Maxine hated working at night, but it paid the bills. She was walking down a dark corridor in a big apartment building called Crescent Apartments. The air felt heavy and strange, like something was hiding in the shadows.
When she reached Mrs. Thatcher's apartment, she noticed that the door was slightly open. Mrs. Thatcher never left her door unlocked. Maxine felt a chill run down her spine.
"Mrs. Thatcher, is that you?" she called out softly. There was no answer.
Maxine stepped inside the apartment. It was dark and cluttered. There was a weird smell in the air. Everything looked normal, but something felt off.
She turned on the light, but it didn't shine brightly. The shadows on the wall looked strange and long. On a small table, Maxine saw an old diary that Mrs. Thatcher always wrote in. The diary was open, like Mrs. Thatcher had been writing and then stopped.
Maxine leaned in to read what Mrs. Thatcher had written. The words were written in a shaky hand, but they said: "The blood pact must be renewed. The curse demands it. Only the heir can break the cycle, but at what cost?"
Maxine felt a cold wave of fear. She had heard stories about the building, but she never believed them. Now, she wasn't so sure.
Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind her, making her jump. She spun around, but there was nobody there. The door was shut tight, trapping her inside. Panic set in. She ran to the door and pulled on the handle, but it wouldn't open.
She took out her phone and called Daniel Pierce, the only person she could think of who might know what to do. Daniel lived on the top floor and was always a bit strange, but Maxine didn't know much about him.
The phone rang a few times before Daniel answered. "Maxine?" he said, his voice calm but with an edge.
"Daniel, I'm stuck in Mrs. Thatcher's apartment," she said, trying to calm down. "The door is locked, and I couldn't find the key. I saw a diary, and it talks about a blood pact..."
"Get out of there," Daniel cut her off, his voice serious. "Now."
"I can't!" she cried, pulling on the door again. "It's locked, and I'm trapped."
There was a long pause. Daniel said, "Listen, don't touch anything else. Stay where you are. I'm coming."
The phone went dead. Maxine stared at it, her heart racing. The room seemed to get darker and scary. She felt like she was being watched, even though she was alone. The air got colder, and she could swear she heard some soft whispers, but she couldn't make out what they were saying.
Suddenly, someone knocked loudly on the door. Maxine jumped. The whispers stopped, and there was an uncomfortable silence. Daniel opened the door and came inside. He looked serious.
"We need to leave," he said, his voice low. "Now."
Maxine didn't wait. She ran past him, her heart beating fast. They hurried down the hallway without talking until they got outside.
"What's going on, Daniel?" Maxine asked, her voice shaking. "What was that thing in the diary? A blood pact?"
Daniel looked at her, his face hard. "It's not just a story, Maxine. This building is cursed. The blood pact is real. Every few years, it needs to be renewed. If you break it, something bad happens."
Maxine looked at him, trying to understand. "You're serious?"
"Yes, I'm serious," he said. "You've gotten yourself into something dangerous, something you don't know about. The curse is real, and now it's after you."
Maxine felt scared. She wanted to say it was just a silly story, but something inside her told her he was telling the truth. Whatever was in that apartment, whatever trapped her there, wasn't finished with her yet.
Daniel grabbed her arm, holding it tight but not hurting her. "We need to find a way to stop the curse, Maxine. If we don't, this place will destroy you."
Maxine swallowed hard and nodded. She didn't know what to do, but she knew she was in trouble and there was no going back. The darkness from that apartment was real, and it wasn't going to let her go without a fight.