The Night Watchman

This is a story from way back when I was in graduate school in Nashville. I wasn't one of the fortunate few that got a funded research admission and so I always found myself searching for local part-time opportunities. These were neatly pipelined with other structured internships and life was good for the most part. I lived in a small studio apartment and managed to starve myself into a savings account. The slew of friends around me in class gave me good company, inviting me to movie nights and the odd hiking trips.

Not every job I worked at was great, obviously. Some paid less than others and some had the worst managers. The deceptive world of sales got me convincing old folks into buying overpriced cameras they never needed. Aside from the guilt I caught myself with, I also couldn't really find time during the day to work at remote consumer electronics stores. I was getting more involved in research around my second year and I primarily lived off of free food that was offered during featured seminars and other meetings on campus. So after a good deal of thought, I realized that I needed to find a part-time overnight job. I wasn't sleeping much as a graduate student and so I might as well get paid for it, right?

The next morning, I looked through entries on craigslist and found one that said "Part Time Over Night Weekend Guard Job (Nashville)" that paid around 15 dollars an hour. Although I was hoping for a longer lasting job, this sounded like a good catch because I wasn't required to carry arms and I'd be getting nearly 400 dollars for just sitting around at night. Hoping to not lose my spot, I immediately replied to the post giving my name, age and phone number. Around lunch time that day, I got a lazy text message saying "Meet me at 6pm today. brik building by the bus station".

Downtown, Nashville is a famously serene place compared to other downtown areas in the United States. Atleast this is the impression I got from mates who used to live there. Excited, I packed up some food and took the bus from campus, reaching just before sunset. I found the apartment building I was looking for, though there was no sign of activity and the front gate was padlocked. It was a humble red brick building that would've probably housed under 10 families. I waited by the stairs, eager to get started. After all, I wanted every dollar I could get.

Seemingly an hour later, a withered old lady slowly walked up the road to find me drowning in the well of boredom. "Are ya here for the job?" she said, almost begging for a response. "Yeah. What's up with this place?" I said, trying to hide my anger. Clearly the place was dead and nobody was around. There must have been some reason for "guarding" it?. She unlocked the door and pushed her way in. I followed her with patience.

The hallway in the first floor seemed cramped. A dusty reception desk stood beside a single dark elevator on the left and a rustic staircase directly in front of me. A locked door presented itself next to a row of mail boxes on the right. "This is your room", she said, struggling to open it.

"There was a bad fire accident here a few weeks back. Some kitchen on the second floor. They closed down this place and the people here left. One guy on the third floor said he'd come by this weekend. William...um... Davis! William Davis. His stuff's still around I think. He hasn't been in Nashville this year. Gone to Germany or France or somethin... You gotta wait around for him... Help him move if ya like", she smirked.

Fetching a torchlight from her bag, she walked into the dark room. I followed her quiety, reminding myself "Two nights. 360 dollars". She opened a creaky wooden cupboard on the far corner to find some clothing. She found me a dark blue shirt, a damaged ID tag, a flashlight and some gloves. Handing me a pair of sealed battery packs, she said "Use em on that lamp.. You got a book or somethin you could read?". I nodded, showing her the enthusiasm of a chronically bored cat. Ostensibly drained by all this, she started walking to the front door. Turning one last time, she handed me a spare set of keys and said, "I'll see ya tomorrow mornin. Oh and... there's a...mart few blocks down the road I think.. If you wanna eat somethin.. Alright..".

Left alone, I felt an amalgam of emotions. Just thinking about the reception I got made me livid. She made me wait for more than an hour and didn't even ask for my name. "Well... If you don't like it, leave tomorrow morning and you're still a good 200 dollars better than today", I said out loud. I switched on the desk lamp and positioned myself slowly on the weakly cushioned chair. I pulled out my phone and noticed a fading, crumbling screen looking back at me. I had no confidence that my phone would last the night with only 24% charge remaining.

The cluttered room was dark and the heat from the lamp kept me warm. Within minutes, my eyes adjusted to the blackness. The sharp corners of the surrounding furniture grabbed my attention. The broad window sill to my left hosted a conference of files, clips and dead plants. The dirty, smudged glass functioned as a portal to the bustling streets of downtown. "The night's still young" I thought. Bathing in the tranquility of solitude, I realized the tiredness in my legs. I pulled out my copy of "Mistborn: The Final Empire" and slowly settled down, heaving a sigh of fatigue.

"I need a girlfriend..", I thought to myself. It was almost 1 AM and my depression was setting in. This always happened when I read books. Characters in the fictional world made me both jealous and sad. Misery loves company and I certainly felt miserable. My friends in grad school were mostly engaged or married and here my life felt like a string of pointless jobs. As I lay there contemplating, an indescribable stench presented itself, almost extolling my train of thought. It was as though my brain couldn't decide if it wanted a commanding sneeze or a nauseating vomit, but I immediately stood up and ran to the door.

I brashly pushed the flimsy door open, coughing my way out. There was a man standing in front of me, aghast. He was a strapping middle-aged guy, easily 6 feet tall, wearing a brown leather jacket.

"Ugh.. um... Hi?", I said, filling the air with confusion.

"..... Hey... Are you the security.. guard?", he said.

"Yeah! Are you... Mr. Davis?", I said, breathing heavily.

He nodded firmly. "so.. Mrs. Colton told you about me? I'm here to get my stuff. I've parked my truck down the road", he said.

After a rigid handshake, "Give me a sec.. this place stinks..", I said. I walked up to the door and slightly opened it. The repugnant stench was hardly noticeable. Surprised, I turned around and beckoned him to enter. He followed me into the security room. I handed him a flashlight and I picked up the lamp. "We don't have any electricity here. We've got to use the stairs", I said, wearing my gloves.

"That shouldn't be a problem. I only live in the second floor", he declared.

"Second Floor?", I speculated, reviving my memories. "Alright. Let's go".

We walked up the apparently archaic staircase. Every step caused an intense creak, squeak and groan. Grating dust filled the air and William let out a jarring sneeze. I could swear he shook the whole building. A few steps later, I was startled by a very distinct and clear *thump* coming from directly above. This was followed soon after by another, much louder *THUMP*. I looked back at William with complete shock. His face was pale. I could hear my heart beating.


 * THUMP*.... *THUMP*... *THUMP*.... *THUD THUD THUD THUD*

Both of us ran back down the stairs, shaking with terror. "Hello?", I yelled. The crashing sounds escalated. Both Will and I were pointing our lights at the staircase, breathing heavily. It felt like every *thud* resonated with my thrashing heart. With a sudden crash, a large sofa chair slid down and landed on the side of the stairs. I shrieked with panic and jumped backwards. The crash landing caused a violent dispersion of dust. "God... Dammit!", Will cried with annoyance.

I took a few steps back and tried to calm my senses. I was completely befuddled by the large piece of furniture that fell down the stairs. We waited for the dust to settle. It was almost another 30 minutes before I stopped shaking. I looked at my watch and then at Will. He nodded at me and we decided to walk up. It was getting late and neither of us wanted to be there. We walked up the stairs, one step at a time and reached the second floor. There were 4 doors in front of us. Two to the right and two to the left. "Which one's yours?", I asked. "The last one of the right", he said. The air on the second floor was oppressively muggy compared to the floor below.

We walked swiftly to the end of the hallway. The white door on the right had a rusty badge. "Apartment 204", I said. Will pulled out his keychain and fiddled around until he found the right key. He opened the large door, revealing a wide living room. We walked in together, scanning the surroundings. I was growing flustered by the smell emanating from the room. "Let's see what we can take", Will stated. I walked up to the end of the living room and pulled up the blinds. I was able to see the empty road below. "Freedom... soon..", I thought, trying to stay calm. There were a few assorted sofa chairs next to us, all facing a television. A vaccuum cleaner, an ironing board and a shoe stand on the far corner.

Will walked past the kitchen and into the bedroom. A few seconds later, "Hah.. I might need two trips.. This mattress still looks good", he said. I followed his voice and walked in, finding Will staring at a single large king-sized bed. There was a dressing table to my right, filled with perfumes, lotions and kits. Will was searching through drawers trying to find something. I was not amused by the thought that I would have to help him carry all this stuff downstairs.

That's when I heard a whisper. I turned around immediately and took a few steps forward. I walked towards the bedroom door slowly. As I stood there peeking out into the living room, I felt a hard, thrusting push on my back. I lost my balance and fell forward, damaging the bulb on my lamp. The sudden lack of light blinded my pupils and I tried to quickly stand up. I thought Will was trying to assault me for some reason. I looked back into the room. He was busy looking through stuff in a clearly random trunk. "You alright?", he asked. Confused, I wondered if my hunger was causing me to lose stability. I was trying my best to recollect what I last ate.

I turned around and looked at the living room. There was a woman standing there, barefooted. *LUB DUB LUB DUB LUB DUB*, I heard my heart beating. I felt fear down my spine and I was visibly sweating. The light from the living room window revealed her burnt face. She was wearing a red sleepshirt and she was staring right at me. I froze at my spot, gasping for breath. She started walking towards me. Every step felt heavy. Every step resonated with my heart beat. She never blinked. Her eyes were dead. As she approached me, her silhouette faded. I felt an icy cold touch around my neck and I was blocked by the bathroom door behind me.

A few seconds later, I heard a whisper. "Run... "

Suddenly, I felt liberated. I dropped to my knees and sensed a jolt of pain around my neck. I stood up and turned to the bedroom. Before I could open my mouth, the door shut close. The sudden crash hurt my ears and I fell back. I stood up one last time and started running. I ran out the door and down the stairs. I picked up my bag and ran out the building. I don't know who she was. I don't know what happened to William. I don't care about the money. I just.. want... to run...