“Nah,man” Kaleb spoke into his phone, which he had tucked between his ear and his shoulder as he maneuvered a box of his possessions into his new apartment, “trust me, it’s fine. You know I travel light. I just have this box of things left and then some clothes I need to move. I’ll see you this weekend, though!”
Kaleb placed the final box on his dining room table and breathed a sigh of relief. The move had been quick enough (though he still did have to unpack) but he still found himself a bit tired after the stress of the day. Work had been going well (which explained the move), but he luckily had the next two days off to make the place feel more like his own. Now twenty-six, Kaleb had found life after college quite enjoyable- if a bit demanding. Having a place like this gave him a much better base to operate out of, and he was looking forward to the fun he knew he'd have in here. That would have to wait, though.
After setting up his desk, putting away his clothes, and making note of a few things he should pick up for the kitchen, Kaleb turned his attention to fixing up his new bed. The bedding situation was also optimal. A king bed with a sturdy frame, he laughed when he considered he had skipped all the way from a twin bed in his old dorm to this new magnificent mattress. What a chump he would have been to have passed this opportunity up! After slipping on the fitted sheet and setting up his pillows, Kaleb decided to give the mattress a try. It was- in a word- heavenly. At least as far as bedding went, they had spared no expense in this apartment. Kaleb rolled off the bed and took a look at the nightstand. It was a simple, sturdy feature- three drawers. He pulled each one out, checking to see if he should at least wipe them down before stuffing his things inside, but he found a rather curious item in the bottom drawer.
In the third drawer, to his surprise, he found a rather ornate looking pendant. A dazzling green gem- likely an emerald- was fixed in its center, and it was attached to a fine gold chain. The style was decidedly feminine, but it was certainly a nice-looking piece, even Caleb had to admit that. He crammed it in his pocket, figuring he could pawn it or maybe present it as a token of affection to some future love interest. Either way, he had other things to focus on right now.
After a quick trip to the nearest supermarket, Caleb returned with a few bags in tow. He placed the bags on his table and checked his phone. It was 9:44, and though he usually preferred to be out on a Friday night, he saw setting up his apartment properly now would function as an investment that would pay off dividends quite quickly. He spent the rest of the night putting away his groceries and cleaning supplies, hanging some frames and posters, and rearranging some furniture to his liking. By 11 PM, he was absolutely bushed. He fell on his king bed, meaning to just scroll through his phone for a few minutes before taking a shower, but accidentally falling asleep in the process. Still in his jeans– which he had neglected to remove before dropping in bed– the pendant from earlier began to glow.
There were a few things about this apartment that Kaleb was unaware of. Two years prior, a girl named Katie had called this apartment home. She was a brilliant young woman, working on a PHD in Biology before her tragic death. She had been a bigger gal in life, the kind who never denied herself any indulgence. In death, however, she had been confined within this apartment. The university had bought the apartment building from its previous owner for what was basically cents on the dollar because of the negative attention that followed Katie’s death. The university had dragged its feet when it came to renovations, hoping that most people that might remember Katie and her demise wouldn’t be seeking housing in the area, or would otherwise feel enough time had passed. As such, Kaleb was the first person to live in this apartment after Katie, and he now held one of her items in his pocket. With the pendant serving as a gateway- a hole of sorts- a rather strange thing occurred. Katie, in her spectral form, took a look at the new inhabitant of this apartment. No one had been in here at night, the only time she could manifest her spectral form to something at least semi-corporeal, so she wondered: if she touched him, could he feel it?
She reached out a plump hand, holding her pudgy digits mere millimeters away from his fingers, and then…
It was odd. She felt as if she had been pulled toward him. She briefly lost track of where she was and what she was doing. When did she get in bed? She sat up with ease and looked down at herself- at himself…
Kaleb woke with a stomach ache. He had barely even eaten yesterday, why did he feel so full? He rubbed his eyes and sat up, noticing his jeans had been unbuttoned. He put a hand to his midsection, noticing that it felt bloated but also softer somehow. There was a bag of chips on the nightstand. Did he get drunk last night? No. He distinctly remembered lying down in bed after setting up his apartment, at which point he must have fallen asleep. The chips he didn’t remember. Ditto as far as unbuttoning his pants. The thought that he was losing his mind briefly occurred to him, but the reality was much stranger.
“Good-erm, good morning,” said a sweet female voice. What the hell? Did he pull some chick last night? Where? When? Why would he not remember that? And more importantly: where the hell was she?
“Uh, who’s there?” he asked, sliding off the bed, buttoning his jeans and noticing they felt a bit tight, “Where are you?”
The voice spoke again, as clear as if this girl was right next to him- clearer, even! But where was she? Was this some prank? A trick Hank thought would be funny as a house-warming joke?
“Well,” she began, as Kaleb made his way to the kitchen, noticing that the bag of chips wasn’t the only thing that had been emptied last night, “I’m not even sure I can explain.”
“You better-” he began, noticing the sheer amount of food that had been consumed. He must have had a few people over, at least based on how much was eaten, “Who ate all this stuff?”
“I… well, I suppose WE did,” she said.
“I don’t remember eating any of this, and where the hell are you hiding?”
“That’s the thing, I don’t think you WOULD remember. You were asleep when we ate this last night.”
“I ATE in my SLEEP?” Kaleb asked incredulously, “Now I’ve heard it all. And are you going to reveal yourself or are we going to have to keep playing hide and seek?”
Kaleb peered into the closet. No one there.
“That’s the other thing… I think I’m well, inside you.”
“Oh fuck,” said Caleb, “I’m schizophrenic.”
“The truth,” she began, “Is actually much weirder.”
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