Chapter Text
Buzzing of lights. Blurry room. Beepings. Heavy breathing. And absolute agony. The only thing filling the silent room is the buzzing of the lights and the numerous murmurs coming from behind a door. A young child lay on a bed with half-lidded eyes; her emotions in those eyes showed distress, but mostly tiredness.
The clicking of a door opening made her eyes shoot up, and she turned her head to the door. A middle-aged woman with a worried expression walks in and finds her lying on the bed. She sighed with relief and walked up to her slowly.
"Thank the Lord you're okay.."
The little girl blinked slowly with a bit of confusion. "Auntie Betty..? What..happened? Where am I?"
"Hospital. A place where you can get healed." She told her in her soft voice. She rubs the little girl's cool ivory skin, touching her arm, but it only makes her wince, and she tenses up.
"Ow..my arm–"
"It's alright.. It's alright.. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to rub you there."
"It's fine.." The little girl slowly sighed and looked around the room. It's still blurry, but it becomes clearer. Glancing back at her auntie, she asks, "Where are my parents?"
Silence. That's the answer. She furrowed her eyes at Betty not answering, so she tried asking again until someone else walked in. Betty then went out with the person and left the little girl alone in confusion.
She lay back, hearing the mumbling growing louder for them. Hearing the voices of Betty and an unknown person, her voice sounded agitated, but why exactly? The little girl furrowed her eyes even more and gazed up at the white ceiling. Did she have to do something with her parents? Was it her fault that her parents never showed up?
Thinking about it only made her mood worsen, as she felt the sting in her eyes and a clenched heart. Shaky breathing filled the room, and she covered herself with the soft blanket, tuning everything out. This doesn't feel real. It has to be a dream–
🟃🟃🟃
"Paige!"
"Huh?" She jumped at the sudden yell from Betty, her now godmother. The focus went back to normal, and the humming of the engine reminded her she was in the car right now. "Yeah?"
"Sweetie, you've been staring at the landscape for quite a while." She furrowed her eyes as she continued, "Everything alright?"
Paige faintly rolled her eyes. Of course, she is. She'd tuned out into her old memories from the past. But Betty interrupted it, now setting her mood down a little. "Yes, cause I was thinking back when I was nine.."
Betty went silent at the age she said. Scoffing a bit, "If you're still thinking about what has happened, it's best if you put it all behind you."
She opened her mouth to argue back, but it would only turn into an argument, so it's not even worth it. She learned that even by bringing up the topic of her past, Betty will try to hide it. Why? It's blurry, so she can remember bits and pieces, nothing else. She wanted to find the pieces and figure out what happened, where her parents went, what happened to her own face..?
Faintly touching the huge bandage on her cheek and rubbing the burned scar on her right palm. She knew what had happened, but who had done it? Was it a person with evil intent or an accident?
Glancing out the window, she scratched her unkempt voluminous hair that she would promise to comb, but forget it the next minute. "So..when are we going to the Addison Apartments?"
"In just a few minutes."
"But why this one? You could've chosen any complex, but this one."
She answered with a simple smile, "Well, you're sixteen now, and my son moved out of our old home. Paying the rent over there was too much, and I wanted you to go to college so I could fund you more. So, we're residing here until you're an adult, you can move out, and I can stay there until I can raise enough money to buy myself a home."
That's..genuine of her. The house they used to live in was either too big for the two of them to afford or the rent was too high for Betty to pay. Paige may have the 'resting bitch face' on all the time, but it actually showed some emotion of joy. Maybe moving into the Addison Apartments isn't so bad..
The drive only took a good half an hour until Paige noticed the building as the car pulled up. With a bewildered look on her face, she tilted her head before facing Betty. Of course, Betty didn't bring her to show the apartment, and now she's seeing this. It looks like where old people would live. And this brought her mood down by a quarter.
"Is... that where we are living?" She glanced at her godmother with a bit of an annoyed expression. "I'm cutting to the chase, it looks bad–"
"Paige!"
"It's the truth, though!"
"Paige, you're gonna have to enjoy this or sit in the car grudgingly the whole day." She commanded with a hint of anger in her voice.
Slowly letting out a groan, she exits the car first. Betty went back with a smile, "There, now was that so hard?"
"Yes.."
She only laughed at her comment and exited the car. Returning to the trunk of the car, she opens it, revealing most of the boxes. Deciding to do the heavy ones first, Paige grabs one box, but grunts while picking it up.
"Jeez, that's heavy.." She mumbled before heading to the building. Followed by her godmother, she felt a sense of turmoil as she entered the building. The first thing she continuously checks is the smell. Taking three sniffs.. Old. Nothing bad, but nothing significant.
Walking down to the elevators and waiting for the door to open, she takes time to observe her surroundings. Rubbing her combat boots on the floor to feel... a bit hard to say the least. The small cracks on the walls raised an eyebrow with a contemplative expression. It felt like the building was centuries old..
Before she can look more, the elevator doors open. Walking inside, Betty presses the fourth floor. As the door closes, Paige's hand starts to hurt a bit from carrying the heavy box. Yes, she does have strength, but not to the extent of an absolute builder. Carrying strong things is not her suit at all. One, two, and three pulls or pushes, she gives up. That's how reality is.
Betty took notice of this and asked, "You got it?"
"Yes.. my arms are just.. Tired." She can hold it for the next minute, so this elevator had better hurry up. Once up, the door opened and the two exited the elevator.
"What room number are we in?"
"404." She brushes Paige's short hair as an affectionate gesture. "Don't worry, you'll survive."
Scoffing and fixing her messy hair, the two went up to the room door. Betty unblocked it before opening the door, stepping inside, the room is empty to say the least. She sets the boxes down before saying, "I can transport the boxes here, and maybe you can open the boxes. After all, it takes away the time when we get them all in here."
"Can't I just lie down?" Paige quietly whined.
She rolled her eyes playfully, walking out after setting the box down, "For God's sake, Paige. You're so lethargic sometimes."
"It's not my fault I have insomnia!" She exclaimed out loud so Betty could hear as she left. She wished she were joking; unfortunately, she was not.
Sighing and dusting off her open gray flannel, she gets out a box cutter to start cutting. She grabs one box and sets it on the kitchen counter, bringing out the cutter from her pocket. It's a bit odd how she stored it, but it's not weird, she thinks. Setting it up, she swipes down the knife on the tape, opening it.
Over the past hour, box after box after box, it's tiring, but she managed to push through it. Although they have one-third of their belongings inside their new home, the pickup truck won't arrive until tomorrow to bring in the rest of their stuff. So, she's going to have to sleep on the floor with her sleeping bag.
She shuddered at the thought of it. Hearing Betty come back inside with the last box, she exhaled and wiped a sweat away from her face. "That's the last one..you've picked out your room?"
"Yes, and it smells weird."
"Well, why not use your favorite scented candles?"
"I guess.." Paige set the last empty box aside and yawned from exhaustion from open boxes. "Now, can I go to sleep?"
"Alright, fine, I'll clean up the room a bit.. The kitchen floor needs a mop." They both glanced at it. Honestly, it looked pretty dirty and nasty. But as her godmother gets the mop, she comments, "You know, you can explore the complex to waste the time if you like."
On second thought, maybe that isn't a bad idea. Getting up to open the door, it creaked open, and she slowly poked her head out. Still the same old hallway she'll have to get used to.. But her eyes fell upon a young person exiting the elevator, a boy.
They looked like they were a year younger than her. A short cut with lime green hair, a chubby body, and mostly eating a chocolate bar. The prominent thing she noticed was the baseball cap and the red shirt.
As he stepped off, he made eye contact with her. With an innocent smile, he waved at her, still eating the chocolate bar.
Paige, on the other hand.. "Nope.." And shuts the door behind her. She walks into her bedroom as Betty watches her with confusion. "I'm going to bed."
"O–Oh, but it's still afternoon–" She didn't even get to finish as Paige shut her door. Paige groaned a bit before sliding off her gray flannel. She got hit with cold air and was even hit on her burned scars on her arms years ago, just like her palm.
"Finally.." She gets out her sleeping bag and blanket from her box. Lying them down and covering herself with the blanket made her calm demeanor show more. Now, finally being able to sleep, she closes her eyes before knocking herself out cold.
🟃🟃🟃
3:00AM..
In a deep sleep, she woke up to the sound of noises coming from the living room. At first, she thought it was her godmother who was looking for something in the boxes. But as she got up and opened her door, she found her room open, and she was asleep in her own sleeping bag.
If she's in there, who's out there? Slowly stepping out of the room, she finds something falling off the kitchen counter, making a clunking noise on the floor. Feeling the turmoil rising, she turned around to head back to bed when she saw a pull on an object fall down.
She slowly froze when seeing a ghostly figure phase through a wall. What the heck was that? A freaking ghost?! She quietly said with a fast pace, "Nope, nope, nope.. Gonna pretend I didn't see that!" She heads back to her room, shutting her door and locking it.
Day arises, and Paige has some doubts about staying in this apartment. A ghost on day one? This felt like a scenario from those 80s horror movies! As she watches the movers set down their coffee table, she goes up to Betty to recall what happened last night.
"Hey, I saw a ghost at 3:00 AM." She bluntly tells her.
Betty gave her a look of confusion, but amusement on her face. "Ghost? Honey, are you trying to make me laugh?"
"No, literally. I saw it phase through a wall–" She got interrupted when Betty rubbed her hair before helping out the movers. She growled in annoyance from being ignored and dismissed just like that, so she walked out of their home and grumbled a bit.
"I'm telling the truth..I saw a freaking ghost! 'Honey, are you trying to make me laugh?' No I'm not!" She quietly mumbled as she walked down the stairs, not even bothering to use the elevators. She kept going, making it to the second floor, still going on and on.
But she loses focus and accidentally bumps into someone. She quickly shuts up and turns around; now her annoyance disappears with calm and a hint of concern. "Oh– Sorry, didn't mean to bump you there."
The teenage girl turned around before smiling, "You're fine, it's just a shoulder bump, that's all."
At least Paige didn't get yelled at. The girl is pretty nice. But more importantly, her appearance. The long brown hair, the genuine smile on her face, and the perfect purple shirt and jeans combo look nice on her.
Not gonna lie, she did find her pretty for a girl. Paige only wore something boyish, not that she was against feminine things; it was just her interest. The reason is that she keeps her hair in a messy state. Baggy, ripped jeans, and rebellious clothes are things she finds interesting. She may wear skirts or dresses occasionally, but not often.
"Whoa..what's up with the bandage..?"
The question made her eyes widen, but soon turned into discomfort as the blurred memories came flooding back. "I– would not talk about it.."
"Shoot, sorry.. I didn't want to intrude, I was curious."
"It's fine, people give me looks and questions on what happened to my cheek to have a huge bandage there." She laughed calmly, but deep down felt super insecure when she remembered adults giving her strange looks when she was a child.
"They do? They should mind their own business!"
"Same.. They would be calling me names if I didn't have the bandage off." She chuckled, but a hint of disconnection spread into her voice. But Paige realized what she had said and turned to face her, seeing that she looked a bit concerned and awkward about what she had said.
She could change the subject and get to know her a bit. Make a new friend? "Uhm..aside from that..got a name?"
"Ashley Campbell, or call me Ash for short." The awkward tension had eased somewhat, now that the two were more at ease. "What about you?"
"Paige..Hinton, a new tenant around here."
"New? Oh! That's why I saw a truck and movers!"
"Wait, you live here?"
"Oh, no, no. I came to visit a friend to help me with my homework." A friend, lucky her then. But it reminded her that she's visiting a friend, and her eyes widened. "Todd! Sorry, but I gotta get going, I don't want him to think I'm dead."
She walked off and waved goodbye to Paige. "I hope we can see each other again, Paige!"
She slowly waved back and turned around to face the end of the halls. But as she grabbed the railing of the stairs, she made a baffled face. "Who the fuck is Todd?"
🟃🟃🟃
Nighttime hits again; she finally has her mattress and a frame to sleep on. "Finally, I can sleep without having to itch every five minutes."
She pulled the covers over her and lit one of her favorite scented candles, which blended the scents of nature and flowers. A pleasant smell to tune out the old one. Closing her eyes, the aroma really helps her fall asleep, even though the insomnia can't do its tricks on her.
Minutes went by, and the smell increased a bit, but the candlelight suddenly went out in a flash. Paige doesn't notice since she's fast asleep, but feels cold air breezing onto her. She has blankets on herself and shivered, a bit weird, but her brain doesn't wake up from it.
But one thing that did wake her up, a faint whisper, speaking, "Hello? Psst, wake up."
Shooting her eyes open, a teenage girl watches above her. The thing is, she's translucent, a white mist covering her whole figure, a ghostly dress that's all bloodied up. The floating hair, the stab wound through her stomach and chest.. A ghost!
"Hi! I'm Alice, nice to meet you."
Paige freezes in shock and feels her color slowly disappearing. But she learns in the paranormal world that you shouldn't show your fear or any negative emotions. Wait, was the tip for a demon, not a ghost?
She risks it anyway. "H–Hi.. A–Alice.. Uh– please don't take my soul, I'm too young to die."
"Ha, no silly. Only the Red-Eyed demon does that." She slows her words down on the demon, but she fastens her voice. "But it's gone though.. I came up here since you're a new tenant!"
Paige raises an eyebrow as she continues talking. "I've gotten bored of being ignored, so I've tried showing myself by knocking stuff! Only to earn looks of confusion.. But you can see me! You didn't scream or panic! I wonder if the others from this floor can see me."
"But oh well, since you're not scared, let's talk!"
Still frozen in fear, she managed to contain it with her calm disposition. "O–Okay..like what?"
"I know! My story."
Oh boy, she really doesn't want to know. Paige already knew what happened to this poor girl, probably bled out from those wounds or even got choked to death with those bruised finger marks on her neck.
"I'll start!"
"Uh– I think I'll–"
Alice interjects, "I used to be alive, 1988, boy, the days were wonderful..the lively neighborhood, kids playing around, I used to be one of those girls who would show off new dresses to make others feel jealous, yes, I was that confident!"
"Uhm– but I don't–"
"But I made a terrible mistake when I went alone to go to prom night, ready to see my crush at the dance." She grew sad as she floated to sit on her bed. "Oh, the misery, blacked out by a random person, and found myself near the Addisons' Apartments dumpsters."
"Oh god.." The white, but bloodied, dress looked like something they'd wear to a prom. Even though the headset stayed on her hair, it looked grainy and dirty, likely due to the decay of her body or the dumpster itself.
"Never found me until months.."
"Months?!" Paige quietly exclaimed. "Like– H–How long?"
"Oh, like a good two months. When people went to empty the dumpster to find little Alice.. Dead." Her words slowed down on those last words, like a pit full of guilt fills her mind. But she returned to her happy-go-lucky smile. "But hey! That's how I died! Now what's your story?"
Technically, she doesn't want to tell her story right now. Tired, insecure from her scars and her lingering thoughts of the story the ghost told her. So she bluntly asks, "Why didn't you move on? You didn't do anything bad, and yet you stayed here."
The happy expression fell on Alice's face. A look of contemplation and fear in her eyes. "I... tried to. But he's still alive.. Murdering his targets."
"He?" Now she's interested and slowly rises up from her bed to listen. "What does he do?"
"I don't know, but I feel he's still murdering. Police haven't caught him, always leaving puzzles, trying to solve them, only to have a dead end."
"Puzzles.. Who's the latest murder he's done?" She queried Alice, now fully interested in this mystery.
"Last month? I can tell he leaves symbols on them after they're dead. It's scary." She answered, her fear rising in her voice. "If he doesn't get caught, who knows the real reason why he's doing this.."
"Are there any more ghosts here?" Paige questioned, trying to observe what she was saying so she could save it for later.
"A few..one notable I talked to. Megan." She giggles a bit. "Young and sweet, too bad she got murdered."
"She recently talked about two boys who lived here, one being her favorite. I don't know his name.. Though–"
She instantly interjects Alice, "Okay, okay. I don't need any more useless information. Do you know the killer's name?"
"Name?" She pauses to think, her eyes widen with fear every five seconds. "I think it's..V–"
Before she can say the full name, Paige's door suddenly opens. Alice gets scared and disappears. "Alice, wait!" She silently curses when she's entirely gone. But she looks up to see who's at the door, mostly annoyed that someone interrupted her.
"Pixie, who are you talking to?"
She quickly glanced up, her pastel turquoise eyes blinking in the dark room. But her eyes narrowed down and she crossed her arms.
"Nothing, Betty.. probably the wind and don't call me Pixie.." She buries back in her covers with a small 'hmph..'
Betty quietly giggled at her, closing the door behind her. Paige sighed; that was the one chance she might've had to research the murderer, until Betty came in and ruined it.
But now her mind is on Alice. The murderer. Why was she dumped here out of all places? Why not at a lake? This just made Addison's Apartments even more interesting.. Or unsettling.
Other than that, there are more ghosts, but she doesn't believe that they sync with the murders happening. But the ghost Alice mentioned was Megan. Mentioned that she spoke to two other boys.. Who could they be?