eyes quickly glanced from the small gathering group then toward the direction of the screaming. Okay, fine some happy thoughts...

No. This was silly everyone was just having a very bad night and freaking out over nothing. The group was getting uncomfortably big. Anything more than two MAYBE three people was too much of a crowd for me. I hated crowds. They were scary and i didn't like to be looked at or the center of attention. "Look, maybe we should all just go back to our rooms and forget--" the screaming got worse. I winced and bit my lower lip again with a sigh. Maybe one of us should go look into that. I wanted to say it, but I'm sure it was already said or known among the other human beings. Instead my feet remained planted a moment before with a heavy sigh I turned, "Right...I'll go" I said quietly, and began to trudge down the dark hall toward the source of the frantic screaming. One hand was against the wall to help guide me as my eyes still hadn't adjusted to the dimness for one reason or another. Ugh, what a night!

I had to guess which apartment the screaming had come from as they had abruptly stopped. Walking through the hall though it was as if I were back in my dream trudging through the molasses like air, and a chill was taking me from my core outward. Weird. Finding the door I stopped before it and lifted my hand with a slow effort. Reluctance took over again as I looked around, but finally my will won out as I reached forward and knocked gently, "What's going on. Are you okay?" I called through the door with what I could muster, which wasn't much.
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Abigail stammers to Eleanor. "S-sorry. It's nothing. I'm fine. Just... i thought i saw something in my dreams, and i thought he was doing it. It was just a long night, you know what I'm saying, right?" she says with a nervous laugh.
 
Naomi Scott
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For once, I was actually able to enjoy a day…

It was rather sunny though, but Sabian found a nice shady place to sit. We only had a few minutes to finish our Subway sandwiches before the interview. I doused down the last drops of my iced mocha before dusting the crumbs off my cheeks and reapplying my lipstick.

Ah, Sabian's such a messy eater… That smudge of honey mustard is not becoming, but at least he doesn't have to stand before the camera. I took the corner of my napkin to fix his face knowing I would be staring at that one spot throughout the entire interview… It's too hot to stay out to make a fool of myself during a live cast, so it's best I don't have a reason to laugh.

***

"…And tonight at 10, we'll meet the philanthropist who has generously taken it upon herself to offer more culture to our humble city. Here, at Harkaway Park, construction begins for a new music conservatory and outdoor auditorium to honor The Arts; dated to be completed in 2014…"

SCREECH!

I didn't have time to blink, to turn in response to the steamy whiff of engineered heat, motor oil and burnt rubber. Someone yelled in my ear and a cold, hard object jabbed my temple. It felt…refreshing against my hot skin…; funny how that was my first thought at the touch of the gun. My reaction to Sabian's distorted face was also – abnormal. I thought he was making faces at me and that cool surprise on my head was from a passing bird up above.

But, he screamed and reached for me. Then he stopped… that's when the arm around my waste tightened, expelling rapidly the last breath my lungs held. That's when I realized my predicament. And then…

***

I saw faces, but they were not distinguished enough to make out any expression, any familiarity to the many faces I'd memorized throughout my career. They were dark…like their voices…like the void I was being dragged into; the back of a van… I know I fought them off, and they were not keen on the idea that I wasn't afraid to fight with that gun to my head. But they didn't shoot. They didn't want me dead.

So, what did they want me for?

I asked… I remember asking them. They didn't like that either…that I had enough wits about me to force them to talk, to force them to waste their time. They hit me across the back of my head several times. I don't know what happened after that, but I wasn't out long. I saw Sabian was still there, trying to get to me, to talk to them - to continue rolling film for the live news broadcast. They didn't know that they were being watched by hundreds of eyes, but we did.

And I continued to stall, and he continued to film…

***

It was a gunshot, not the sliding door slamming. They shot him, and then slammed the door. I don't know if I started to cry or not.

Then…I remember something being thrown over my head. It stunk of earthen potatoes and dirty socks. It was black, and scratchy, and tight…it was tight because I was fighting them again, and one of them held me back by pulling it tighter around my face and throat. I kept fighting, and crying this time, and screaming… I could feel the bag sticking to the back of my head. It was so hot under that bag – it was getting harder to breath…

They were not going to take me, not if I could help it.
But, there was nothing I could do…
And all I can remember now…is how close I was to dying at the hands of strangers.

***

And the darkness… the cold, stinking dark. It was – different, not like before. It didn't smell like rancid filth, marijuana and sex. It didn't even look the same either. No, she wasn't in the van anymore… Her feet were not sticking to a blood-slicken metal floor. Instead, she was standing on hardwood.

Naomi looked up to find herself in the hallway of her apartment.

The lights were off for some reason. If they were off due to a storm, the emergency lights would be up. IT was policy for the Sup. to kept the hall lights on for the night owls' return, but not tonight.

She began to walk down the hall. The light switch sat beside the far exit doorway heading downstairs.
They should put a sign that reminds the tenants to leave it on at night, it's not safe otherwise, she thought.

"It's not safe to walk down the hall alone either."

Her heart stopped…her sight blurred as her pupils constricted. That voice…shrill and wicked was right at her ear. She turned with fear molding her muscles into stone.

Invisible hands were suddenly all over her – pulling, squeezing, scratching, hitting… Naomi screamed and kicked, punched, scratched, pushed, until the unknowing salad fingers released her. She fell to the floor, but didn't stay there long enough to feel the impact. She was up on her feet – running for her life. She knew if she looked over her shoulder it would slow her down, but she did it anyway. All she could see was a freakishly bright light chasing her – catching up now. Naomi focused on the end of the hallway – the exit door was at her reach, but beyond it still. She stretched her graceful fingers towards her salvation, a last ditch effort to get away, but a frigid slick tendril caught her ankle and yanked her back to the starting point.

She hit her head against the floor several times and then turned to face her abductor.

She saw a face, but it was not distinguishable enough to make out any expression, any familiarity to what she's seen before.
But, she has seen it… it was a sinister gloom that reeked of detestation – for her.

"It's good to have you home again."

Naomi screamed as the darkness dragged her deeper inside…

***

She was still kicking and screaming when she woke up, finding herself covered in the same dark, stinky darkness she left behind. Somehow, she was still in bed but there were things around here, on top of her, grabbing onto her. They scratched her as she fought her way out, reaching for the lamp – or something that created light – that sat on the piles of books on her bedside table.

"My books!"

Naomi took a breath, collecting herself when her eyes adjusted to the pile of books and magazines that toppled off of the shelves standing beside her bed.

"I must have kicked them dow…" she stopped, "That…dream…"

It was unreal, bizarre at how realistic it felt. She's always had dreams replaying that day, but never like this! She could have sworn that someone, or something, was restraining her. And that voice…it was happy to have her home?

She stood up with a wobble, still a little shaken up. She grabbed her cell phone off of the night stand and wove herself down the trail she'd through countless more books, newspapers, clothes and shoes, to reach the bathroom – which was rather clean. She flipped on the lights and grabbed her housecoat off the walk-in closet door near the entrance. She was still feeling the chill of the night – a mix of dotted fear, sweat, and memories she wished would stop replaying. But, memories are a treasure she daily digs for – even the nightmares.

"Sabian!"

"Wha-, Naomi, you can't be serious! It's too earl…"

"I had another dream…"

He stopped, yawned and seems to be finding his attention two steps ahead of his wakefulness. "Yes! Did you remember anything new? A detail you've missed before?" He was definitely awake now. He's been helping her in recalling details of her kidnapping, but the temporary amnesia just continues to reek havoc on her, more so in the past few days.

"No, it was the same…except…it changed. It was worse than before – but it wasn't about the kidnapping… I don't know what's going on, but something…something spoke to me in my dream."

"Something spoke to you?" She could hear the skepticism in his voice. "Maybe you've been staying up too late at my place. No more late night Miazaki movies for you, young lady."

"No, Sabian, I'm serious. It was freaky and said it was happy to see me home. And then it grabbed me and dragged me. I'm a bit freaked out about it all. It felt so real!"

He could hear the tension in her voice and how hard she was breathing. She was obviously in distress, which was not good for her. Her doctor mentioned that stress would only extend the memory loss. It's already been a month, he didn't want her going through another. As her cameraman began to lecture her with various 'one-liner - it's all going to be okay' lines, attempting to calm her down, Naomi looked up at her reflection in the large mirror before her. She didn't notice that the bathroom lights were off. She turned on the lights when she came in…

Suddenly, there was a sound, scratching… like teeth grinding against stone or claws against hardwood…or nails against porcelain. A harsh roasted breath seems to radiate from behind her, like someone was breathing down her throat. Her voice choked – an attempt to scream for help, to tell Sabian to come pick her up.

"Naomi? I didn't catch that…"

Her eyes started to water and the heat intensified. There was a deep shade behind her, forming into an unrecognizable shape, and a long tangle of shadow was suddenly forming around her neck – cutting off her means to respond.

"Naomi?"

"Naomi is no longer available. Press one to leave a message. Press two to leave a call-back number…"

The voice spoke. Naomi began to cry, scream, sounding hoarse after all the yelling she's done that night. She hoped Sabian could hear her and understand that something was wrong… All she got now was a busy signal.

She stormed out of the bathroom, finding her feet capable of flight and her neck free of binds. She tripped several times over the piles of items in her bedroom, rushing down her hallway and through her office that was, surprisingly spotless. She made it to the kitchen, also another location in her cluttered apartment that was livable. Quickly, she grabbed a cleaver from the knife rack and stopped…

"Catch yourself girl… don't fall. You've got to keep your wits about you. There's nothing here – you've got to believe yourself, not your dreams…"

Scratching…again that scratching was moving towards her, like a injured cat dragging itself by clawing it way down the hall. She wasn't going to look behind her again. She's seen enough horror movies to know that you should never look behind you, you should never investigate…and the black person always dies first!

"Hell No!"

She rushed to the front door with no plans on returning, not even packing an overnight bag to stay at Sabian's. Besides, his closets look better than hers; she didn't have to worry about anything like that – especially now! But, as soon as she reached for the doorknob, knowing safety was right outside…

scratch…Scratch…SCRATCH!

The hairs on her arm pricked up as her fingers stiffen against the knob. "It's out there too…," she whispered, trying to make sense of everything.

"Leaving so soon?"

Gasping, Naomi whipped around, finding nothing but the darkness and that same voice. Then all of a sudden there were eyes, little red, gleaming eyes blinking at her. One pair near the area where here TV sits, another pair near the window, and in the belly of her baby grand piano, and then another on the bar between the kitchen and living room.

She didn't care about the scratching noises outside. Keeping her eyes on the others, she fumbled for the doorknob. They moved it slowly, meticulously, like they had planned an ambush maneuver for just a time like this. She raised her cleaver with her cell phone glued to it, turned the knob and threw herself out of the door. Her back slammed into the door across the hall. Hands shaking as she kept the knife up – eyes steadily watching the shadows creep to her open door. A long, black shadow seem to reach up and slowly push the door closed.

Laughter… was it laughing at me? Was this all funny to it?
No, that laugh belong to hers…
 
[size=+1]Moving back into my apartment (though not before grabbing the knife I left in the doorway), I head for my studio. That corridor is way too dark to go traipsing off into, even with a group of people, and I'm still a… tad nervous about that scratching noise earlier that seems to have the whole corridor up in arms.

Such are the advantages of being a photographer; you always have a light source on-hand.

Reaching into one of the desk drawers, I withdraw a heavy maglite. The weight's a reassurance in my hands; should I encounter anything nasty in the dark I'll be able to hit it with this thing, if nothing else, and the beam's a powerful one. Suitably equipped, I head back out into the corridor.

"Okay, everyone," I say in a voice that sounds far more confident than I actually feel, "If we all just hold it here, Danielle and I can head downstairs and get the superintendent to come up and sort all this out." Assuming we can actually get him to do something about all this; bastard still hasn't fixed the goddamn hallway light, which would have been really useful right now.

With the beam of the maglite illuminating the way, Danielle and I begin to make our way down to the hallway exit. It's an L-shaped corridor, arcing right, and the absence of any light other than the flashlight and the rapidly-diminishing bulb outside my doorway makes the whole experience more than a little creepy. I'm suddenly very glad I'm not heading for the superintendent alone.

"Bet you he'll refuse to come up until the afternoon at the earliest," I grumble to Danielle, "Seriously, that bastard wouldn't know a hard day's work if it walked up to him and punched him in the face." This would not be the first time I've had to go down and try to get the superintendent to try and do his job; the idea of submitting a formal complaint was becoming increasingly tempting. "Ah, well," I mutter as we approach the doorway, "we're just gonna have to--"

My voice drops off mid-sentence as the beam from the light hits the door. For several seconds I stand there, horror-struck, as I take in the scene before me. I'm convinced I'm hallucinating, but no amount of blinking will make the horrific sight before me go away.

"What the fuck…?"[/size]


[size=+1]Where once there was a doorway that led away from the thirteenth floor, now there is something else entirely.

Something horrifying.

The doorframe is filled, but not by wood. In it's place is a solid, pulsating wall of putrid flesh. Sores, bruises and cuts cover the macabre wall, out of which pours a viscous dark substance.

It's enough to make the stomach heave. There is no other exit from the thirteenth floor of the Baynes Building. The residents are now on their own.

They have gone from dark dreams to waking nightmare…[/size]
 
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[dash=darkred]ELEANOR MCARTHUR

"Right.." I said bluntly through the door and turned with a sigh. This was crazy. What were we getting our panties all in a bunch for? I heard movements from back down the hall and heard the one named Tom make an announcement about him and Danielle going to the super. Fine. Someone was taking charge and going to get to the bottom of this. I didn't need to be here anymore. I was startled as I heard a bang against another door and almost manical laughter. I jumped with a start and gasp to see the outline of yet another terrified tenant wielding a quickly grabbed weapon (this time a knife). Turning I sighed and rubbed my temples. This was nuts. What was going on here?!

What indeed. This truly was turning into something straight out of a horror novel or movie. And we all know how those ended. Someone or multiples die, there's some psychological or paranormal explanation, the 'survivors' band together to try and escape, and in the end someone or a few do escape to tell of the horrific tale that none will ever believe. The end. Yeah, even I could write something like that. But this..this was real life. Shit like this doesn't REALLY happen, does it?

As I contemplated these thoughts I felt a pounding headache coming on as I grumbled some and turned back toward my apartment, "Hey, yeah if anyone needs me I'll be in my apartment." I called to whomever was still in the hall. What a night! Fumbling around in the dark for my door I finally found it as I pushed it open. i was greeted by a cool rush of air. Strange, I didn't remember turning on the AC. It was a pleasantly nice evening out. Frowning I crept in and tried the lights, but to no avail. Power outage perhaps? Wonderful. I stumbled around my darkened apartment tripping over things and stubbing my toe numerous times with choice curse words as I found my small kitchenette. Leaning on the small island counter I leaned over to rub my throbbing big toe. Turning to my kitchen drawers I began to open then and search through them for a flashlight. I know I shoved one in here a long time ago for power outages. Finally I find it as I check to make sure the batteries still work. Couple shakes and pounds on the counter and there was light! My lips curled into a triumphant smile. Well, least I could use this to find some candles. Then I could sit down and continue to write. I still was holding on to a small fragment of my dream and it was dying to get out.

With flashlight in hand, I moved to my hallway closet to rummage through my random junk for some candles and matches. Nothing like a good ambiance to inspire. As I rummaged I thought I heard faint voices coming from the front area. Pausing my shuffling I grabbed the flashlight and shinned it around the front, "Hello? Is someone there?" I called out waiting for a response that never came. Shrugging it off I returned to my searching, reaching on my tip toes to feel around on the top shelf. This time the whispers started again and I SWORE I heard someone very softly hiss out my name. Eleanor.

Starting I quickly grabbed for the flashlight, knocking it to the ground and on my toe as another curse escaped, "Hello? Who's there?! This isn't funny!" I said feeling my blood pressure rise and my heart race. I knelt down on the floor to try and find the flashlight, my foot of course knocking it away. Hearing it roll I crawled in the dark after it, the feeling of someone watching me upon my back. Finally, I caught hold of the flashlight and scanned its beam around the room. nothing. "Get a grip of yourself, Ella" I chided myself as I got back up and returned to my hunt for candles and matches. Though the whispering had stopped, I still couldn't shake the feeling of being watched...
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Things.. were certainly not getting any better tonight. Nope, just more and more disturbing scenes illustrated by words from the other floor mates. At least it was a good thing they all spoke of hearing these noises. There was that to think positive about, fortunately. Biting at her bottom lip as she listened to Jonathan tell his tale, Danielle kept her arms stacked against her abdominals. Her eyes fell down to watch as his digits flailed about, imitating how his lights flickered. That clearly wasn't normal, either.. Her mind began to trace back to all those horror flicks she had watched as a teenager. Many of them focused on paranormal activity, strange things happening that were unexplained, leaving an eerie aftermath along the passage of time. Maybe... Maybe they weren't all fiction, those flicks shown at the theatre that had her jumping, spilling her Skittles along the popcorn-littered ground.
Staring off into the distance as she took a trip along memory lane (which was quite peaceful at this time of night with no unpleasant traffic), she ran a hand through her hair and came back to focus. Stepping over and reaching down while bending a bit at the waist, Dani laid a palm on his shoulder, giving a couple light pats. Everyone was afraid, and it made the air thick with concern.
"You're not imagining it, Jon. We all heard something.. felt something."
At this moment, as she stood back up straight, breathing in deeply, Danielle really wished she could just make everything better for everyone. When it was all over, and everyone was back in bed, safe, sleeping soundly, perhaps she could make a nice cake. Yeah, a yellow cake with chocolate frosting, and sprinkles. That would be good for them all.. And everything would be alright. She smiled a little, glancing around at the rest of them, their uneasy expressions. "We're in this together, tonight. No one is alone", she said, wagging her wooden spoon along with her spoken response.

A conversation passed between the one with glasses, and the very jumpy individual. Eleanor and Abigail? Yeah.. That seemed right. At least everyone could get in some 'bonding time' at this moment. Honestly, Danielle had never seen all of her neighbors out at the same time like this. It was impressive.. in a sad, unsettling sense. Then her shoulders shot up, her spine curved a little as a shudder clawed up along it. That laughter.. it rang through her head like a sharp knife. Ooooh. That was not pleasant to experience.
Turning her head in the direction it came from, Tom had began to talk of a plan. Wide eyes still fixiated on the dark corner of the hall in which that noise drifted along from, her ears perked up at the mention of her name. "Hmm?" Snapping her head back over, she nearly lost her step and fell, but moved onto her toes to balance out once more. "Oh! Adventure!" Or, something like that. She'd rather look at this like a game, right now. It helped.. keep her mind off the feeling that the shadows were thickening, growing off from one another. Did it seem darker in the hall to anyone else?..

Hurrying along to follow him as he led the way, Dani clutched her spoon close, elbows out at her sides. She was ready for anything, anything that could go down with one hit of a kitchen utencil. It was a bit comforting, knowing Tom had a giant light to point out their path. So, there was that. Nodding in response to his grumbling, she thought back to every time she would wave 'Hello' to the superintendent. He was kind of a sourpuss, still, she made sure to greet him every time she could find him near the entrance. Someday he will smile and wave back. Someday, she was sure of it. It was a challenge she had accepted, and she wasn't one to back down.
Staring down at her feet as they moved along, Danielle began to open her mouth to speak. But, then Tom stopped talking... and walking.
"Tom, why-....."
It was all in slow-motion, that was the worst part. First, her chin lifted up, then her arms fell down to her sides, and her eyes began to tremble.

A couple bumps along the material before them throbbed, as if there was...some kind of life beneath It, whatever.. It was. Her hazel irises followed along each little crevice along.. what looked like.. skin. Actual flesh was hanging before them in the doorway.. there.. was no door. Yes, her jaw was hanging a bit, her lips had parted in a soundless expression.
What the fuck, indeed.

"T.. Tom?" She held still as she spoke, she couldn't bring herself to look away. Something about the scene utterly horrified her.. yet mesmerized her. Did.. that make her more insane, even more than she thought so after she woke from that nightmare earlier? Perhaps. Perhaps something was bringing her in to keep looking, holding her in. And, then she came back.
"We need to go. Now."
Shaking her head frantically from side to side, Danielle faced away from the gathering of living, possibly rotting flesh. Her nostrils flared, and she gave off a brief gagging noise, hunching over with her spine pointing out against her shirt a tad. Curled with her head towards her knees (all that hipster yoga helped with flexibility), Dani coughed into her free hand, shielding off her nose from the scent that grasped at her senses. Oh, Lord. This.. This was.. disgusting.
Her stomach pulled in instinctively, muscles twitching as she looked forward to the ground again, thinking quickly. What could they do now.. Tom probably knew the apartment building better than she did. Her eyes shifted over to him, staring weakly past strands of hair. Pulling herself back up straight slowly, her legs began to cooperate as she walked quickly back in the direction they came from.
At this point, she didn't even know what to think about what they just saw. She knew, though, it was real. This is all real.
Official status update: They were experiencing something along the lines of Hell tonight. Horror flicks weren't just gimmicks to attract young folk..​
 

I watched as Tom and... Danielle, right? That's who the woman was who went with Tom, as they walked down the hall. Why was it though, that I was getting the strange feeling that when those two went off something bad was going to happen. Hey, it never fails..Always happens in those damn movies..Curse you, Billy. I sighed and listened to the rest of the members of the group converse. I didn't really say too much because my mind was in another place. Still bent on the nightmare I had about Rufus..It just was so vivid and everything..If only I could've done something that one day for Rufus he'd still be here with me..Still be my partner at the asylum..

My nose caught scent of something truly awful. I squinted my eyes and covered my nose.

"UGH! What on earth?.."

Looking around to see that the hallway had changed, no longer was the door that I used to go down there anymore, but instead a...Wall of..Wha..? Flesh?.It couldn't be..My mind is just playing tricks on me. But, the stench was so convincing! It made my stomach twist and turn; but not in the good way. Even though I've seen my share of bodies in life, it always made me sick to be around them for too long. I also took notice to the dark substance leaking from the walls. No way I was going to touch that..Let alone get close to it.

"How..Did i..What? Where did it come from?"

I knew it..I fucking knew it. This is where things were going to start happening, people were going to start flipping shit and the sad part is..I might be too. No! Stop it

I slapped myself across the face, refocusing.

Ernest, you dumbass, don't lose your damn head..These people need you to be strong, not lose your mind over something like a wall of flesh. You need to try to keep everyone calm, if we all lose our damn minds none of us are getting out of here alive.

"Alright everyone! As weird and.." Covering my mouth and nose, hacking a cough at the smell of the wall, "..Odd as this wall is..There must be another way out of here..Like a fire-exit perhaps?"

​
 
Naomi Scott
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The laughter softened to a light chuckle with a chorus of sniffles. It didn't take her long to gather her composure and stand to her feet, wiping sweat and tears from her face with the arm of her house robe. She wasn't sure, but she could hear more voices. They weren't like the sickening one from before, but a collective of recognizable sounds audible down the hallway. She saw a few lights flicker, and knew right then that her neighbors were also up - possible for the same reasons she was.

Naomi tightened the black satin tie around her waist and slowly made her way towards the sound, using the light from her cell phone as a guide. Her knife - close to her side. She began to notice an odd smell beginning to radiate in the area. She rubbed her nose as if to remove the odor, but didn't pay too much attention to it. She was able to see them now, and quickly scrolled through their names in her mind. A few she knew through professional association, others - from bumping into them in the hall.

She almost, in a sense, knew her neighbors' lives better than her own, but that's just the investigative side of her. She's seen Eleanor at the library from time to time, has wanted to interview Danielle about her fame in children's illustration, was part of the broadcasting team at a major local art exhibition where a few of Marzia's pieces were displayed. She even knew of Harrison's photography prowess. But...she really didn't know her neighbors enough, not like a good neighbor should. And, quite frankly, she wasn't sure if they knew who she was. Where in the world would she find the time to meet them anyways?

Well, tonight's a good night for a social, she thought.

"Hey," she chimed, as she stepped forward in the tensed circle. "Um...if you guys are having a really, really bad night, then I'm in the right place..."

A large whiff of stench suddenly hit her, causing her to gag lightly, "What in the - ". She followed Ernest's eyes, watching him inspect the walls and finding a scene too grotesque to mention. Quickly, Naomi turned away, throwing her forearm over her nose and hoping she didn't expel that night's Chinese take-out. "That's actually there? You guys see it too, right?"

Ernest spoke, (she remembered him from the asylum tragedy incident a while back). He bought up the idea of the fire escape. Naomi nodded in agreement, "As long as we find an apartment without little beady-eyes...shadowy creatures geared on choking you to death... Mine is rather infested with them right now." She knew she was sounding crazy, but if they could see the wall of decayed fleshiness, then her statement was normal.
 
Even if she thinks she had heard voices outside of the apartment, she sat there frozen, not wanting to move.

Marzia finally came to her senses and stood up, ignoring the pain in her leg. Walking out of the hallway and into the bathroom and starts wiping the ink and blood of her body.

Walking out of the bathroom, Marzia grabbed the knife, just in case she ran into anymore of...things. She wanted to leave and escape the building.

Marzia opens the door to the corridor, exits the apartment, and starts making her way towards the buildings exit.
 
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[dash=darkred]ELEANOR MCARTHUR

As I continue to search for the candles I so desperately want I can still hear muttered voices outside in the hall. What is everyone doing still out there, I wonder? Tom and that girl Danielle said they'd go to the super and take care of things. What was getting everyone so upset and paranoid tonight? Okay maybe I shouldn't be so judgmental, I was victim of the small bought of paranoia myself. Still, I'm over it.

As I grasp one of the candles and move to set it down on my coffee table a sudden stench wafts into my nostrils. At first I think that something in my fridge must have gone bad, but surely I would have smelled it well before now. Ugh, what on earth is that putrid smell? It's almost like rotting flesh! Ugh!! Covering my nose and mouth I breathe hot air into my hand as I turn my flashlight upon my apartment to try and find the source. Man I wish the power hadn't gone out! What is that damn smell?!

I fumble around my small kitchen shinning my flashlight beam wherever I can imagine some god awful smell like that could be coming from. It's then that I hear the strange whispers again. It's as if they're there but I cannot understand a single word they're saying. Frustrating and maddening. Something catches my attention from the corner of my eye, a shadow that moved? My body turns quickly as I aim my beam of light like it's my light saber to protect me from the dark. The whispers grow louder from the direction I thought i'd seen something in. Curiosity mixed with fear is such a driving force it's scary! All logic would say turn around and ignore whatever I thought I saw as no good could come of it, and this would be the point where one would scream at the screen what an idiot the person is for going in that direction, but being IN the situation I had to say....guilty.

My feet began to lead me in that one direction despite my entire willpower to stay put. It was almost as if I were being puppetted an guided to some ultimate doom. The closer my feet took me in this direction the stronger that smell became until I was gagging almost. Though most of my body was shaking in fear, or at least I though it was, my hand remained surprisingly steady as I raised the beam of my flashlight to shine upon the closed door of my apartment leading to the hall. It was coming FROM the hall? How could this be? It was permeating every crevice as if this decaying smell were from the building itself. I wanted to stop right then and there but my feet just kept moving, that ghostly walk toward my ultimate doom. My hand reached forward to open the door and peer out, but there was a soft scratching noise from behind me again. This time from the direction of the window in the hall of my apartment.

To put the icing on the cake my insanity didn't stop there. No, of course not. Mere visual and olfactory curiosity wasn't enough. My dumb self needed to add in the auditory sensation as well! My head turned around as my flashlight shined down the dark hallway, my eyes straining to see what was causing that noise. Once more my feet were guided toward this new source of psychological madness. I wanted to call out but my vocal chords were clamped shut in fear. Closer and closer I loomed until my beam light up the glass, but it was hazy as if iced over. My hand slowly reached out to touch the cold glass, palm open and fingers spread. I wasn't aware of it but I was actually slightly hyperventilating as well in my dazed trance. My hand reached out and came to rest upon the ice cold glass as I swept my hand across to clear the dew that had somehow gathered there. Inching myself closer I slipped both my hands forward to try and pull the window open to peer out, but I found despite my best efforts it would not budge.

So it wouldn't open, okay, well maybe I could peer out the clearing in the dew I'd made to see what was going on outside. Yeah, that could work. My hand gripped the flashlight as I slowly leaned forward to peer out the clearing, my face probably silhouetted below for the world to see. My eyes widened in surprise and shock as my mouth was agape and kept opening and closing as if to speak or scream but no sound came out. The whispers began to circulate around me again as I felt a great heaviness and buzzing sensation overcome my body. Slowly I collapsed to the ground on my hands and knees crawling around like a helpless animal lost in a daze. From every direction a blast of cold air suddenly swept around me, my glasses slipping down my nose and falling to the ground.

Was this happening? Was this real? BANG! SCRATCH! That noise again that had originally started this whole mess. In the whirlwind of madness about me I turned back toward my front door, my eyes squinting without my glasses and trying to adjust to the light. I'd of course dropped my flashlight in the process as it rolled out of sight and reach. It was then I came face to face with two red eyes gleaming at me with a white toothy grin. I gasped and fell over onto my back crawling backwards in a crab like fashion. The eyes and smile just stared at me with a grin letting me freak out in my own little way. My hand came to rest upon my glasses as there was a soft cracking noise beneath my hand. I felt a sharp pain that quickly dulled in my horror as I cut the palm. The grin widened as the eyes narrowed and suddenly came swooping toward me. I lifted my hands to my face in my only defense and let out a horrified scream. My door slammed open and I fell backwards onto my back with my arms still over my face.

How much of whatever I'd seen had actually transpired and how much was my own over active imagination I had no idea, but what I did know was that whatever happening wasn't all fake. It was real. It was true horror. Startled beyond belief, I just screamed out while tears stung my eyes and blood trickled from my cut palm.
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[size=+1]I back away from the scene, desperately attempting to stop my stomach from heaving up it's contents as my maglite swings wildly. It feels like the floor's just given out from under me and I've fallen into a nightmare, a living horror story.
"We need to go," says Danielle somewhere nearby, "Now." I can't tear my eyes away from the sight before me, but her voice snaps me back to this plane of existence.

Nodding slowly in silent acknowledgement, I take a few faltering steps backwards before turning and all but running back down the hallway. Anything to put a bit of distance between myself and that… wall, or whatever the fuck it is. I spot several of the others, including Ernest, peering around the corridor to take in the hideous sight and there's a new arrival rambling about 'beady-eyed shadowy creatures' in her apartment.

Suddenly I realise that I now know what it's like to live in an insane asylum.

My breathing's heavy now as the panic starts to set in again, but I do my best to keep calm in front of the others.
"Okay…" I say in between heaving breaths, "…okay, the door to the stairwell is… blocked just now."
"There must be another way out of here…" Ernest observes, "…like a fire-exit perhaps?"
"Worth a look," I reply, glad to be hearing someone else trying to deal with the situation at hand rather than freak the fuck out about it. Guess Ernest is the useful variety of security guard. "Let's everyone stick together, alright? We don't know what's going on with this situation, so--"

My sentence is cut off by a piercing scream coming from down the corridor where the fleshy wall has grown, leaving my ears ringing and panic grabbing at the controls to hammer on the 'freak out' button once more. I wrestle back control of my mind and sprint round the corner, swinging the mag-lite up to locate the source of the scream.

Another tenant of the building stands before the grotesque wall that cuts us off from escape. Marzia, if memory serves? She's backing away from the sight in a panic, and I quickly realise why. Something is making the gruesome flesh rise up, vast, brutal boils forming out of rotten skin. Several have burst already, sending a steady flow of the dark liquid spilling out from it.

It's all I can do to stop myself from vomiting. Desperately maintaining control of my stomach I yell to the girl, "Get back from the door! It's not safe!"

Captain Obvious tonight, I am. [/size]


[size=+1]The corridor might as well be on another planet now; it has been cut off utterly from the rest of society. Those who live on the thirteenth floor are now truly alone.

The flesh wall's boils continue to rise and burst, spewing forth the thick, gooey black liquid. At first it's just a trickle but within half a dozen seconds it's a stream. Soon it will be a flow.

Not long after that it shall be a river.

And further down the opposite end of the corridor to this insanity, out from the doorway of one of the unoccupied apartments, a doorway begins to form. Forged out of twisted, rusting metal and burnt flesh, it offers a means of escape. However unpleasant.

The building has them now…[/size]
 
"Yeah, no beady-eyed little vermin..Naomi."

Damn it, that was her name right? It'd be pretty bad if I called her by the wrong thing, however,I didn't know many of the tenants here on the 13th floor. Only a few that I came across from the long hours after work. Still, it was comforting to know that others remembered me and it would make it a bit easier to have others cooperate and trust in me. In a situation like this, anyone could lose their mind easily. I was no exception, but I was determined not to let my imagination and fears get the best of me. I got this no problem, just keep everyone together and calm the last thing we need is something scaring the shit even more out of the group.

I turned to see that Mar..Marz..Marzia? Yeah! I call her Marzi for short, was in a bit of fear. Tom was yelling for her to away from the even more revolting flesh. Oh fucking god..Those boils..Ugh. I had to shake my head quickly and rub my eyes to make sure I was seeing this right. The boils were bursting with dark sludge-like liquid. I can safely say this takes the cake for being the most disgusting thing I've ever encountered. Yeah, it beats the hell out of that guy that was curious about his insides and figured he could use it for a secret hiding place for his utensils. The liquid was only trickling, but from all the boils that were forming it'd be only a matter of time before the liquid would be streaming.

Alright, there has to be a way the hell out of here. I looked down to the other side of the hall, there was a door. I don't remember it ever being there..

"That way...I think if we're going to have any attempt of escaping..we'll have go through.."

The unforgiving metal and crisp flesh were not welcoming at all, and the other side of this ... This..passage if that's what I can call it, who knows what it is waiting. All sorts of bad things surely, but if we stayed here we were going to be swimming in a dark liquid pool, and there was no way of knowing if it would burn our skin or do anything to us at all. I took the lead towards the flesh-doorway, Inhaling deeply, I eyed the way thoroughly.

"Tom, judging by the horrific structure of this doorway, I feel like if we decide to go down it..I'll lead..Since I'm a guard."​
 
"There must be another way out of here…" Ernest observes, "…like a fire-exit perhaps?"

"As long as we find an apartment without little beady-eyes...shadowy creatures geared on choking you to death... Mine is rather infested with them right now."

"Yeah, no beady-eyed little vermin..Naomi."

Naomi shot Ernest her typical nod and smile, but she wondered if he was making a joke out of her fear, like she was just talking about a mouse. It didn't matter, especially now. Whatever was in her room wasn't a concern anymore. As of right now, the god-awful stench was worse.

Tom and Ernest seem to have a plan growing, and the idea of sticking together was better than just wandering off, like a few others had. Then another tenant screamed down the hall, showing everyone another fun trick the fleshy wall can do. The new stench whiffing from the open blister was suffocating. Naomi's eyes started to water and her stomach took another flip.

The boils' oozing innards began to congeal on the floor, threatening to consume their feet if they didn't find a way out of there. Naomi glanced all around, finding areas where the few light sources bounced from. There were several other boils acting like they've eaten too much. Their bellies were distended and on the verge of bursting. And then someone spotted a new doorway, one that, strangely enough, was not as welcoming of a sight as she would hope.

From a distance, it looked as if it blended with the rest of its hideous surroundings, but as she moved in closer, she realized that there was an actual doorway where an unoccupied apartment's entrance been once before. She desperately wanted to leave the hallway, but what lied before them - through that grotesque entrance - was a new fear holding her feet in place. At least Ernest was fearless enough to attempt it first...
 
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[dash=darkred]ELEANOR MCARTHUR

I'm not sure if I blacked out or what, or how long or loud I was screaming. All I know is that I eventually awoke in my apartment, freezing cold, with no light source. My eyes were still not acclimated to the dim light and I found a dull throbbing pain was present in my right hand. Bringing my hand up toward my face (as if I could see even though I couldn't) I opened and closed my hand. Short dull waves of pain were present and I could feel the dried blood cracking and ripping the small wound open. Wound? How had I cut my palm? And why was everything so blurry?! Then it all came back to me in one horrifying rush. Feeling around I picked up the crooked and broken remains of my glasses. A defeated pout appeared on my face, not that anyone could see it. Great, now how was I going to see.

Fumbling around in the dark I got myself back to my feet and felt my way along the wall (no doubt leaving some blood in my wake) back to my room. I had a spare pair of glasses with a slightly weaker prescription, but at least I'd be able to see. Teeth chattering I found my old glasses case on the night stand next to my bed (though I found my nightstand and bed by first jabbing my uncovered toes into them). Putting my glasses on I looked around frantically before grabbing some slippers to cover my feet and feeling my way back to the main hall. Why had I even come back to my apartment alone in the first place? Oh right, I was searching for some candles.

My body returned to auto pilot as I tried to calm my jumpy nerves down. I could hear the other's voices in the hallway still as I grabbed the only candle I could find (a large one) and light the wick. An eerie glow was given off that light my now pale face as I walked toward the hallway and the voices outside. I was surprisingly steady after what had just happened to me. Perhaps it was just old instinct overcoming me and taking control. I knew I wasn't quite...there...anyways. My eyes adjusted slowly as I saw the figures of the others down the hall. Without a word I simply walked toward them with candle in hand. What I saw when I entered the hall should have taken me further into shock as the boils from the door oozed into a river of dark liquid threatening to consume us, but instead I just stood there quietly with the candle light flickering on my face.

Speechless, I just stood and would listen to the others. My hand still hurt and the cut had re-opened as fresh blood trickled down the side of my hand, but I did nothing. What was one little cut at a time like this? Besides, it sounded like they were making a plan. I'd just stand outside the group as always and follow along. If I survived this fucked up mess, perhaps I'd turn this into a best selling story.[/dash]
 
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