Unhinged

00

A fog brushes over the early morning in the small town of Riverview. The crisp Autumn air was chilly, but bearable. The traffic was slowly starting to build up as the citizens began their work day. Students who attended Gateway High School were waking up and getting ready to catch the buses or get driven in.

The school was empty currently, except for one janitor who got there early to make sure things were okay in the basement. Lately the building had been having some problems with the pipes leaking. The water coming out of them was a rusty colour.

However, this time when the janitor went downstairs, there was someone standing in front of one of the unused offices on the floor. The person was wearing a gown that resembled something from a hospital but it was so tattered and filthy it was hard to tell. They also had nothing on their feet, but it looked like there could be a remnant of a chain attached to their left foot.

"Hey! Who are you? What are you doing down here?" The man called out towards the mysterious figure. No response. The figure just turned around and vanished, leaving the male intrigued and confused.

The floor temperature dropped dramatically and the lights flickered out. That was the last thing the janitor saw before he heard a dark laughter coming from the same office the figure was standing in front of. The lights turned back on and everything looked normal once again.

No one heard from the janitor for weeks. Well, it was more so that no one noticed he was even missing. Citizens tended to keep to themselves unless they really knew the person. Besides, things were always weird in Riverview. It was rare to find anyone who cares about others and their presence. Except for a few students who were very observant and curious.