changYH
Horror Flash Fiction | The Downstairs Neighbor
On the first day Shen Jing moved into his new apartment, his downstairs neighbor knocked on his door. It was an elderly man with graying hair, smiling politely. "Young man, welcome. Just a reminder, try not to walk around too much after 11 PM." Shen Jing asked why. The old man said, "My wife is a light sleeper, she gets easily disturbed by noise." Shen Jing nodded in agreement, thinking the request was quite reasonable. For the next month, Shen Jing was very compliant. After 11 PM, he wouldn't even wear slippers, walking barefoot. But one night, he worked late and got home close to midnight. He was so tired that he forgot about it, and his slippers dragged a few steps on the floor. The next morning, the old man knocked on his door again. This time, his smile was gone. "Young man, I told you yesterday." Shen Jing quickly apologized. The old man stared at him for a few seconds, then turned and went downstairs. That evening, Shen Jing went to bed exactly at 11 PM. In the middle of the night, he was woken by a sound: rhythmic footsteps from downstairs, pacing back and forth, continuously. He found it strange. Didn't the old man say his wife was sensitive to noise? Why was he pacing in the middle of the night? He lay down on the floor, pressing his ear against it to listen. The footsteps were very clear, directly beneath him. Then he heard the old man's voice, very soft, as if coaxing someone: "Okay, okay, stop pacing now. The person upstairs is asleep." The footsteps didn't stop. The old man spoke again, "I know you want to go up, but they just moved in. Don't scare them." Shen Jing froze. The footsteps suddenly stopped. The next second, he heard that voice coming from behind him, right inside his room:
2026.10.02 PM 1:01 · View Count 6
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Lv.24
changYH
AuthorThe next second, he heard the voice coming from behind him, right in his room: "But he already heard." Shen Jing slowly turned his head. A old woman stood by his bed, her feet not touching the floor, suspended in mid-air, looking down at him. She smiled: "My husband is right, you walk too loudly. I couldn't sleep, so I had to come up and see." Shen Jing wanted to run, but his body wouldn't move. The old woman slowly descended to the ground, her feet stepping into his slippers, and walked back and forth a couple of times. "Hmm," she said, "these are nice. I'll borrow them for a bit." The next morning, Shen Jing stood barefoot at the door, watching the old man from downstairs come up. The old man held a pair of slippers in his hand, the very ones Shen Jing had worn last night. "Young man," the old man said, handing him the slippers, "my wife says thank you. She slept very well last night." Shen Jing looked down at the slippers. Tucked inside was a note, written in a shaky hand: "From now on, don't disturb me after eleven."
Lv.72
討厭鬼
Thanks for sharing