Madison should’ve known better than to move into an apartment.

               Her father had always warned her for many years, “Why move into an apartment? Just buy a house. When you live in an apartment, you have no investment. You’re basically paying someone else’s mortgage. Not to mention, you don’t have any tax write off.” His eyes were wide and he made big hand movements, an unmistakable characteristic of her father’s mannerism.

               Madison, a cynical 14-year-old at the time, would roll her eyes and say, “Whatever dad.” Mainly because she had no idea what grown up stuff her dad was talking about. Then he would grin and ask if she wanted a late-night snack. She would nod yes and the two of them would grab something delicious and unhealthy.

               That was 10 years ago. To Madison, it felt like yesterday.

               Madison’s father had died 4 months ago. A week before he passed, she told him that she got a job and was moving out. Remembering the joy in his eyes made the memory sting even more.

               “Finance? You couldn’t ‘iv picked a more boring job?” Her dad teased.

               Madison rolled her eyes, just like when she was 14. “It pays handsomely.”

               Her dad ruffled her hair. “And that’s all that matters.” He waddled to the kitchen and opened a squeaky cupboard. “Drat. That woman forgot to buy my cereal.”

               “That woman,” otherwise known as Madison’s mother, came walking in at that very moment. “I did buy it, you dope.” She stood on her tip toes to see the inventory in the cupboard.

               “I don’t see it!” Her father protested as his wife pushed him aside and reached in the back shelf.

               Wouldn’t you know, the cereal was all the way in the back. “If it was a snake, it would bite you.” Madison’s mother scolded lovingly and tapped her husband’s head with the cereal box.

               Madison giggled. “Dad, maybe you need to get a butler or something to help you.”

               Her dad was shocked. “Me? Get a butler? Why should I pay some stranger to do your mother’s job? At least your mom works for free.”

               That woman lightly shoved her husband. “Shut up.”

               Recalling the lighthearted memory as Madison drove to her office building, she sighed. Tears threatened to form in her eyes but she took a quick breath and they subsided. It was strange, at the most random of times she would be bombarded with memories of her father which typically resulted with her crying.

               ‘What an odd thing grief is.’ She mused.

               Madison had gotten a job with a tech company, working in finance. She was now 24 and after graduating college, she was hungry for corporate work. Getting a job offer on her first interview, she finally felt like she was finding her footing in life and was excited to start a new chapter.

               But because life is cruel, she was hit with her father’s unexpected death. He was 60 when he passed. Too young. The doctors had said he’d died of a heart attack. When she first heard the news, Madison was in disbelief and it took a while for her to come to terms with her father’s death.

               “Why now, God?” she had cried out. “Why?”

               God didn’t answer, much to Madison’s expectation.

               Next was the funeral and Madison was scared. Something about funerals made everything seem so…final. There is an eerie, concluding presence which blankets memorials as the dead lay still and their loved ones weep. They say words, describing the person, but how can a few hundred words describe the rich life some have lived?

‘How do you sum someone’s life up in a few paragraphs?’ Madison wondered while writing a eulogy for the funeral. ‘Here lies Joe Schmoe from Idaho, who lived a good life and made sure he recycled.’ She wasn’t very good with words so the writing process was a lot slower. The funeral drew nearer and nearer and Madison wished with all her might that it wouldn’t happen. But that is all she could do, hope and wish and pray, that this wouldn’t happen. But the universe has a funny way of forcing things upon you, as she soon learned. Late nights and 24 drafts later, she delivered the eulogy with shaky confidence (and managed somehow not to cry).

               Her mother was a wreck and Madison feared for her well-being. ‘I can’t leave her now, can I?’ She thought guiltily. But her mother insisted that Madison move on with her life.

               “Don’t worry about me, dear. I’ll be alright. You go out and live your life, just as your father would’ve wanted.” Her mother’s voice cracked a bit.

               “Mom, no. You’re hurting now. I can’t leave you.”

               Her mother wiped her eyes and sniffed. “It’s ok. I’ll call your brother to stay with me for a little bit. He’s my favorite child anyway.” Madison smiled at that comment and hugged her mom.

               And so, she began to pack all her things and move into her new apartment. A part of her was excited to start living a new life but the other part of her felt guilty about leaving her mom behind at a time she needed her daughter the most.

               Her older brother, Cam, had come the next day to help Madison move her furniture. She hugged him and started to cry.

               “What’s wrong, M?” He whispered.

               She pulled away and wiped her eyes. “I can’t leave mom. I just can’t. I feel so guilty about leaving her here.” She started crying even more.

               Cam patted her head and held her close. “Shh…shh…don’t feel guilty about it. She wants you to go. She knows how hard you’ve worked for this and dad would’ve wanted you to live your life.”

               “I know but- “

               Cam cut her off. “Madison. If you stay here, you’re never gonna leave. You’re gonna feel like you need to be here to make up for dad’s death. I’m telling you; you don’t need to do that. You’ve always supported everyone else’s dreams. Now it’s time we support yours.” Her sobbing grew louder and Cam hugged his sister tighter. “Mom is so excited for you to start a new life. She will be ok. I’ll stay with her for a little bit. Mom’s a fighter, you know that.”

               Her brother’s words got through to her and Madison calmed down. “You’re right.”

               Cam smiled softly. “I always am. Now, where’s this dresser I’ve got to move?”

               Madison didn’t have too many things to move so transporting her possessions wasn’t that much of a struggle. Her and Cam spent 3 days packing, moving, and unloading her possessions into the apartment. It was hard moving things into the elevator and onto the third floor, where her new apartment was. Apartment 319.

‘Jeez. I should’ve gotten a place on the bottom floor.’ She thought as she helped Cam lift her tv into the elevator. It was excruciating to move but by the end of the whole process, Madison felt like she was at home.

               “Thank you.” She told her brother.

               “Any time.” Cam gave her a hug and left the apartment.

               Madison was now by herself, in a strange new place. No mom, no dad, no Cam. Just her. She always thought that living by herself would give her an enormous sense of well-being and independence but it made her just feel alone.

‘It’s so quiet.’ She thought as she headed off to bed. There was no sound except for the shuffling of her bare, calloused feet against the hardwood floor.

               These thoughts of being alone continued to pester Madison throughout the night and into the next morning. She grumbled as she struggled to find motivation to get up from her warm bed.

               “God, why did I leave mom?” She groaned.

               You’ll never be able to live that down, will you sweetie? A biting voice sneered. It was her voice, only colder and more sinister.

               “Shut up.” Madison spat back and sat up aggressively. Her motivation for getting out of bed was anger, not the best way to start a day. She was annoyed at herself for getting upset with…herself? Madison laughed at that thought and continued with her uneventful Saturday.

               The evening rolled around and Madison reflected on her new, independent life. Everything was nice. Her job was nice, her boss was nice, her coworkers were nice. The apartment was nice. Everything was nice. Nice. Nice. Nice.

Located in a quiet little area with lots of restaurants, parks, and grocery stores, Madison couldn’t have been more thrilled to live in such a place. There was even a library nearby! She spent a great deal of time exploring the area, discovering little shops, and just getting a general feel of her new home. Making sure her apartment was orderly and tidy was Madison’s top priority. Cleaning regularly, she kept the apartment in good condition. For her, an immaculate living space was the only way to feel comfortable. Making sure that everything was where it needed to be. Nothing out of order. Everything in its right place.

               Until…something was out of place.

               She had noticed it when she first moved in, but just assumed it was nothing. Days went by. Then weeks. Before she knew it, it had already been a month and it was still an issue. ‘Why won’t it stop?!’ She constantly wondered. What was causing her this pain?

               It was the upstairs noise.

               You see, the noise was insufferable, unescapable. More dramatic than your typical apartment clatter. It was the stomping, it was the things dropping on the ground, it was the furniture slamming, it was the music, it was the tv, it was the loud talking, it was the arguing. On a miserable loop, every day, all day. It never ended.

               She tried to deal with it for a week. ‘Maybe they’ll quiet down eventually.’

               Or maybe they won’t. The cold voice sneered.

               The voice was right. Sounds would keep Madison up all night and pester her all day. She had expected apartment living would come with its fair share of sounds but this? This was unbearable.

               STOMP STOMP STOMP

               CRASH!

               BANG!

               (screams)

               THUD!

               THUMP THUMP!

               (Repeat)

               This is what she heard. Like an annoying song you can’t get out of your head, this was on constant replay. Every waking minute of the day and into the night. A crash. A bang. A scream. These sounds came without any sort of reasonable explanation to them and they were driving Madison crazy. At night it was even worse. She lay awake, staring at the ceiling, listening to the sounds from above, wondering what horrific things were happening upstairs. She never got any rest; the mindless tv chatter gnawed away at her brain, the sickening vibrations from the pounding footsteps above could be felt all throughout her body, and the murmuring voices invaded her ears. These things even followed her into life outside the apartment. She swore she could hear the furniture clattering and the unsolicited screams at work. But of course, she couldn’t. Those noises were eagerly awaiting her back home. Finally, she gave up. She had put up with this nonsense for too long and deserved justice. She was going to report them.

               It was Sunday evening, which was a perfect day to call. Madison was planning to say that she had a long week of work ahead of her and wanted to rest well before she went into work the next day. As the night dragged on, so did the noise. Madison was almost happy they were making noise (it seemed like they were making more than usual, actually) so that she had more to report to the apartment managers. 10 o’ clock was the set time Madison decided to report her upstairs neighbors and sure enough, by the time 10 o clock rolled around the noise did not stop.

               “I’m gonna report them.” She said confidently as she began to dial the number.

               Report them? That cold, cold voice came back. Are you SURE, sweetie?

               “Yes I am. They’ve caused me enough unrest.” She fired back.

               Well, what if nothing gets done? It oozed. What if no one does anything? What if the noise continues?

               “Shut up.” Madison muttered. “The apartment people will take care of it and everything will be fine.”

               Or maybe it won’t be. It said smugly. Maybe the people upstairs will get mad at you for complaining against them. Maybe they’ll make even MORE noise to annoy you. Maybe they’ll come down and try to hurt you.

               Madison had enough. “Shut up, will you shut up?!” She whisper-shouted.

               The voice would not shut up. Maybe they’re watching you…waiting for you. Seeing you writhe in agony. Waiting for you to become vulnerable. Waiting for the right moment to strike…Maybe they’ll come tonight! It cheered with glee.

               CRASH!

               Madison stifled a scream. As if perfectly timed, her neighbors made a big ruckus upstairs which scared her.

               “Shut up.” She commanded the voice.

               And it did.

               But the noise did not.

               Exasperated, she called the number.

               “Hello?” She asked.

               “Hello!” A woman’s voice rang out. It was quite loud and cheery, even at this hour. “How may I help you?”

               Madison bit her nails. “Um, I would like to file a complaint about the neighbors upstairs? I moved in recently and I’ve been trying to deal with the noise but it’s just been awful.”

               “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” The woman responded. "When did you move in?”

               “About three months ago. I figured maybe give it a few days and the noise would go away? But it didn’t so that’s why I’m calling.”

               The lady hummed in agreement. “I am very sorry about that. It sounds terrible!”

               Madison scoffed a little. “You have no idea.”

               “Which unit are you in? We can send security up to the floor above you to talk to them.”

               “319.” Madison replied. It was silent for a while except for the clacking of a keyboard.

               “Ok, I just filed the complaint and we’ll send somebody up to check out the noise. I’m so sorry.”

               Madison heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much. Hopefully, the noise’ll die down.”

               “Yes, hopefully. Good night!” And she hung up.

               Madison then tried to get some rest, the assurance that someone in authority was going to make sure the noise stopped helped lull her to sleep. Her eyes fluttered shut and she fell asleep. She would need a good night’s rest for the next horrendous days that would follow.

***************************************************************************

               Monday came and Madison woke up well-rested and happy.

               ‘I actually got a good night’s rest!’ She thought cheerfully. She hoped that from now on, there would be no noise from upstairs. At least, less than what she was experiencing. Her cheeriness carried through her workday, saying hi to her co-workers, offering input in meetings, and eating lunch with her staff. Before she knew it, 5 o’clock rolled around and it was time to go home.

               She breathed a sigh of contentment as she entered her apartment. No loud noises yet. She waltzed to her kitchen and grabbed leftovers from the fridge. As she waited for the food to heat up, she changed out of her work clothes. No loud noises yet.

               Emerging from her bedroom and into the kitchen, she grabbed her warm food from the microwave. The smell of leftover Chinese enticed her and Madison sat to enjoy her meal.

               ‘Ahh. No loud noises y-’

               THUMP! THUMP! BANG!

               “GOD! I spoke too soon!” She wailed, jumping from her seat. The timing was almost a bit humorous to her. “10 o’clock and I’m calling.” She growled and sat back down.

               10 o’ clock and there was more noise than ever. To Madison, it sounded like they were dropping bowling balls on the ground. Lying awake in her bed, she began muttering to herself.

               “Why won’t they stop? I called security on them…”

               Maybe they don’t care. The voice was back.

               “Who? The security or the people upstairs?”

                 The voice shrugged. Both.

“Then they’re insane.” Madison sat up angrily. “Both of them. But mainly the people upstairs. What kind of people are they!? Do they have no respect for basic human decency?!”

               I told you they’d get upset. The voice responded smugly. I told you, didn’t I?

               “They’re insane.” Madison repeated.

               Ooh. Don’t say that too loud; they might hear you. The voice taunted. They might get mad at that comment. They might be making their way down to your door right now. It won’t be long until they’ll blast it open and find you, a scared little girl alone, in a cold, dark place. They’ll find you and you will see what evil truly lives up there. The answers to all your questions, staring you right in the face. But just as you begin to beg for your life they will-

               “SHUT UP!” Madison ordered loudly. She wasn’t sure if she was talking to the people upstairs or to the voice in her head. Either way, the voice disappeared. She sighed tiredly and dialed the front office again.

               “Hello. What can I help you with?” It was not the same bright lady as yesterday but a gravelly man’s voice that came out the other end of the speaker.

               “Uh hi. I’m calling to place another complaint against my neighbors upstairs. I called yesterday at around this time and you guys said you sent security up there to stop the noise. I live in 319, by the way.”

               There was some clacking on a keyboard. “Oh yes, I see that’s correct. And you’re saying they’re making more noise?”

               Madison chewed on her fingernails. “Yes, and I think they’re retaliating. They seem to be making more noise than normal.”

               “Yikes. Can you describe the noise to me?”

               “Um, most of the time it’s really loud stomping and dropping things on the ground. Sometimes at night I can hear their television. One time, I went outside the complex building and I could hear their tv from outside. I’ve heard talking and yelling but it’s not common. I’ll hear doors and drawers slamming and unexplainable loud crashes at late hours of the night.” She took a deep breath. “It’s caused a lot of stress for me. I can’t sleep at night and it’s impacting my job performance.” That last part wasn’t entirely true (she’d been doing average at work) but she did find it hard to concentrate sometimes (plus, it made for a good sob story). “I live with the noise constantly. I can’t escape from it. The simplest of activities inside my apartment are made unenjoyable because of the perpetual noise. I understand that apartment living may come with some unwanted noise but this? This is excessive and unbearable. I feel like-” she hesitated to add in this next part but did anyway “-I’m losing my mind. Seriously.”

               The man was silent for a moment, probably a little shocked at what Madison had to say. “First off, I am extremely sorry about this…”

               “Thank you.”

               “…but unfortunately, we cannot do anything about it.”

               Madison covered the speaker on her phone and let out a whispered yell. She cursed under her breath. “I’m sorry, what?”

               The man cleared his throat. “Well, we did send up security last night, like you mentioned. They knocked on 419’s door but…”

               “But what?” Madison asked, a little snappy and impatient.

               “…no one answered.” The man finished. Madison covered the speaker again and swore loudly. “Ma’am?” the man asked, concerned. Madison wondered if he heard her. She didn’t care at this point.

               “What?” She fired, irritated. She squeezed her eyes in regret at her vicious tone. “I-uh…yes?” She asked, calmer.

               “We cannot force entry into the apartment. It violates our rules. Again, I’m sorry.” Madison was so upset, she started to cry a little bit.

               “I understand.” She breathily gasped out. “It’s just-uh, it’s caused me a lot of distress and I want to know if there’s anything I can do to make it stop. I’m at my wits end here, man.” She really was. “I don’t think I can take it anymore. The sounds…they’re just awful. I-”

               The man interrupted her. “I totally get it. But there’s nothing that we can do ma’am. If they don’t answer the door when we knock, we cannot force entry. I’m sorry, those are just the rules.”

               Madison wanted to scream at the man. She wanted to tell him that they should break down that stupid door, regardless of if they answered it or not. They should be waiting outside the apartment, ready to scold the tenants for being noisy. They should be doing something.

               And this was why Madison was so upset. The fact that the apartment people weren’t doing anything to solve the issue. Because of one stupid setback, they can’t “do anything.” They lift up their hands in defeat and say, “Well, there’s nothing I can do! Just deal with it.”

               “Maybe you deal with it.” She growled.

               The man was still on the phone. “Pardon?”

               Madison shook her head. “Nothing. But um, are you sure there’s nothing I can’t do? There has to be something!”

               The man sucked in his breath. “The only thing you can do is keep reporting. We can build a larger report against them over time. I wish there was another way but-”

               Madison muttered another low curse. “Ok yeah fine. Have a good night.” She didn’t wait to hear the man’s response. She flopped back down on her bed and covered her face with her hands. A violent sob shook her body. She wasn’t exactly sure why she was crying; was she crying because of the noises upstairs or because that no one cared about it?

               “There has to be something I can do.” She said, trying to regain her composure. A thought popped into her head. “Maybe I can go scope out upstairs?”

               No, you stupid, the voice was back. What if they see you?

               “They won’t see me,” Madison sighed. “I’ll be in and out.”

               No. They will see you. A chill ran through Madison’s body. They will see you and they will come for you.

               Madison thought about this for a moment. If the people upstairs didn’t answer when security knocked on their door, they knew something was up. They were playing a twisted mind game with her. These people weren’t stupid. They knew exactly what they were doing. And that scared the hell out of Madison.

               “Shut up.” Madison heard a loud thump from up above.

               Never. The voice cackled with glee. Just you wait and see.

***************************************************************************

               It was now Tuesday morning and Madison got up groggily. She did the same routine of breakfast, commute, work, lunch, back home, dinner, sleep.

               Except today, she decided for a little routine change. And it started with a push of a button.

               Instead of pressing 3, she pressed 4 in the elevator. Yes, it was the day she went upstairs to see Apartment 419.

               She wasn’t going to do anything stupid. Just walk past their door and that was it. Madison reminded herself of this as she stepped out of the elevator. A right turn here, a left turn there and she finally saw it. Those cursed numbers. 419.

               She stared down a long creepy corridor where the door lay. Taking a gulp, she began her journey to 419. Each step she took felt weighted. Her hands were cold and stiff and she couldn’t breathe. She tried to gulp but choked halfway through. The more she walked, the further the door got. The walk felt too long, as if some supernatural being was stretching the hallway like putty and laughing at Madison’s expense.

               ‘How long is this hallway?’ She thought frustrated. How much time had passed now? It seemed like 10 minutes had passed since she stepped out of the elevator. What if she kept walking forever?

               “Don’t be ridiculous,” she scolded herself. “See, almost there!” In fact, she was a lot closer than she thought she was. After an eternity of walking, the end was finally in sight. 419’s door was right there. It was scratched, thrashed, chipped. Spat out and grinded to the bone. The doors in the apartment complex were in good condition but this one looked like it survived a bombing. It looked like it went through hell and back. Or maybe it was holding back hell.

               419 was the gateway to hell. Madison was sure of it.

               Fascinated at the condition of the door, Madison brushed her finger against it. Her padded fingertip felt dents, cracks, chips. If the door was this beat up, she could only imagine what was inside.

               Madison felt tears well up in her eyes but quickly brushed them away. She needed to get this crying thing under control. But who could blame her? She had put up with this for far too long and she was furious that nothing was being done to solve her problem. Her hand lingered over the handle, an uncontrollable urge to pull it overtook her.

               “Just…behind here…” She muttered, eyes fluttering.

               Just then, Madison heard pounding footsteps from inside 419. Her eyes widened and her hand flinched back, as if the handle had become burning hot. The footsteps grew closer, closer, closer! Madison tried to move her feet but they wouldn’t budge. Her teeth pressed down hard on her tongue and she began to tremble. The lock slowly turned and…

               ‘Click!’

                One word came to her mind: Run.

               Madison snapped out of the frozen trance she was in and ran for her life. She didn’t bother to turn around and see who came out of 419, she just knew she had to get out of there…FAST! Her arms pumping wildly, legs moving at lightning speed. She didn’t want to go back down the long corridor; too much of a risk being seen. She would have to seek out the other elevator on the opposite side of the building.

               She turned a corner and stopped for a moment. Was there anyone even coming after her? She put her hand over her heart and tried to steady her breathing.

               Don’t breathe too loud or else they might hear you. The cold voice whispered smarmily.

               Madison listened hard for pounding footsteps coming in her direction but could not hear anything except for the beating of her own heart. She eerily doubted no one was coming after her and she was just being paranoid.

               But still. Someone had unlocked the door.

               Not waiting to find out who unlocked it and was roaming the halls, Madison retreated quickly to her apartment. After she slammed her door shut, she slid to the ground and wept. Going upstairs hadn’t solved anything, as she had previously hoped. It had only scared her more. She wept, out of anger, out of fear, out of worry. She hadn’t cried this hard since her father’s funeral.

               Why are you crying, little one? The voice asked, in a mocking tone.

               “Because. Because I can!” She screamed.

               Are you upset? The voice cooed. Is the little girl upset?

               Madison wiped her tears harshly. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m upset. I’m upset that no one had bothered to do anything about the noise. I’m upset that my new life wasn’t as freeing as I thought it would be, I’m upset that dad died, I’m upset that I live alone even though this is what I wanted-” she hiccupped and grabbed fistfuls of her now disheveled hair. “I’m upset that I’m afraid of the people upstairs, I’m upset that I’ll probably have to live with these noises forever, I’m upset th-that I’m arguing WITH MYSELF!” she let out a scream and curled up into a ball.

               This was a terrifying scene playing out. Here lay a woman, worn out by strange noises, making an anguished cry for help. Disheveled, beaten, fatigued; this woman just wanted her father to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything will be alright. She wanted only one thing, but it wasn’t for the noise to stop.

               “I just want my dad.” She whispered, throat hoarse. “Just give him back.” She shut her swollen eyes and rubbed her mascara-stained cheeks. “I just want him back…”

***************************************************************************

               Suddenly, she was back in her parents’ kitchen. There was a sparkly blue banner that read in aggressive red letters, “HAPPY 55TH BIRTHDAY!” This was a familiar setting; one Madison had experienced just 5 years ago. It was her father’s 55th birthday, which was particularly memorable because of the dance party her dad initiated. What was she doing here?

                She felt a hand on her shoulder. Spinning around quickly, she came face to face with her father.

               “Hey kiddo!” He boomed jovially. “I’m gonna turn on some music. Let’s dance!” Madison opened her mouth to tell her dad how much she missed him but no noise would come out. She wanted to reach out and hug him forever and ever. She wanted to cry and tell him how much she needed him, how she needed to hear his soothing voice.

But she couldn’t do any of these things. This was just a dream.

Her dad walked over to his old record player and filed through some records. Madison knew which one he was going to choose. Her grandma would get up and start dancing with her. Then all her cousins would start a conga line and her mother would wrap her arms around her husband’s neck and kiss him. She knew all these things were going to happen. But why was she here?

Her father chose a record and set it on the record player. The opening drumbeats cascaded and her father began clapping along to “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” his favorite song of all time.

“Come on everyone!” He motioned for everyone to get up and dance. “I wanna see you dance!”

The party goers stood up, excited. Madison’s grandmother waltzed over to her, clapping and dancing. Her cousins were forming a conga line (which looked more like a conga blob) and her mother wrapped her arms around her husband and embraced him.

“Cuz baby there’s

Ain’t no mountain high enough!

Ain’t no valley low enough!

Ain’t river wide enough

To keep me from getting to you, babe!”

The song continued to blare and people continued to dance. Everyone but Madison. Everyone was so happy…but something was off. In real life, her father had an impeccable sound system that would ring out songs in a clear tone. She vividly remembered the resonant timbre coming out of the speakers as a kid. She even called it, “Clarence’s Clear Speakers.”

But in her dream, the sound coming out of the speakers sound muffled; almost like she was underwater and drowning.

Gives “Ain’t no river wide enough” a whole different meaning.

It was like the music was coming from somewhere else…compressed and fuzzy. She nervously looked around and to her horror, the people’s face around her had melted off. Her vision became blurred and the voices of Marvin and Tammi became distorted and warbled. Suddenly, the bookcase in the living room fell over. No one noticed. The ground began to shake violently. She stumbled a bit. Everyone kept dancing like nothing had happened.

Madison heard a rumble up above and her eyes widened in fear. There was a huge crack in the ceiling! She opened her mouth to scream at everyone that something was wrong but no noise came out. The rumbling continued and ceiling was coming down on her. Chunks of it came raining down in a fury and started to destroy her beautiful home. Nevertheless, people kept dancing and the song grew louder and louder and louder until a chunk of the ceiling fell on Madison’s h-

***************************************************************************

“NO!” Madison sat up from the curled position she was in. She knew she had been dreaming but it had felt so real. She touched her face to make sure in was still intact. She was ok. Rubbing her head, Madison looked around. She had fallen asleep at her front door, where she had been crying earlier.

“God, what time is it?” She muttered and checked her phone. It was 11:30.

“Wonderful.” She muttered.

CRASH! A lovely sound upstairs.

Followed by a THUD THUD THUD!

Madison struggled to stand up but managed to do so. There was no need to eat dinner now, she had reasoned. She would just get ready for bed. Walking slowly to the bedroom, a disturbing noise upstairs froze her in her tracks.

Music.

But not just any music.

“Cuz baby there’s

Ain’t no mountain high enough!

Ain’t no valley low enough!

Ain’t river wide enough

To keep me from getting to you, babe!”

“No,” she gasped. “It can’t be!” She paused and listened upstairs. Sure enough, it was “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” blaring from up above. Marvin and Tammi’s angelic voices rained down from Heaven above. It seemed like a sick joke; Heaven didn’t exist upstairs. She knew what evil existed upstairs.

“H-how?!” She trembled. “How can this be?” That was her father’s favorite song! And she had just dreamt about-

“No,” she repeated slowly. “There’s no way.”

Oh, but it is. The voice hissed.

“Is-is that why it sounded so horrible in my dream? So muffled and distorted?” She questioned, hands trembling.

Maybe. Maybe not. How am I supposed to know?

The song was still blaring up above. Madison slumped back down again.

“Ho-how?” She was in disbelief. “This has got to be some crazy coinced-”

THUMP THUMP THUMP!

Her eye twitched. “No way. No way, José.” She paced her bedroom like a madman. How was this happening? Was it just a crazy coincidence the monsters upstairs were blasting her father’s favorite song? Was it chance that she dreamt about that song after getting chased by her neighbors? A flood of questions bombarded Madison.

“I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!” She shrieked. She was done making excuses. She was done with the noise. She was done with the unanswered questions. She was done with the inattentiveness to her issue. She was done with it all. She needed to take matters into her own hands. She pondered for a moment, trying to come up with any type of solution. Finally, it hit her. The idea that came to her mind was the deadliest thing she could’ve imagined in all her 24 years of living.

“I’m going back up.”

And so, she went. Dressed in her crumpled, black suit that was 3 sizes too big, hair tangled and disheveled, tear stains made present due to her mascara, smeared red lipstick, and bloodshot eyes, she pressed the 4 button on the elevator. Nothing could stop her now. She was a woman on a mission, determined to see just what was going on in Apartment 419.

She faced the never-ending hallway once again, but this time unafraid. Her long, powerful strides penetrated the ground with a mighty “CLUNK!” Eyes narrowed, she sought out to see the other side of that bruised door.

This time, the journey was not so long. Before she knew it, she was face to face with the Gateway to Hell.

Strangely, the music had stopped. Madison put her ear against the door and tried to listen for the slightest sound but there was nothing.

They’re waiting for you behind that door. The voice told her, giddy. Only a piece of wood is standing between you and them. Between you and certain doom. They have waited long enough for you to ripen. Today is the day they strike!

“Shut up. I’ve had enough of you.” Madison growled. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. No answer. She knocked again. No answer.

“I know you’re in there!” She wailed. Her voice cracked and she coughed. “I just wanna talk, ok?”

No answer.

Open the door. The voice ordered her. Do it. They want you to. I want you to. Open the door!

“Maybe I will!” She screamed. She had gone crazy; her mind was worn out, body aching, eyes barely functioning. She needed to know what was living in Apartment 419. It was the only way to stop the noise, she was sure of it! No one else had cared to do anything about it so she was about to take matters into her own hands.

Open it, sweetie. The voice cheered. DO IT NOW DO IT NOW DO IT NOW!

Without a moment’s hesitation, her trembling hand grasped the door handle and she let out a cry. Madison was expecting the door to be locked shut.

But it wasn’t.

With one swift motion, she opened the door to Hell and stepped inside.

YES, YOU DID IT, the voice was loud inside her head. I LOVE YOU

“Love you too.” She sneered.

Now you shall see what evil lives here, just like you wanted! But know you shall never make it out alive.

“Shut up.”

ok

Don’t say I didn’t warn you

That was the last she heard of the voice.

It was pitch black inside. Madison couldn’t even see her hands in front of her face. Her clumsy hands felt around the walls to turn on the lights. She found a light switch and flipped it to the ‘on’ position.

When the light shone down, she gasped at what she saw.

The apartment was empty.