“A Night to Remember”

I sit on the tattered sofa that takes up eighty percent of our small apartment, waiting for my roommate. I chuckle to myself remembering when Carson and I first moved in.

~

“This was a terrible idea” Carson says and I start laughing. “Why did you let me do this?”. Looking at the couch taking up the entire living room, I can’t hold back my laughter. Carson looks at me “Jamie, this isn’t funny. We wasted so much money and we can’t even take it back.” Carson whines. “What do you mean, this is the best thing I’ve ever seen” I say wiping tears from my eyes. Suddenly everything goes quiet as Carson is trying to figure out if I’m serious. I let out a small chuckle while watching him and then immediately we both erupt into laughter. It continues for several minutes until our faces and sides hurt from laughing so hard. I jump onto the couch that is set right in front of our small 20” Tv, there is no room for a coffee table anymore and the back of the couch rests right on the kitchen island making it impossible to fit any bar stools at it. “I think this couch is amazing, plus a place to eat is overrated anyway” I say mocking him, I know he feels bad because choosing the couch was his job and he feels like he failed but I honestly love it. “Just think, we get to walk into our house everyday, that is IF the front door still opens,” I add poking fun “and get to smile remembering how stupid our couch is” I say trying to make him feel better.

~

The rest of our apartment is small, it’s the only one we could find near our university, plus it’s cheap so who am I to complain? There are two rooms and a shared bathroom along with the world's smallest kitchen behind the island. Carson emerges from the hallway looking fresh and ready to go. I look at the clean cut shirt and jeans he’s wearing “Jeez, it’s a midterm party not a job interview” I tease sarcastically. He rolls his eyes, obviously used to my nitpicking after two and a half years of living together. Carson and I are both working towards our degrees in criminology and are heading out to celebrate midterms being over. Usually if there is a party going on, both Carson and I are there, I guess it’s somewhat of a tradition now. “You ready?” he asks. “Yup” I say jumping up to open the door for the both of us.

Leaving the apartment building we begin walking in silence down the road. We only live a twenty minute walk from campus and it’s even shorter to the party. We walk in silence most of the way. The dark and windy September night is admittedly not the greatest time for a party but we weren’t going to miss out because of a little wind. Since we are walking here and back together it’s not like either of us will be on our own in the dark anyway. I watch the leaves fly around the ground in front of us, making a rough crunching noise as it rubs itself against the pavement and pull my sweater closer to me, it’s a lot colder than usual. Carson gives me a knowing look when he sees me do this, he is always nagging me to wear a proper jacket. I relax and pretend I’m not cold, I’m not giving him the satisfaction of being right. I notice the road is deserted which isn’t odd, in this small Ohio town most people are in their homes by six pm, but I can’t seem to shake this eerie feeling. I guess it doesn’t help that both sides of the road are fenced in by dense forest, anything could be in there, lurking or watching. I begin to nervously watch both sides of the roads. I’ve finally figured out what I’m feeling. I have the feeling of being watched. I glance up at Carson’s face, he seems unbothered, people get this feeling all the time and it’s usually nothing. Maybe I’m just psyching myself out? Or maybe this is one of those rare times I should be listening to my senses? I’m being silly, this is nothing but a little paranoia. I’m sure being outside in the dark in the middle of nowhere would put anyone on edge.

“You excited?” Carson finally breaks the painstaking silence. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, obviously I had been more worked up than I thought I was. “Of course, we wouldn’t miss a party for anything.” I say trying to act cool. “You notice how people just assume we’re gonna be there if there’s a party happening? It’s a good reputation to have, huh?” I smile as I keep the conversation going. Carson laughs inwardly but doesn’t reply with anything. Back to the silence then. I wish we could just be there already, I think to myself just as I see flashing lights. I start to feel the bass of music through the ground. I grin, a good thing about being in “who knows where” Ohio is that your neighbours are miles away, meaning no noise complaints and no one to shut things down early.

The house is somewhat a renovated abandoned barn, it isn’t owned and is pretty much used as a party house for the college kids. I know the kid who “Owns” it, he brought a generator and gave the place power. I remember him telling me the story of how he came across it two years ago.

~

Sitting down before class I see a group of five guys huddled around some desks. Looking I recognize Floyd is at the centre, the rest are freshman crim students. As I approach I can hear that they’re excited about something. “Random luau?” I ask sarcastically. “Bro, Floyd got a house” a guy I didn’t know told me excitedly. I raise my eyebrows quizzically, they seemed to understand that I was curious how someone my age with the same student debt could afford a house. “Get this! He found it!” another guy said way too excited for someone his age. “How’d you manage that?” I say directing my question to Floyd himself. “I was just about to tell these guys” he smiles to himself. “I was out walking the forest, ya know? Just trying to find somethin’ interesting.” Odd but ok? I think “I’m walking around when I get to the back door of what looks like a barn. But its got a glass door so obviously I’m confused. So I go and check it out more and walk to the front. I see its got a “For Sale” sign out front and that’s when I knew I hit a gold mine. You know how real ‘state goes around here.” Not good by the way. No one wants to move this far out of any major city. No one lives out here but farmers and those who couldn’t afford to go to Ohio State. “So I toss the sign, cause no ones gonna be needing that anymore. I find a window at the side of the house and manage to force a screw driver in between the window and the house and get it open. When I’m inside I realize the jackpot I found, it’s a rusty old barn outside but inside is all new. Can you believe it?!” he exclaims. “Yeah” I agree not nearly as invested in this as the others. “You can finally move up in the world” says one of the others. “Nah, i’m keepin’ my apartment.” Floyd says. This seems to surprise the rest of the group. “Your just gonna let the potential go to waste??” asked someone completely confused. “Would I do that?” he grins. “Two words” he holds up two fingers and waits a moment for suspense. “Party. House” he makes sure to emphasize each word. The rest of the group then erupts into excited chatter, trying to get Floyd to tell them when the first party will be and if they can go. I go back to my seat and sit down ready for class to start.

~

Walking in I am greeted by the familiar stench of alcohol and sweat. This party is kinda impressive. It’s packed full of people, there's drinks and beer pong in the corner. Music is blasting, the bass makes the house shake. I look to my side and see that Carson is no longer next to me, glancing around I find him in the kitchen with a group of guys from school. Deciding not to join them I start to make my way outside into the backyard. My anxiety picks up again as I realize I can’t shake the feeling of someone watching me. Looking out a small window to my right, my stomach drops and I audibly gasp. It’s almost completely dark outside but I can make out the outline of someone pressing their hands against the glass, peering inside! Immediately I run out of the view of the window and stop to steady my breathing, I notice I’m now shaking and very close to having a panic attack. I take off my jacket as I begin to sweat out of nervousness and cast it aside.  After what seems like forever but couldn’t be more than a minute I decide to return to the window. Peering back over to the window I can see the figure is gone. Maybe it was nothing? I have been watching a lot of horror films lately. There are so many people here, it was probably someone looking for their friend. A murderer would have to be real stupid to try and hit a house full of people. Right?

Walking towards the backyard I start to think that maybe I should just stay inside. No, I really need to man up, I can’t let paranoia get the best of me. A sudden burst of bravery courses through me and I begin to look forward to the rest of the night. I hope it’s a night to remember, this party looks like it’s going to be one for the history books. I step out onto the back patio and immediately feel the crisp air on my face. This is just what I needed, I begin to feel better instantly. Looking around I realize that no one is out here but me, it must be too cold for the others to want to come out here. Who was the guy at the window then? I note that although I still feel like being watched I now felt as though there were eyes watching me from behind. Realizing that the only way to calm myself was to find a logical explanation to what I saw I decide to check out the window that I looked through from the inside. Walking around the side of the house I keep an eye out for the window, wanting to confront whoever was peeping into our party. I’m walking around the long side of the house when the sense of unease returns. The wind is picking up and the air feels as though it will begin to rain soon, I silently curse myself for leaving my jacket inside and for a second I contemplate going back to get it before reaching the window. But I’ve come so far already and what if whoever was there is gone before I get back? The forest next to me becomes eerie and the wind rustling the trees sets me on edge. I see the window up ahead but when I reach it my heart sinks. So much for believing I was seeing things. The window looked completely normal and you wouldn’t be able to tell that anyone had been there if you hadn’t seen the writing “I See You” written in the condensation of someone’s breath.

Before I run back to the back door of the house I am able to see footprints in the mud, they were barefoot. Running in through the back door, I know that I look like a mess. Looking over to where Carson was with his buddies I see that he isn’t there anymore. I shoot him a text “Hey, do you mind if we head home early?”, I don’t want to alert him to anything wrong just yet. What if it was just someone playing a prank? I decide that I don’t want to sit still and choose to go looking for Carson as well, but when I walk into the front room I see Floyd giving a newcomer a drink. The new guy was tall and pale much like the face from the window but what made me fear him the most is that he wasn’t wearing any shoes and his feet were caked in mud. Without taking my eyes off him I walk over to Floyd who had now left the guy. “Who’s the new guy?” I ask in a whisper. I watch Floyd shrug and say “He says his name is Hunter”. “Do you know him?” I add. “I don’t think so, but lots of people bring plus ones” Floyd seems indifferent. Looking at the guy I study him. He has a long unshaven face, is wearing only overalls with one side undone and was completely barefoot. This was not what someone wore to a party. “Don’t you think he’s a bit … odd?” I ask again. Floyd seems busy and replies “Hey if I didn’t accept weird people I’d have to kick out half of this party including you” smiling at me, he walks off into a crowd. I want to go find Carson but I no longer feel comfortable taking my eyes off Hunter. I check my phone and am happy to see that I have a message from Carson, “hey imma stay for longer, I can head back later. You got the house key?” this was not the reply I wanted. After checking my pockets I return to my phone “Ya I got it” I send back. While looking down at my phone I feel eyes on me once again. When I look up I see out of the corner of my eye, Hunter sitting on his own staring at me. In order to tell if he was watching me I would have to test it. I get up and begin pacing the room and even move into other connecting rooms, every time I looked over he would be staring intently at me.

Was he in the forest when I first walked here? Did he watch Carson and I walk up? He was the one in the window. The message had to have been meant for me. What did he want? Why me? Was he there sitting in the forest, lurking and watching me when I went to inspect the window outside? This is way too much to think about, since this creep is here. I’m just gonna head home. I get ready to go and head out the front door after letting a few people know that I was leaving and to thank Floyd for me.

Heading out of the house I listen as the echo of the music slowly fades away the farther I walk. I shiver, the cold wind makes goosebumps rise on the back of my neck. Walking back to my apartment I begin to notice everything around me. The sound of my footsteps make me panic. Were the trees always this dark? I could no longer tell where the forest started. My breath picks up again and I begin to hyperventilate. What is there to panic about? The message was just a prank that the new guy decided to pull, I’m sure it was meant for his friends and I’m worrying for nothing. The wind is picking up now and I can hear shrubs in the forest move. What was that? I feel my face drain of colour, I can hear twigs snapping and leaves crunching. The wind is not that strong. I pick up my pace, half jogging towards where I live. To ease my mind I shoot Carson a text “What’s up with the new guy? He’s a bit creepy don’t you think? Lol”. I’ve calmed a bit now, it’s been one hell of a night so far and I’m looking forward to watching a movie in my warm living room. I’m being silly, there is nothing to worry about. I have lived here for three years already and I’ve not heard about one major crime. The worst it gets out here is that some high schoolers vandalize farms, so what am I worried about? A swarm of teenagers with spray paint? I let out a small chuckle and continue walking when I stop dead in my tracks. Was I hearing things? I could have sworn I heard someone in the darkness mymic my chuckle but maybe I’m just losing it.

After convincing myself I was fine, I once again start walking home. It feels like its taking forever, the walk there definitely seemed shorter. Maybe I missed my turn? I nearly jump out of my skin when I hear my phone’s notification sound go off into the night. Checking, I see I have a message from Carson “What new guy?” I scoff, Carson never pays attention to things around him. “His name is hunter, at least that’s what he told Floyd, he came in covered in mud. He freaks me out” I no longer feel silly admitting that I was scared. Stuffing my phone back into my pocket I try to figure out where I am. I’ve been walking for about thirty minutes now and it only takes twenty to get home, illuminated by a streetlamp I see a side street and know for sure I’ve missed my street. I remember when I first got lost here.

~

Walking through the classrooms door the bell rings, it’s the first day of classes and seats are sparse. Looking out into the massive crowd of people I see Carson with a group of his friends. I can also see that there are no seats available from where I’m standing so I decide to walk down the center isle, as I step to my left to make my way towards the center I walk straight into a classmate holding coffee spilling it all over both of us. “I’m so sorry” we both say at the same time. “No really it’s my fault” she says. “I wasn’t looking before I moved so it’s definitely my fault” I say with a small laugh. She grabs some tissues from her bag and starts to wipe up the floor. Kneeling down I grab some tissues and help, while on the floor, I hear the professor start the lecture. I think it’s best I go home and clean myself up before coming back to class. “Remember I owe you a coffee” I say getting up after the mess was cleared. She laughs “What’s your name?”, “Jamie” I state my name. “Stephanie” she says shaking my hand. I quietly slip out of the back of the class and begin my trek home. It’s not a long way but I am still unfamiliar with the roads. I keep on the path beside the road and look into the forest, it seems like a beautiful and peaceful place, maybe I’ll spend some time exploring there sometime. I can’t believe I’m actually here, university has always seemed like something so far away but now I’m living it. I wonder what Carson is like, I haven’t really been able to get to know my new roommate very well as we’ve both been getting settled into our own rooms. Hopefully we can go buy some furniture for the front room together. While lost in thought I realise I’m walking towards an abandoned run down house on a side street, I’ve definitely missed my street. How long have I been thinking for?

~

I did end up taking Stephanie out for another coffee, she’s a good friend of mine now. I glance towards the abandoned house, it really hasn’t changed much from that day, still looks dead and decayed. Turning around I begin walking back the way I came when my phone whistles from my pocket. Taking it out I read the text from Carson “I’ve looked around and couldn’t see anyone new, you sure you weren’t seeing things lol”. I roll my eyes “Ask Floyd and he’ll tell you” I shoot back. I can see my turn coming up and once again get excited to relax in my living room, soon I'll be able to make some popcorn and throw on a movie, no more horror films for me though. I’m almost to the corner of my street when once again my phone whistles signalling its presence. “Bro have you been drinking? Floyd said the new guy left with you.” I felt my face drain of colour, the blood in my veins turned to ice and goosebumps on the back of my neck rose once again. I am not alone out here. My surroundings seem to close in on me. It’s pitch black and I’m standing under the only streetlamp until I reach my apartment again. The whistle sounds again. I freeze. The whistle was made from the forest and was definitely not from my phone. I take off running in the direction of my apartment as fast as I can go. Running straight down the dark street I no longer care about using the sidewalk. Someone is out here with me and I isn’t safe. In the distance I see the lights of my apartment building.

I run straight into the lobby, barely pausing to buzz myself in. As soon as I'm inside I double over with exhaustion. I have never ran that fast in my life, I made the usual ten minute walk in two minutes. Tears sting my eyes and I begin to feel silly for letting myself get so worked up over something that is probably nothing.You need a passcode to get into this building so I can finally feel safe. I actually feel a little stupid for running that much, maybe it was just a bird. There are so many birds that whistle back when they hear a sound, and that new guy probably just went home. Instead of taking the elevator I decide to go with the stairs, hopefully it will help calm my nerves before I can settle in for the night. Immediately stepping into the stairway I can tell something isn’t right, I can feel a draft coming in from outside. Walking to the stairs doorway I can see that the door that leads to the outside has been propped open. I peer out into the darkness. I see nothing out of the ordinary even though I can only see the next 20 yards because of the lack of light. I close the door tightly making sure that its locked this time and head up the stairs. Sometimes security leaves those doors open so they can let themselves in the way they left after surveying the area, so it’s not like it’s something out of the ordinary. The building only has three floors and mine was on the third. Making my way up the stairs I begin to feel better, I can’t wait to get comfortable at home.

When I get to the top of the stairs I turn right and head towards my front door. The hallway is dark and silent but I feel at ease, my neighbours who are usually extremely loud must be out as I don't hear a sound. Even the noisy chihuahua in room six wasn't barking as usual. I finally stopped in front of my door and my blood runs cold. I could have sworn Carson and I had shut the door and locked it behind ourselves when we left but here it was, left slightly ajar. I notice the living room light on, shining under the front doorway. I shoot Carson a text “Did you come home early?” after hitting send I hear a phone beep from inside the apartment. I thought Carson was going to stay later? I guess he could have passed me when I missed my turn but even then I would have thought he would let me know when he was heading home.

Walking into the apartment everything seems to be just as we left it, I can’t see Carson anywhere, he must be in his room. I walk into my room and begin getting ready for bed, I’ve decided against watching a movie as I am obviously too worked up. I’m almost ready for bed when I realize I haven’t heard Carson move in a while, deciding to check up on him before getting some sleep I step into the hallway. Maybe he’ll have some cool stories to tell about what he got up to tonight and I won’t feel like I missed out on too much. Carson’s door is slightly ajar and his room light is on, this strikes me as odd because Carson has always been the kind of person to religiously keep his door closed at all times. “Carson?” I say while tapping on his door, it swings open from my touch and I see that the room is empty and everything has been untouched. The window is open and the curtains are swaying in the wind, I stick my head out to look onto the fire escape, it’s one of the places Carson likes to sit while thinking things over. I see that the fire escape is empty and close the window. “Where are you?” I text his phone and seconds later I hear it beep from somewhere in the room, looking around I realize the sound was coming from the closet. Stepping closer I open the closet doors and see Carson’s phone on top of a piece of paper, picking up both items I quickly note that the phone is warm to the touch meaning Carson had been holding the phone not that long ago. I unfold the neatly folded paper and begin to read the message “I warned you I was watching, now It’s your turn” I recognize the handwriting as the same as the one written on the window at the party. My heart stops and time slows. I am frozen in fear and at this moment I begin to hear the squeaking of the window opening behind me.