Dillan blinked several times, and an unfamiliar ceiling came into view. He held his head and was slightly startled when he noticed the strange tattoo wrapped around his wrist. Its lines were thin and connected in an unfamiliar design, with several sharp shapes in between.
“Why do I have this?”
He sat up on the bed, touched the tattoo, and slowly began to recall what had happened. When he remembered the white figures he had last seen behind the man who had interviewed him, his hands trembled involuntarily. He held them together, and it took him a few seconds before his hands returned to normal.
He checked the time on his cellphone. It was five in the morning.
“Welcome to Happy Stay Apartment?” he said to himself.
He couldn't help but repeat the last words he had heard before losing consciousness. He suddenly stood up when he remembered that all of that had happened after he signed the one-page contract, including the tattoo on his wrist that he knew he hadn't had before.
Because the only light was coming from the table lamp beside the bed, he couldn’t observe the room properly. He didn't even know how he had gotten to the room. Dillan looked around and spotted a table by the window. He could see it faintly because it was being illuminated by the moonlight. He furrowed his brow when he spotted what looked like a thin book on top of it.
He used his phone screen to light his path, then felt along the wall and looked for the room’s light switch. After turning on the light, he looked around the room. The walls were painted white, though the color had become dull. There wasn't much inside, except for the bed, a study table, and a wardrobe. He went to the table, and now he could see the color of the book. It was black.
He pulled the chair from the table and sat, then opened the book to its first page.
“Welcome to the Happy Stay Apartment Caretaker Manual.”
That was what was written on the first page. He turned to the next page and quietly read what was written.
Caretaker's Manual
General Rules:
- The acceptance of tenants will solely depend on the discretion of the caretaker.
- All prospective tenants must be personally interviewed and approved by the caretaker before they are allowed to occupy a room.
- Tenants may only occupy the room assigned to them by the caretaker.
- The caretaker must maintain an updated record of all tenants currently residing in the apartment.
- An occupied room must not be assigned to another tenant.
- The caretaker is responsible for addressing the concerns and requests of all tenants.
- The caretaker must maintain the cleanliness and proper condition of the apartment and its common areas.
- Tenants are not permitted to occupy rooms that have not been assigned to them.
- The caretaker must inform tenants of any changes that may affect their stay in the apartment.
Based on the rules and regulations, Dillan did not notice anything unusual, so he turned to the next page. His mouth opened slightly when he read what was written there.
Rules for Living Guests Staying Overnight
- Living guests may only stay overnight in rooms designated for their use.
- Living guests are not permitted to enter rooms assigned to other tenants.
- Permission for a living guest to stay overnight will solely depend on the discretion of the caretaker.
- Living guests cannot be accepted as permanent tenants (unless there are special circumstances that happen to the guests).
- Living guests are strongly advised not to remain in the apartment longer than necessary.
If you have any questions, you can ask Fernan and he will gladly assist you.
“Who is Fernan?” he asked.
Dillan thought for a moment and went back to the General Rules. The second set of rules was for living guests, which meant the General Rules were for—ghosts?
Dontae's question crossed his mind again.
“Do you believe in ghosts?”
When he realized what he had gotten himself into, he wanted to back out. But he had already signed the contract. Could he still take it back?
His eyes then lowered slightly, and he noticed the words written in red:
Please take note that information regarding the apartment's operations and the tenants should be kept confidential. Any violation may result in forfeiture of the caretaker's privilege and life. If you signed the contract, then these rules apply to you.
“Ah... so I can't take it back anymore?”
Dillan did not move for a moment. He could not take his eyes off the violation statement: forfeiture of the caretaker's life. As far as he was concerned, it could only mean one thing. If anyone else found out about the apartment's secret, he might end up becoming one of its tenants too.
Dillan was not the type to dwell on things that had already happened, so he pushed it out of his mind. Besides, he could not stay there for long because today was the deadline for him to leave his dorm. He reached for his phone and saw the message from the dorm admin again. He stood up and checked the time. It was already 5:30 in the morning.
He walked toward the door and opened it—
“AAHHH!”
Dillan grabbed his chest and could not stop his body from going rigid. Standing in front of the door was the figure of a young man whose face and white clothes were covered in blood. He was about to close the door when the man spoke.
“Good morning, boss,” the man greeted him.
A few seconds passed before Dillan swallowed and replied.
“W-who are you?”
“My name is Fernan.”
Dillan looked carefully at the man who had introduced himself as Fernan. He seemed to be around the same age as Dillan. His face was pale, and he was wearing a simple polo shirt and jeans. The ghost was also quite tall, and since they were both standing and Dillan was 5'11", he estimated Fernan to be around 5'9”. Only then did he remember what was written in the manual123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMR8NsWs7Qr
If you have any questions, you can ask Fernan, and he will gladly assist you.
“Welcome to Happy Stay Apartment,” Fernan greeted him again.
Dillan did not know whether he should be happy about the welcome because he had almost had a heart attack when Fernan suddenly appeared in front of his door earlier. Only then did everything sink in. Everything he had experienced the night before might actually be real. Just because he was not afraid of ghosts did not mean he would not be startled if he suddenly saw one.
“Are you the caretaker's assistant?”
“I'm your assistant now, boss, because you're the new caretaker of the apartment,” he replied without emotion.
Only then did Dillan notice that Fernan had remained standing outside.
Whether he liked it or not, he had to accept the fact that he had become the caretaker of Happy Stay. And although he wanted to leave, he did not know what to do because Fernan was standing in the doorway.
“Is there anything else you need to explain? Do you want to talk inside?”
Fernan did not speak for a few seconds before shaking his head.
“We're not allowed to enter the caretaker's room.”
Dillan wanted to ask why, but he suddenly remembered the manual. If the caretaker had a manual regarding the tenants, then it meant beings like Fernan also had rules they needed to follow. He breathed a sigh of relief. That meant the caretaker's room was one of the safest places inside the apartment.
“Wait a moment,” he said.
He got a chair and placed it in front of Fernan. Since Fernan could not enter, they had to talk with the open door between them. Fernan was mentioned in the manual, which meant he was also a safe being inside the apartment, and Dillan needed to treat him properly.
He sat in front of him and smiled.
“Nice to meet you. I'm Dillan Madrid.”
123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrmpoPVXw0
123Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzM0JU19Qe
and then Add to home screen.