I looked outside, watching the landscape change to the beat of the strong wind. The music inside the car sounded soft; It was a song
already familiar because the driver was the same person, and he liked to listen to the same song repeatedly. I lowered my head, feeling the
Accumulated fatigue of several days and, having barely slept a few hours, the driver next to me looked at me out of the corner of his eye before asking.
"Did you go to bed late last night again?"
"Uh-huh."
"And so you're still working?"
"Uh-huh."
"Don't fall asleep yet, show me the way."
"Soon, turn right at the next intersection. There it is, It's a big condominium."
I answered briefly before staying
Deep asleep in the back of the truck, crammed with stuff. However, after a few minutes, someone shook my arm gently. I opened my eyes with difficulty.
"We've arrived, Daotok."
"Okay." I got out of the truck, looking at the things that filled the back. Everything was mine. Today was the day of my move to the new
condo, and since I had to move a lot of things, I had to ask my three friends for help. They were the only ones.
"Wow, it's pretty luxurious." North, an electrical engineering student and the driver of the pickup truck, as well as the owner of the playlist,
He looked up at the condo I had just rented last week. "You're really rich, huh?"
"No, they gave me a big discount on this room."
"Really? How much was the discount?"
"Well.. almost seventy percent."
"Really? That's a lot. What promotion is that?" asked Typhoon, whom we call Mew because his face resembles that of a cat and He studies photography. It seems that only I still call him Mew until now.
"Like a ghost promo," North replied, prompting Easter, the future veterinarian, to tap him on the shoulder softly.
"Shut your mouth!"
"Eh, didn't you suspect anything? With that discount, you could almost live for free."
"No," I replied calmly. "And I don't care either. Come on, let's load things."
I began to carry the boxes that filled the truck to my new room. I loaded a box and entered the elevator, where my friends were already waiting. After pressing the floor button, we waited for the elevator to slowly climb to the seventh floor. I walked to the door of my room, which I had seen before when the owner showed me the place. Actually, because of the discount agreement, I could hardly refuse the offer.
This applied if he signed a one-year contract. I swiped the card through the door of room 702 and opened it.
This room was near the end of the hallway and The room on the left, at the end of the hallway, had a window and was a little more spacious. I was actually a bit envious, because I also wanted to have a window, but the room on the left was already occupied.
The room on the right was empty. The room in front of me was also empty. Another room on the right, also empty.
In short, on the entire seventh floor, there were no inhabitants at all.
Except in room 701, which was on the left, and me, who had just moved in. You can guess why, right?
As soon as I opened the door and looked for the switch, I went in, placed the box in the center of the room, and as I turned around, I saw that my three friends
They were standing with stiff expressions in front of the door, not entering.
"What's wrong?"
"Eh, nothing. It's just that... it feels kind of weird," Mew said with a tense smile, looking nervously at North. Finally, everyone went in and
They put things in the room. "Yes, I'm sorry, Dao, but we, uh..."
"I can carry it by myself, no problem."
"No, it's not that we don't want to help, but, uh.." Mew frowned at North, who was beginning to turn pale. "North, what's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong?!"
"Why do you speak so loudly?"
"Damn, my hands are cold, and my skin crawls. What's going on here? I feel something very strange, bad."
"Uh-huh, this room makes me uncomfortable," Ter added. I didn't answer because I already understood, and then I opened the curtains, thinking that the air was
cool would help them feel better.
"It's okay, I promise."
"This room has only been empty for too long."
"Uh-huh, let's keep things going," Mew said. We went down and continued to bring things, going from the truck to the room until everything was left behind.
inside. It seemed that everyone had forgotten the initial bad feeling after being so exhausted. They sat panting.
"You've got a lot of stuff," North complained, lying on the bed, one that I hadn't used yet.
"By the way, North," I said, "is that truck yours?"
"No. I told Phi Jo that I would help a friend move, but I didn't have a vehicle. The next day, Phi Jo gave me the key to this truck." Phi Jo, or Phi Johan, is North's boyfriend.
"Oh," I nodded. "Thank you for helping. I feel considerate,
You guys must be exhausted."
"It doesn't matter. Seriously, this is the first time you've asked us for anything," Ter said, smiling broadly. "We're happy to help."
"Have I asked you yet? Ay!"
"You wanted to help too, North."
"Yes, sure, with pleasure, but it would be nice to eat something together, wouldn't it? Oh, why are you hitting me again?" North looked at Ter with an annoyed face.
"Because you provoke me."
"Don't bite me, dog-face."
"The dog is you."
"Don't fight," Mew scolded. "By the way, Dao, this floor is very empty, or is it just me?"
"Uh-huh, on this floor it's just me and the next room."
"Damn, why? Is it very expensive?" North frowned, although it was obvious that he was scared to death, as he was holding on to the arm of Ter and had a panicked expression.
"How about we go to the café downstairs?" Ter suddenly interrupted, probably wanting to avoid the strange atmosphere that was beginning to creep in.
Not the atmosphere between us, but that of the room.
"Okay," we all agreed and went down to the café in the condo to relax.
"Tell me, Tell me!" North began to insist after leaving the room. Despite being afraid of ghosts, North loved to listen and see things about them. He was afraid to ask before, but now that we were outside, he started asking.
"Uh-huh, my room has a history of many deaths. Rumor has it that it's a cursed room." I began to tell them the story that I had found about my new room. Everyone listened attentively. "Apparently, about five years ago, a fourth-year medical student committed suicide.
She threw herself from the balcony, probably due to the stress of studies and problems with her boyfriend."
"After that, two years later, or three years ago, a worker was murdered by her boyfriend in the bathroom. The reason was that they argued
while they were drunk, and he strangled her right over the bathtub."
".. Damn, there are already two victims."
"North, don't interrupt."
"Sorry, sorry."
"Finally, a few months ago, a political science student was stabbed by his girlfriend while he was sleeping. Perhaps he died without even realizing himself."
"A few months ago?" Ter raised an eyebrow and opened his eyes in surprise. "Oh yes, yes, I remember that news was much talked about on campus."
"Oh, I remember it too," North said, nodding quickly. "How creepy. But his girlfriend is already in jail, right?"
"Yes, she was already arrested."
"So, it's already three people who have died in that room?" asked Mew with concern.
"Wow, Dao, this is not safe. How
it's that you decided to live there knowing the history"
"Precisely because I knew," I said with a small smile as I sipped my iced cappuccino.
"All the residents on the seventh floor have Moved. They said they couldn't stand it because they were haunted."
"So, the neighbor who lives next door to you must be very brave to be left alone," North said.
I nodded in agreement. "You live here. Why is it cheap? Aren't you afraid?"
"No. Even though they gave me this price, they still find it profitable. They want me to live here for a year so that the negative rumor about the condo disappears."
"Oh, so if someone lives here and nothing happens, the rumors will dissipate?" asked Ter. I
nodded in response. "Yes, I get it. And also
I understand that you should not be afraid. But... Damn, since I opened the door I felt weird. Are you sure you will be able to live here? Think carefully."
"I can. I'm sure."
"Ugh, I'd die if I were in your shoes, really," North said as he rubbed his bristling arm.
"If it is true that it is haunted, ask for the
lottery number if you get to see something, yes?"
"Sure, if they want to give it."
"Wow, not only are you not afraid of ghosts, but you're also kind. You'd be a perfect fortune teller," I laughed softly at the comment of North.
"What does it have to do with it?"
"Hey, give me something, can you? Today."
"I can," I nodded slightly before pulling a deck of tarot cards from my bag. I must carry my divination tools every day, as North usually asks me for free readings at any time.
I'm not an improvised fortune teller. My grandmother taught me all this. She was very expert in this kind of thing.
I asked North to choose a letter, following the steps for today's reading.
"Hmm... you might experience a small change in your life lately, North."
"Huh?"
"A minor change, something that will affect you, but not to the point of changing your life completely. I don't know if it will be good or bad, but it will have a significant impact.
"...Don't you know if it's good or bad? Can't you tell me too?"
"No, I don't really know. Just get ready, it will happen soon."
"I'm getting stressed," North said as he rubbed his forehead. "Could you try it too? Ter, do you want to see?"
"Okay, okay, come to me," Ter said. So I began to read the letters to him.
"Your life is very quiet. It's all right. Congratulations, Ter," I smiled happily because Ter's reading was very positive. "Mew, do you want to try?"
"No."
"You always refuse, Phoon,"
"It's just that if I get something like you, I'll be nervous," Mew replied dodging the subject. "Dao, can you do a reading yourself?" The Mew's question made me shake my head softly.
"What a pity. If I could, I would do it every day," North said in a disappointed tone as he sipped Ter's chocolate drink, which immediately earned him a blow. These two like to joke like that. "You can talk to ghosts, right?"
"Can you talk to them?
"Why do you ask? Why do we need to talk to ghosts?" I asked him back.
"Well, you said you have skills for that."
"Yes... But why would you want to talk to them? It's not like they're that interesting."
"You're right. Who wants to talk to ghosts?" Ter asked curiously. "But why do you think ghosts would give the lottery number? If when they were alive they didn't even win.
"It makes sense," North said as he stroked his chin. "Right, why?"
"Leave it, there's no point in thinking about it. Whatever you think about it, it won't do any good," Mew interjected. "Hey, it's already four o'clock. Time goes by quickly."
"It's true. What time do your boyfriends leave college?" I asked, since my friends' partners all knew each other. They are friends and all study medicine.
"At four o'clock too."
"Then you can leave now," I smiled. "I'm going to buy you coffee as a thank you for helping me get things up."
"And the roast pork?" North asked.
"Are you copying Ter?" I joked, causing Ter to be surprised.
"Dao would never say something like that to me, would he? Dao is very kind," Ter looked at Mew, who only softly denied. I didn't know if I did it because I didn't know
or didn't want to get involved.
"Roast pork will be later, okay?"
"Okay," they all stood up at the same time. I walked to the checkout to pay. As I waited for the change, I heard North shouting outside.
"Phi Thit!"
North calls someone passing by the cafe. The person turned around with a slightly annoyed expression. He was a tall figure, with tanned skin who wore a student uniform, although he did not look very neat.
Phi Thit...?
Oh.
Oh... that was Phi Arthit, a friend of their partners. He was the one who once took the food that Mew had brought, food that Mew wanted to give him to Phi Tonfah as a way to get their attention. That was Mew's first time trying anything, but his impression was ruined.
"What are you doing here?"
"Helping a friend with his move. And you, do you live here?"
"YES."
"Really? In what room?"
"701, why?"
701?
That's the room next to mine.
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