Mark had always been a practical man. He'd come to the city for a fresh start a new job and a chance to rebuild.
The rent for the apartment however was far more than he could afford on his own, so like many others before him. He placed an ad online looking for a roommate to share the costs, he didn't expect much just someone trustworthy to split the rent.
It wasn't long before he received a message from a woman named Sarah; she was polite and soft spoken looking to move into the city for further studies, the timing worked out perfectly. She could move in after a week.
At first, Mark felt a sense of relief; one week of solitude to settle in and get used to his new surroundings, the apartment was old but spacious with high ceilings and creaky wooden floors. It felt warm lived in but something about it seemed off.... maybe it was just the unfamiliarity of it all. He had never been a fan of moving into older places but this was what he could afford.
The first few days were uneventful, Mark spent his time cleaning and organizing the place getting his things in order for Sarah's arrival. It wasn't until the third day that things started to take a strange turn, every time... he cleaned the house; the room that Sarah would be taking.... seemed different it was supposed to be locked, untouched but each time he walked past it the door would be slightly open; he assumed it was just his imagination maybe he hadn't locked it properly.
The real shock came when he walked into the room to clean it and found the bed a mess... blankets and sheets tangled on the floor, the pillow tossed to one side.
He stared at it for a long time trying to understand what was going on, the bathroom.... her bathroom was wet as though someone had just used it. There were footprints on the floor, damp with water. Mark felt his heart skip a beat but no one had been in that room; he had been alone for days confused and uneasy. He cleaned it up, wiped the bathroom down and locked the door once more maybe he was just tired overworked but that feeling that creeping sensation wouldn't go away.
The next day, it happened again; the room was untidy, the bed was a mess, the bathroom wet, it was as if someone had been living in that room using it even though there was no one there. The more Mark cleaned, the more unsettled he became, it wasn't just the mess it was the feeling that something or someone was waiting for him to leave the room to turn his back so it could return to its strange unnerving state.
On the fourth day, Mark bumped into the neighbor, a man in his 50s who had just moved in across the hall; the neighbor was friendly asked about his progress settling in then in a tone that sounded casual the man said, "so you finally found a roommate; huh I saw your friend here last night". Mark froze he blinked... unsure of how to respond "what do you mean? she's not moving in for a few more days". The neighbor shrugged "well I thought I saw a woman in your place last night, she looked familiar I guess she's your friend" the words hit Mark like a wave of cold water, he hadn't invited anyone over, no one had been in the apartment not even Sarah, his mind raced struggling to grasp "what the neighbor was implying" but no matter how hard he tried to shake it off the thought of someone.... something being in that room was enough to make his skin crawled. He hadn't seen or heard anyone but how else could the room be getting messy, how could it feel like it was being lived in.
That night, after a restless sleep; Mark cleaned the room once more, he scrubbed the bathroom, made the bed, locked the door and swore not to enter again until Sarah arrived but even as he stood there staring at the room.. he felt an overwhelming sense of dread something was wrong something was waiting.
The day Sarah finally moved in, Mark was nervous but relieved at least someone would be there with him now, someone who could share in the strangeness of this place. He opened the door to the room.... for the first time since all the weirdness began to his surprise the room was immaculate, the bed was made, the bathroom clean, everything in perfect order the smell of fresh linen filled the air. Mark couldn't believe it, for the first time in days he felt a wave of relief "wow this place is great" Sarah said stepping inside with her bags "you really took care if it" Mark smiled though the smile didn't quite reach his eyes he didn't mention the mess...the wet bathroom or the strange feeling he'd over the past week, he didn't want to sacre her.
He told himself, it was just his nerves everything was fine now, she was here... there was no more reason to worry but as the evening went on and Sarah unpacked.
Mark couldn't shake the sensation that someone else was in the room with them, he felt eyes watching him though; there was no one else there, the shadows in the corners seemed darker deeper and then around Midnight, he heard it a soft rhythmic sound coming from Sarah's room a scratching noise like fingernails running across wood. Mark froze he didn't want to believe it but he had to check, he walked down the hallway his heart pounding in his chest. The door to Sarah's room was slightly ajar, he pushed it open there was nothing in the room just Sarah fall asleep on her bed but as he turned to leave.... he saw it in the reflection of the mirror, standing behind him... was a woman a pale figure with hollow eyes and a twisted smile, Mark's breath caught in his throat, he turned back but the room was empty. The woman was still there, though watching from the shadows and that's when he realized the truth Sarah wasn't the only one living in the apartment.