Today I moved into my new house. I was drawn to it because of its strategic location and the design suited my taste. The price was incredibly cheap too. I almost thought the landlord was giving it away because the price was so absurdly low. You could say the house was small, but it was more than enough for someone living alone like me. There was only a living room connected to the kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom. The landlord was extremely grateful to me for buying the house. He said it had been rented out for a long time, but none of the tenants ever stayed long. They quickly broke their leases even though they had only just moved in.
Today I cleaned the dust-filled house for several hours, until I was exhausted. Even though I hadn't finished, I decided to continue tomorrow because I was already sleepy. The thin mattress I'd spread out on the floor was my main destination now. The clock on my phone read 11 p.m. That wasn't very late for someone who used to live in the middle of the city. Now I'd moved to the outskirts, where hardly anyone lived, making the atmosphere completely different from before. It was so quiet.
All right, time to lie down. My back seemed to scream once my body was comfortably on my back. Next time, I'd take better care of my bones before they got older and rusty. A second later, I yawned. My eyes slowly closed in peace. Ah, this felt comfortable.
Tap, tap, tap...
What was that?
Tap, tap, tap...
It sounded like footsteps. My heavy eyes battled against my increasingly curious mind, wondering where the sound was coming from. After listening to it repeatedly, it sounded more like high heels.
Tap, tap, tap...
The sound grew louder, as if it were approaching me. I went still. It was coming from behind me because I was lying on my side.
Tap, tap, tap...
A chill ran down my back. The sound was incredibly clear! Was there someone else in this house?! B-but when I'd cleaned the entire house, there hadn't been a single person here. I gathered my courage and turned over. My eyes were still closed. I was too afraid to open them. I tried pretending to be asleep and listened carefully. The sound was gone.
I slowly opened my eyes, and...
My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I saw a woman's face peeking from behind the bedroom door.
"AH!"
Thud!
I rolled off the mattress. I figured what had just happened was a dream, because when I glanced at the door, there was nothing there. My breathing was ragged, and cold sweat ran down my temples.
"Phew, why was I so scared? It was only a dream."
It was 2 a.m. when I checked my phone. Apparently, I'd been asleep for three hours. Time to go back to sleep. I needed the energy for tomorrow. I lay down again, facing the wall like before. Too bad I didn't have a blanket, but the pajama set I was wearing was enough to protect me from the cold night air.
For five minutes, I tried to fall asleep. But it was difficult. I felt a chill that made me shiver. I don't know how long I kept trying to sleep before I woke up again.
My body couldn't move. It seemed I'd been hit by sleep paralysis. My body was rigid, and my mouth couldn't make a sound. Only my eyes and ears still worked. I tried to move my body when the sound came again.
Tap, tap, tap.
So it wasn't a dream?!
I was one hundred percent conscious even though my body was paralyzed, and the sound of those shoes was crystal clear. This wasn't a dream. This was reality! Please, body, get up. After several agonizing minutes, I managed to bring my body out of the paralysis. My body was soaked in sweat. Then the sound appeared again. I didn't dare turn around anymore. I kept facing the wall. Every footstep, no matter whoever it belonged to, made my heart beat faster.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
The tapping increased. Sometimes it stopped, sometimes it repeated. Unable to sleep anymore, all I could do was stay still and pretend to be a statue on my mattress, in my own house.
I forced my eyes shut and hoped morning would come quickly, so I wouldn't have to keep feeling afraid and sweating.
At last, morning arrived. My eyes opened, gazing at the now-bright bedroom. My body rose and I sat on the thin mattress. My stare was blank, as if I had no will to live.
I'd made it through the night. The sound of high heels tapping still echoed in my ears. I finally understood why people couldn't stand living here and chose to cancel their leases despite the losses. Had they experienced the same thing I had?
That sound of high heels tapping—who could stand living here?!