Insomnia 4

Four.


“What the?” Jason cries, in shock of Leanne’s sudden appearance in the chair right opposite him.

Upon laying eyes on her, Jason was taken aback by her appearance. You’d seen nothing until you’d seen Leanne. Long jet black shoulder length hair with bright sharp blue eyes, brownish tanned skin, full rouged lips and well looked after nails with black nail varnish. She wears a long length dress with low-heeled sandals, even though it’s still the middle of winter.

“Oh, err” Jason starts to say. “Oh sorry. Did I jump you”, asks Leanne apologetically. “Uh, no, not much. I’ve been jumped more than that before”, says a shaky Jason, still re-assessing his thoughts. “Sorry, I meant no harm.” “You’re alright, I’m tougher than that”. “Why? What do you do?” “I’m a cop.” “Oh, I see.” Leanne shifts around uneasily in her chair as if she’s trying to hide something. “What’s up?” “Oh nothing. I’ve never spoken to an off duty officer before, that’s all. Strikes me with edginess.” “Maybe, but you have had the experience of speaking to an on duty officer, the most recent case being Ralph’s brutal murder two nights past am I right?” Leanne closes the newspaper and sits back in her chair. “Yeah, poor guy.” She stares into space for a few moments and Jason opens a log file on his laptop.

Leanne then sits back up again. “I’m sorry, and you are?” “Jason Murphy, FBI attached to San Francisco Police Department.” Leanne sits bolt upright. “FBI agent?” “A good one at that, the best that anyone can get hold of.” “Oh my god! I didn’t know that my statement would be serious enough to support the need for the FBI. Man!” Jason looks up with a look of confusion on his face. “Statement?” “Yes. I told the group of cops that night that I saw a sheet of mist around the bottom of the door, but thought nothing of it. I never thought they’d send Mulder down to investigate this.”

Jason places the laptop on the coffee table in front of him. “So that’s why they wanted me on this goddamn job! I knew there’d be a twist to it somewhere down the line!” Jason sits back in his chair. “I just knew it!”

He sits back up again. “And your name is?” “Leanne Sorato. I’m a resident here, have been for five years now.” Leanne sits back and examines her nails and Jason picks up his laptop again and starts to type.

Day 1.

Once I arrived here, I paid around $50 for rent and whatever, I’ll be claiming that back from the kitty fund for undercover operations.

I’ve seen some really creepy stuff already. I’ve seen Leanne Sorato’s mist, and an apparition, sprit of some kind. No idea what, don’t ask me. Plus the lights flickered for a bit, but I think that was down to that tremor the city experienced.

Went downtown for a bit to clear my head, and came back to be greeted by Leanne Sorato. I sat talking to her about various things, her statement and this place. Right now, I’m simply preparing for a sleepless night.

Jason Murphy, 10:06.

Jason packs away. “Night Leanne.” Leanne turns as Jason switches off his laptop and heads upstairs. “Night”, she calls after him. As Jason goes up the stairs, the mist separates all the way to the door, but Jason fails to notice this, and as closes his door again, the same apparition appears again in the same place as before. It turns and eyes up Jason’s door, and as it does so, the face changes from that of a frail old woman, to an eyeless skull, and back again, before the apparition slowly melts away, leaving behind the misty aura around the floor.

It indeed was a sleepless night for Jason. Fear and anxiety rushed through his veins as the hours passed by. Lying awake, he listens and waits.

10:25

10:47

11:02

11:18

11:29

11:45

11:55

And then, at 11:59;

A door opens and closes. Footsteps could be heard down the corridor, and another door opens and closes. Mist starts to pour through the door edges, and then as the grandfather clock downstairs tolls the first strike of twelve;

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!

A horrifying shriek tears through the silence. Then a door opens with a bang, another door opens and closes, and after a couple of seconds, a long low moan rolls through the building like a soft ocean wave. Jason sits bolt upright, staring round him. Then when the moan ceases, he leaps up, seizes his dressing down and hurls open the door. Nothing. The corridor is empty, no sound, no mist, nothing at all.

The same two residents exit their rooms. Jason turns in the blink of an eye. “FREEZE! POLICE!” “Whoa, shit! Chill man, we come in peace.” “Cops?” “Yeah, a fucking terrified cop at that! Where did that shriek come from?” “It sounded like number 3, up there.” Jason tears off up the landing and hammers on the door in question. “Hello? Open the door! HELLO?” Upon getting no answer, he stands back and kicks the door down. The two residents come forward as Jason turns on the light.

“Shit! Too late!” The victim, a woman, has a knife wound through her heart. The two residents stand there. One turns and throws up. “Fuck”, says the other. Jason reaches for his phone. He calls a number. “Chief? Jason Murphy. Get down to Cummins. Another one.”

He hangs up, and looks upon the victims body. “Holy shit! This place is cursed!”