What a mess!
On one hand, heading to an unfamiliar place alone felt a bit scary. On the other… Was it smart to let such a great opportunity slip away?
Dina didn’t seem to care all that much, but Tais really wanted this apartment.
Sure, the website was reliable and legit. Plenty of people she knew had found places through it.
So, it was probably worth checking out.
There were still about fifteen minutes until the scheduled meeting.
Tais stepped out of the café. She took a deep breath of the snowy air—a pure delight after the long, damp autumn and the smell of rotting leaves.
She called the apartment owner to confirm she’d be there as agreed.
The owner had stopped by a store on the way but promised to be at the location on time. Right at six.
“I’ll be there soon too… I’m nearby. Should we meet by the entrance?”
Getting a yes, Tais pulled her hood tighter over her head and hurried down the street, her boots crunching on the wet asphalt, now lightly dusted with snow.
Taking the long way around via the well-lit avenue would take about ten minutes, but cutting through the abandoned construction site would be a bit quicker.
Sure, it wasn’t that late—during summer, the sun would still be up—but this wasn’t summer.
Tais wasn’t afraid of abandoned construction sites.
As a reckless, rebellious teen, she’d been obsessed with mysterious, wild places: construction zones, old houses, basements. With a crew of equally thrill-seeking friends, she’d explored nearly every abandoned spot in and around their town.
So, she didn’t hesitate long. There were probably streetlights on, and with the snow falling, it wouldn’t be pitch black.
Tais turned off the lit street and dove into the maze of unfinished walls, tall fences, and discarded building materials.
She tried to walk lightly, so her footsteps wouldn’t echo so loudly. A strange anxiety tickled in her chest.
She glanced back. The lit opening of the street had already disappeared from view.
Shivering, she quickened her pace forward.
Nothing suspicious around: just a calm, quiet evening, a peaceful vibe, snowflakes drifting lazily…
So where was this unease in her soul coming from?
And why did she feel like someone was watching her?
Without slowing down, Tais cast a careful glance around.
To the right—a tall fence. Piles of bricks scattered here and there, some covered with tarps. Weird that no one had stolen them yet.
To the left—the construction site. The plan had been for a nine-story building, but only three floors were up.
Now, rows of windows stared blankly outward with empty, black sockets. Sure, someone could hide inside.
But who’d bother? Some homeless folks? It’d be way too cold to sleep among the wind and concrete.
Tais nervously rubbed her hands together.
They say even in the calmest, most carefree place, you can find a reason to be scared or panic. And here? This was a full-on horror movie scene.
But whatever… The shortcut was short. Plenty of people probably walked through here. Beyond this site was a whole residential neighborhood.
That’s how Tais reassured herself, weaving through heaps of construction debris and steel beams.
A faint rustle sounded behind her, off to the side. In the dim light of a single streetlamp, a pale shadow darted—straight toward her…
Tais yelped and jumped aside.
She banged her leg on something sharp.
“Damn it!”
The shadow vanished.
Tais bent down, rubbed the bruised spot, and angrily kicked at the piece of metal lying on the ground.
Turns out, she didn’t just bruise herself—she’d torn her jeans. And it looked like she was bleeding…
A huge cat slinked out from the wall, moving with slow, graceful steps toward the fence. Something fluttered in its jaws. A rat? A squirrel? Who cares!
“Of course, it’s black!” Tais muttered, watching the clear prints of the cat’s paws mark the pristine white snow.
Not that she was super superstitious…
But a black cat in a place like this, at a time like this? Way too symbolic. Especially with prey in its mouth.
The cat turned its head, looking at the girl. Its eyes glowed green, reflecting the faint light of the construction lamp.
Now she could clearly see the limp body of a rat and its long, doomed tail dangling.
“Damn it!” Tais cursed again.
A hole in her jeans was no big deal, but the blood? That was bad. And she had nothing to wipe it with.
And that feeling of being watched only grew stronger.
Her chest felt like it had turned to ice.
Her legs trembled; she couldn’t take a step on legs like these. They just wouldn’t obey.
She wanted to scream, but all that came out was a weak, indistinct rasp.
Tais was genuinely terrified. She’d explored dozens of abandoned places in her life, but she’d never felt this kind of dread before.
And the worst part? There was nothing she could do about it. Just stand there and wait for something inevitable, something relentlessly horrifying…
Her blood pounded wildly in her temples.
“One, two, three…” Tais whispered, “Green circle…”
The eerie silence was shattered by a sharp bark.
Then laughter. A couple with two dogs emerged from the darkness.
The dogs barked, tugged at their leashes, and panted loudly.
This burst of life snapped Tais back to reality. Blood rushed through her veins again, restoring strength and flexibility.
The dogs barked even louder.
Tais bolted out of the darkness, toward the blinding light of the evening avenue.
She only stopped when she reached the right building: a five-story structure of white and red brick with three entrances.
Near the first entrance, two women were loudly discussing grocery prices, waving their shopping bags with fervor.
Tais hesitated, pacing near a flowerbed bordered by jagged, rusty brick triangles. Dead flower stalks poked out of the slushy snow.
The owner should’ve been here by now. So why wasn’t she?
Should she call again?
Or just head straight to the apartment?
The entrance had a coded lock. No way to just walk in.
Tais glanced at the women, but they paid her no attention.
She felt uneasy. She didn’t really want to explain why she needed to get inside.
Plus, her scraped knee was starting to hurt, and the snowy dampness chilled her skin through the torn jeans. Of course, ripped jeans wouldn’t shock anyone—they were the latest fashion trend…
A young woman with a small child approached the entrance.
Tais stepped toward her, plastering the sweetest smile on her face.
The woman smiled back.
“I’ve got a meeting scheduled,” Tais said, preempting any questions. “I’m here to rent an apartment…”
“Oh, so you’re for apartment 47!” the woman said, letting her into the building. “We’ll be neighbors, then. I live across the hall.”
Apartment 47 was on the fifth floor.
Tais shook the wet snow off her hood and decisively rang the doorbell. No one answered.
“Olga Ivanovna probably stepped out to the store,” the woman suggested, lingering at her own apartment door.
“We spoke not long ago. She said she’d be waiting by the entrance.”
“Got it! Well, she’ll probably be here soon!”
“Mom! Mom! Come here!” a child’s voice called from the bright hallway.
“See you later,” the woman said, closing her door.
And a bewildered Tais was left standing on the landing.
Another five minutes passed.
She’d spoken to the owner about half an hour ago. Let’s say she didn’t wait by the entrance. But then, shouldn’t she have come up to the apartment? So where the heck was she?
Did she fall asleep or something?
Tais pressed the doorbell again, then pulled out her phone. No one picked up.
What a disaster! Had the owner changed her mind about renting at the last minute and just ghosted her to avoid explaining?
Or where had she gone? She couldn’t have just vanished into thin air!
Tais tapped the wall with the toe of her boot in frustration.
She really didn’t want to lose an apartment in this area, so close to downtown.
She’d already mentally started moving her stuff in.
Should she wait a bit longer? Maybe the owner got held up at the store. Maybe there was a sale or something…
With a huff, she yanked at the door handle—just in case. Nope, locked.