The Strange Case of the Jackson Building

Chapter 11 - Fear

Chapter Eleven

Fear

Petra had finished revising a paper she had to deliver the next day and it was already half past one in the morning. Natasha had gone to bed early, claiming to be too tired to hang out, but Petra had the sneaky suspicion she was a little weary of being alone with her for long.

Honestly, Petra could hardly blame her.

She lit up a cigarette, closed her laptop and took a final sip off her coffee. She wasn't sleepy and, with all the caffeine she had on her system, she doubted she would be anytime soon. Going to the balcony was very much out of the question.

She was considering reading a book, watching a movie or calling Olivia when the bell from the door downstairs rang.

Petra was a little surprised, it was an odd time for a visit, but went to the intercom anyway. Someone had probably forgotten their keys or rang the wrong bell, nothing to worry about.

Lifting the phone shaped intercom to her ear, she talked into it, "Hello?"

Nothing.

"Hello?" she repeated. Again, no response.

Petra shrugged and put the devise to rest on its handle. Just to make sure it wasn't a flaw in the old system, she gathered up the courage to return to the balcony and look down, trying to see if there was someone down there at the entrance.

As far as she could see, there was no one, but her field of vision wasn't perfect. While she was looking, the doorbell rang again.

She ran to the door, once again grabbed the intercom and spoke to it, "Hello?"

Silence.

"Hello??"

Again, nothing.

"This isn't funny and I'll be ignoring you from now on."

About to hang up, she quickly returned the object to her ear when she heard a voice on the other side.

"Please," a man said, sounding desperate, close to tears, "please, let me out. Let me out!"

Driven by instinct more than anything else, Petra quickly hung up.

"What the fuck," she whispered, eyes open wide, confused.

Slowly, she walked through the long hallway, aimless, her mind still stuck on the strange voice.

"Probably just some drunk loser."

Determined to let it go, she focused instead on choosing a movie to watch on her laptop.

She jumped on her seat though as the doorbell rang again, startling her. Only this time it was the bell from the door upstairs.

Her heart started beating faster. Who could possibly be ringing their doorbell at 2 a.m.?

"No, no again," she whispered to herself. "You're not freaking out again."

The doorbell rang again.

"Let it go." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Just let it go."

The annoying buzzing sound filled the silent apartment once more.

"Whoever it is will just give up eventually. Pretend no one's home."

She was actually surprised Natasha hadn't woken up with the irritating noise. But Petra was determined not to give in. She wouldn't go to the door, she wouldn't allow herself another nerve wracking experience. Whoever it was couldn't be up to anything good, none of the girls were expecting company and no one would normally ring at someone's door at that ungodly hour.