Chapter 5 House Of Horror 5

He banged on Amanda's door and waited to hear her grumble the way she usually did. When she didn't, he concluded that she must be fast asleep. He hit the door again, harder this time, sending a ricocheting vibration through the wood. He waited a few more seconds, but it didn't seem like she was going to open the door.

Then, another thought occurred to him. It was possible that she was not at home. It was Thursday and she always comes back home around twelve thirty. The time was just twelve twenty-five. He only had to wait five more minutes for her arrival and, if she didn't show up, he would have to break into her flat. It was the only safe haven that he knew of at the moment that was close by. It was then he realised that since he had left his flat, he hadn't heard any noise. No sound of any sort. Just as it had been yesterday. But he could not assume that things were cool and back to normal inside. He would have to wait till morning before going into his home to see. One thing was for sure, tomorrow, he would begin the hunt for a new place to live.

The minutes crawled by as he crouched down outside Amanda's door with his head in his hands. He rocked back and forth. The left leg of his jeans was torn and he could see a few spots of blood on the material. The wound didn't hurt much, so he left it alone, guessing it was just a graze.

Alone, the fear he felt had time to intensify. He would have no choice but to re-enter his flat at some point whether it was night or day. The thought made him feel physically sick. He didn't want to go back inside that flat ever again.

When he heard the sound of heels hitting the floor, he knew that Amanda was back from wherever she went to every Thursday night. She was still a mystery to him. Then again, he never bothered with things like that when it came to girls. What they did when he wasn't around was their business, not his. He pulled on his shirt collar and stood up. Amanda hesitated for a moment as she saw him in front of her apartment. She gave him a tight-lipped look and stopped a few feet away.

"What do you want, Matt? It's late and I am not in the mood for more of your games," she said and tried to walk past him.

He grabbed onto her arm in a desperate attempt to get her to listen. She pulled away sharply.

"Amanda, please -"

"Listen you, I don't feel up to making out with anyone. I just want to fall on my bed and drift to somewhere beautiful in my dreams." She seemed in a bad mood, and didn't seem to notice Matthew's fear.

Normally he'd have been very glad about that, but right this moment he needed her to notice - needed her to care.

"Amanda, it's happening again. The voices are back." He had to stop himself from yelling at her. The panic he felt only minutes ago returned. The situation that he was in finally dawned on him. He had left a defenseless girl in the company of God knew what, "And I already told you I am too busy to play your games tonight."

She pushed past him to her door.

"Please, Amanda! I don't know what to do. I mean what I'm saying, Amanda. The voice you heard the other night is back and it is worse this time," he said in a rush. "There was a bright light that came with it this time around, and I heard them talking." He waved his hands about as he spoke.

"You heard the light talking to itself? What did you just say?" Amanda asked, shaking her head and frowning in confusion. But at least she was listening to him now.

"No. Not the light. I heard some other voices, apart from the ones crying. They were different and they were talking to the girl I brought home tonight," Matt explained, taking a quick glance at his flat door.

"Oh! I see," Amanda said and looked almost sad. "But why must you come home with a girl every night, Matt? And always a different one every time." He couldn't understand why she had changed the subject.

Matthew had the urge to grab and shake her. Instead he clenched his hands into fists at his side.

"Are you judging me or what, Amanda? Can't I live my life and not worry about what my neighbour thinks of me? There is something strange and out of this world in my flat!"

"You don't have to yell at me, Matt," Amanda said. "And I am not judging you. I am only wondering why you do it."

"I don't think that's a matter for you to worry about. I just need you to help me with somewhere to crash for the night. Then, I'll begin searching for a new place. I can't continue like this," Matthew told her, his voice taking on a desperate edge.

"Alright, I can help you with what you need tonight, but what about the poor girl in your room?" Amanda asked him, nodding her head towards the door of his flat, frowning.

Matthew didn't want to think about Taylor. He just wanted to forget. He knew he had never been the bravest person and always ran from the first sign of danger, that was how he had survived in the rough neighbourhood he once called home. But even he knew that leaving Taylor alone with whatever was terrorizing him was wrong.

"I will check in on her tomorrow." Whatever's in there would surely not still be there when morning came. "But - I don't know if she can survive the night," he confessed and looked down at the floor. He felt guilty and Amanda's strong glare and words were making him feel worse.