Mia stepped out of her car, pulling her coat tighter against the chill. The dim light from a flickering streetlamp barely illuminated the path as she made her way to the entrance. The landlord had warned her about the building's 'quirks,' but the rent was affordable, and she needed a fresh start.
"It's just for a while," Mia muttered to herself, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling crawling up her spine.
As Mia unpacked, she noticed an odd bulge in the wall behind a faded painting. Curiosity piqued, she pulled the painting aside to reveal a small, dusty alcove. Inside lay a leather-bound journal, its pages yellowed with age.
"What could this be?" Mia wondered aloud, brushing off the dust and flipping open the cover.
Mia settled into the worn armchair, intrigued by the journal's contents. It detailed the lives of previous tenants, each entry more unsettling than the last. They spoke of mysterious happenings—nightmares, whispers in the dark, and inexplicable tragedies.
"This can't be real," Mia whispered, yet the eerie feeling in her gut told her otherwise.
As Mia tried to sleep, she heard a faint tapping, like fingers drumming against a window pane. The sound seemed to come from inside the walls, growing louder and more insistent.
"Who's there?" she called out, her voice trembling. But only silence answered.
Mia decided to investigate further, tracing the source of the noise. As she approached the wall where the journal had been hidden, the tapping resumed, more frantic and desperate.
"I need to know the truth," Mia resolved, determined to uncover the secrets buried within these walls.
Mia discovered a hidden door behind the wallpaper, leading to a forgotten room. Inside, she found remnants of the past—a child's broken toy, a woman's faded photograph, and the unmistakable stench of something rotten.
"This is where it ends," Mia whispered, realizing that the apartment's history was darker and more intertwined with her own than she had ever imagined.
