How to Survive in an Anomalous Apartment

Ch.1Emergency Staircase

by fnovelpia

Ch.1Emergency Staircase

Inside the dark bathroom. I quickly imprinted my changed appearance in my mind.

– Long hair. Probably black.

– Slender build

– Overall gentle impression

– Height significantly reduced

Then I turned around and went back to the living room.

What should I do now?

Maybe because I’ve experienced something so surreal, nothing comes to mind.

“Electrical facility inspection! If anyone’s inside, please open the door!”

“Hnngh…!”

A man’s voice echoing through the hallway.

And my phone isn’t working properly either.

[You are outside the service area]

Bzzt, bzzzzt…

– You have received messages.

– I love you

“Ah…ugh….”

The vibration that had been buzzing suddenly stopped.

Only one thought comes to mind.

I need to stay inside the house.

Rustle-

I pulled over moving boxes I hadn’t even unpacked yet to block the door.

I covered the windows with vinyl and wrapping paper.

I’m already out of breath, which shows how weak my body has become.

Although my back used to hurt, I wasn’t weak or lacking in stamina. But now my arms feel like they’re about to fall off.

I pushed the moving boxes to block the door. Then collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath.

Sweat soaked my back, but I couldn’t stop.

“I know you’re in there! Please cooperate quickly so we can end this power outage!”

Clank-

The sound of a door opening.

“Aaaaaaaargh!”

“Hnnngh…”

The voices in the hallway finally died down around dawn.

* * *

I opened my eyes.

The power outage must have been resolved, as the lights were on in the apartment.

I immediately went to the bathroom to check the mirror.

The mirror.

If what’s reflected there is me, then everything was just a dream.

“……”

My cheeks were covered with strands of hair matted with sweat.

My build had shrunk considerably, causing my clothes to hang loosely.

A strange face staring blankly into the mirror. Below it, two lumps of flesh had taken residence.

Until just now, I’d dismissed it as an illusion, but they’re uncomfortable enough to wobble when I walk.

So, this isn’t a dream?

Feeling lost, I unconsciously turned on my phone.

Bzzzzzzt…

– ㅁ?ㅁ?ㅁ???ㅁㅁ

– ㅁ?ㅁ?ㅁㅁㅁㅁ?

– ?ㅁㅁ?ㅁㅁ????

– ㅁ?ㅁ?ㅁㅁㅁㅁ?

– ?ㅁㅁ?ㅁㅁ????

– ㅁ?ㅁ?ㅁ???ㅁㅁ

Crash.

The phone flew across the room. It must have broken because it turned off. Even if it didn’t, I don’t want to turn it on again.

So I probably can’t use my phone anymore. Should I go outside then?

My gaze turned toward the door. Where stacks of unpacked moving boxes were piled up.

It’ll be fine. It’s daytime now. The power outage is over. There’s no voice asking to open the door. It’ll be fine.

I just need to get outside. Even though my body has changed like this, I can somehow explain that it’s really me.

I carefully bent down to move the boxes.

“Ugh.”

“…Huh?”

My back doesn’t hurt. Usually I’d have to grit my teeth. Did this disappear when my appearance changed?

The problem is that the boxes are incredibly heavy.

I’m sure I could move them fairly easily before, but now I have to use all my strength to barely budge them.

‘How did I move these last night?’

The moving boxes were stacked like towers in roughly three rows. I sat down and pushed against one of them.

“Ah! Seriously!!!”

This thing won’t budge!

Now I’m practically lying flat on the floor.

It’s easier to apply force with my body weight and the box moves better, but the problem is my hair falling forward and stabbing my eyes. An even bigger problem is… this. I’d rather not think about that word specifically.

Anyway, these things hanging down.

Ugh.

It’s a really strange sensation. My inner shoulders feel strained? Like the muscles might tear?

They’re so soft it feels wrong, making me conscious of their bouncing with every movement.

“Huff, huff…”

The mountain of moving boxes gradually makes way.

I’ve only moved them about 30 centimeters, but that should be enough to squeeze through the gap.

Let’s get out of the apartment first. After resting a bit.

While catching my breath and cooling off, something suddenly occurred to me.

Wait, couldn’t I have just taken down these moving boxes one by one?

Ah. Whatever.

I scratched my sweat-soaked hair vigorously.

Tick. Tock.

The wall clock shows eleven in the morning.

For clothes to wear outside, I chose a black hoodie. It used to be a bit tight, but now the sleeves cover my palms and the hem stretches all the way down to my thighs.

“Hah…”

I carefully opened the door and checked outside.

First, it’s bright. That’s one point of reassurance. And it’s quiet. Another point of reassurance.

One. Two…!

Thud!

As I carefully step outside the entrance, the metal door closes with a sound.

I thought it wouldn’t be scary because it’s daytime. I was wrong.

The hallway was fine. No strange monsters, good visibility. No problems passing through.

The issue is that this is the 6th floor.

Why is this a problem?

6th floor. That means I have to go down the stairs five times, and this terrible apartment has broken lights in the stairwell. Not just one or two, but all of them.

Should I take the elevator then?

That makes even less sense. If I encounter that thing—the monster that was wandering around yesterday or something similar—I wouldn’t be able to escape. Being in a completely enclosed space might cause something strange to happen. Anyway, I don’t like it.

I’ll run down in one go.

If anything happens, I can just run back to my apartment.

Inside the dark stairwell. Only the dim green emergency lights glow faintly.

In the empty space, only the sound of footsteps going down the stairs can be heard.

Thud

Going down in one go, then turning around to go down again. Two turns per floor, so ten turns and I’ll be out of the apartment.

Thud

ThudThud

Thud

I stopped walking.

I’m standing still, but the footsteps continue

Thud

Something is following me.

Should I run? Or should I hide and wait? Where are the footsteps coming from?

I can’t tell the direction. Whether they’re coming up or going down.

Thud

ThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThud

I instinctively got up and ran.

Just a little further. Just a little more.

I catch a glimpse of a sign at the edge of my vision.

3rd floor. 2nd floor. Now the last one.

[2nd Floor]

…Huh?

I hesitated for a moment, but the unfamiliar footsteps kept coming.

Down. I have no choice but to keep going down.

[1st Floor]

I can see the exit down there. If I can just get out through there.

Thump.

Just as I was about to go down the last step, my vision spun.

“Huff, huff… Finally caught you.”

As I opened my eyes through the burning pain, I saw a flashlight.

A woman wearing a hat was firmly gripping my ankle.

I tried to twist my body to escape, but her grip was too strong.

“Stay still!”

At the sound of approaching footsteps, I stopped struggling.

Thud. Thud. Thud. It wasn’t chasing me.

The floor right above. Another me was coming down from there.

The female version of me. Still unfamiliar but instantly recognizable.

Should I run away?

Slender fingers firmly pressed down on my shoulder.

“Shh.”

“?”

“Be quiet.”

“I” just passes by us and continues down.

I couldn’t see “myself” going down to the first floor. Instead, I heard a chilling sound.

Crrrack.

Crack.

The sound of joints twisting and flesh tearing.

“You shouldn’t go down.”

0 Comments