Chapter 7
1019 Words
Jessica stood in the middle of the empty apartment, her fingers still wrapped around the small set of keys the landlord had handed her barely ten minutes ago.
This was it.
A new beginning.
The room smelled faintly of fresh paint and something older,something like forgotten memories clinging to the walls. The windows were wide, letting in the late afternoon light that stretched across the tiled floor in long golden lines. It wasn’t perfect, but it was hers. And for the first time in a long time, Jessica allowed herself to breathe.
Felix’s money had made this possible.
That thought lingered longer than she expected.
She dropped her small bag on the floor and walked further inside, her footsteps echoing slightly. The apartment had only two rooms,a bedroom and a living space that doubled as a kitchen but it felt like a palace compared to where she had been before.
“No more streets,” she whispered to herself.
No more depending on anyone.
Or so she thought.
The next few days moved quickly.
Jessica didn’t waste time. She cleaned the apartment, bought only the bare essentials, and focused on what mattered most,her business.
The two shops she had found were in a busy area, surrounded by small vendors and constant movement. It was the kind of place where money flowed daily, even if it wasn’t much.
To her, it felt like opportunity.
The first shop was perfect for a small provisions store. The second, she planned to turn into a mini boutique,simple clothes, nothing extravagant, just enough to attract passersby.
It all seemed to fall into place too easily.
And that should have been her first warning.
On the third day after securing the shops, Jessica arrived early, ready to start arranging goods. The market was already alive,voices shouting, people bargaining, the distant hum of generators filling the air.
But something felt… off.
Her shop door was slightly open.
She froze mid-step.
She was sure she had locked it the previous evening.
Carefully, she moved closer.
The padlock hung loosely, not broken,just… undone.
Her heart began to pound.
“Maybe I forgot,” she muttered, though the thought didn’t convince her.
She pushed the door open.
Everything inside was exactly how she left it.
Nothing missing,Nothing touched.
Or so it seemed.
Jessica exhaled slowly, forcing herself to relax. “You’re just overthinking,” she said under her breath.
“Jessica!”
She flinched and turned sharply.
It was one of the neighboring traders, smiling at her.
“You’re here early today,” the woman said casually.
Jessica forced a smile. “Yes… just trying to settle in.”
She sat up in bed, staring at the door of her small apartment. Every sound felt louder at night,the ticking of the clock, the occasional passing car, even the wind brushing against the window.
Then she heard it.
A faint knock.
Jessica froze.
It came again.
Soft,Slow.
Deliberate.
She glanced at the time.
1:17 AM.
No one should be visiting her at this hour.
Her throat went dry.
“Who’s there?” she called out, her voice barely steady.
No response.
Silence stretched.
Then,
Another knock.
This time, louder.
Jessica slid out of bed quietly, her bare feet cold against the floor. She moved closer to the door, her heart racing with every step.
“Who is it?” she asked again.
Still nothing.
She reached the door and hesitated.
Opening it felt wrong.
But not knowing felt worse.
Slowly, she unlocked it.
Her hand trembled as she pulled it open.
The hallway was empty.
No one.
Nothing.
Just darkness.
Jessica stepped out slightly, looking left and right.
Still nothing.
But then she noticed something.
On the ground, just outside her door…
A piece of paper.
Her stomach tightened.
She picked it up with shaky fingers.
But it was empty.
Jessica’s mind raced.
“What’s this childish play?” she whispered.
She turned back into her apartment quickly and locked the door, her hands moving faster now.
She was scared.
The next morning, Jessica decided she needed answers.
She went straight to the landlord.
“Has anything like this happened before?” she asked, placing the empty note on the small wooden table between them.
The landlord glanced at them briefly, then looked away.
“No,” he said too quickly. “Probably just kids trying to scare you.”
Jessica narrowed her eyes. “Kids don’t break into apartments in the middle of the night.”
“I said it’s nothing,” he replied, his tone firmer now. “Focus on your business.”
His dismissal didn’t sit right with her.
Not at all.
Later that day, as Jessica arranged items in her shop, the same neighbor from before approached her again.
“You look tired,” the woman said, studying her face.
“I didn’t sleep well,” Jessica admitted.
The woman leaned closer, lowering her voice. “This area… it has its stories.”
Jessica’s attention sharpened instantly. “What kind of stories?”
The woman hesitated, glancing around before speaking.
“The person who owned your shop before you… she left suddenly.”
Jessica felt a chill. “Left? Or… something else?”
“No one knows,” the woman whispered. “But after she disappeared, people said strange things started happening.”
Jessica’s grip tightened on the shelf she was holding.
“Like what?”
The woman stepped back, shaking her head. “You didn’t hear it from me.”
And just like that, she walked away.
That evening, Jessica couldn’t shake the feeling that she had walked into something much bigger than she understood.
The money,The apartment,The shops.
Everything had come too easily.
And now it felt like something was trying to take it all back.
But she wasn’t the same girl she used to be.
She wouldn’t run.
Not this time.
Determined, Jessica stayed late at her shop that night.
If someone was behind this, she was going to find out.
Hours passed.
The lousy market became silent but she didn't find anything.
She decided to forget about everything and continue her life.
- Writer
