Haunted

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Juan and Jose slowly climbed up the stairway. Although they were excited at first, but the long way up gave them plenty of time to calm down and actually put their brains to use.

Juan was currently frowning as his brain churned. Ever since he stepped into the stairway, he felt that there was something wrong. Although he was blinded by the money for a moment, now that he has time to think, he felt like he has fallen into a deep pit.

Turning to Jose, Juan couldn't help but whisper, "Uy, Jose. Don't you think there's something wrong here? I don't believe that there will be such a good thing as free money. Maybe we should forget about it and go back. It's still best to honestly earn money through hard work."

Jose impatiently waved his hands at Juan as he replied, "Nonsense! Mi amigo, you must take chances in life if you want to get rich. Hard work will not get us anywhere. Now that there's a chance for us to get thousands of dollares easily, we must not give it up. Don't you have four children at home waiting to be fed? With this money, it may be able to help."

Juan went silent as he considered what Jose said. Jose was right to some extent. Although being plumbers paid pretty well, but due to being a small company, sometimes they may not get enough clients. This means less pay and finances will be tight. Recently, food prices are on the rise for unknown reasons, and he will need more money to feed his family.

After a brief moment of chatting, the duo silently made their way up to the fourth floor. Heading upwards and passing by the doors of each floor, Juan's instinct couldn't help but tell him that there was something wrong. In fact, he began to feel a cold chill, but he wasn't sure if it was because of the nature of the stairways or something else.

After a long trip, the duo finally reached the fourth floor. While panting to recover his breathe, Jose couldn't help but complain, "Chinga tu madre! Why is the amusement park built so high up. Whoever came up with this idea is a son of a b*tch!"

Rolling his eyes, Juan pushed open the door to the fourth floor. A musty, stale air wafted out, causing Juan to feel very uncomfortable. With one glance the duo was able to see the desolate hallway with many dented doors. There were also dried stains on the old walls, which the duo believed to be blood.

Tensing up a bit, Juan cautiously warned, "Jose ... maybe we should rethink this ..."

Jose was also a bit scared at this moment, but he still acted brave as he stepped into the hallway, "Juan, there's nothing to be afraid of. It's just tricks to scare children. We just need to get the dolls and get out. Muy sencillo! The cash is waiting for us!"

Juan gripped his fist for a moment before he followed Jose in. Since they came together, they should advance and retreat together.

Observing the nearby doors, Juan and Jose began to plan on what to do next. Glancing at all the doorway, Jose couldn't help but mutter, "Should we split up? It will be much faster ..."

"Pendejo! No way! Haven't you watched those horror movies? Splitting up will just make you die faster!" Juan disagreed.

"Mi amigo, this is only a game. There should be no danger," Jose tried to persuade.

Juan wanted to reply, but he was interrupted by the loud creaking of a door.

Creak ... the sound of a door opening echoed in the hallway. Jose and Juan tensed up as they looked down the hallway to see an opening door, but they saw nothing coming out of it!

After a moment of silence and seeing nothing happening, Jose finally calmed down as he cursed, "Hijo de puta! It's just a childish prank! Nothing to be scared of. Uy?"

Juan nodded as well, but he had a bad feeling. It was as if the door opened just to invite them over.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Suddenly, the duo jumped in fright as they heard a knock on the door right by them! The duo scurried away from the door of apartment 449 in fright as they vigilantly glanced at it. Jose trembled a bit as he muttered, "Pendejo ... it's just sound effects. You can't scare me."

However, Juan felt that the knocks sounded too real, as if there was really someone knocking on the other side! His thoughts began to churn, but he was distracted by Jose's yell.

"Look! It's a doll!"

Following Jose's line of sight, Juan was shocked to see a doll laying in the hallway by the door that opened previously, as if it had just crawled out from there!

Juan muttered in confusion, "When did that ...?"

"No se mi amigo. I looked away for one second, and the next it was there, but it does not matter. That is 100 dollares! 100 just like that! Let's go get it!" Jose impatiently exclaimed in excitement as he began to trot over.

Juan hesitated and wanted to tell Jose to wait for a bit, but he suddenly found his surroundings distorting! When he recovered his line of sight, he discovered that he was already inside an apartment's living room!

"Que?! Where am I?!" Juan's heart filled with fear and confusion as he tried to come up with an explanation for what happened, "How is this possible? There should be no technology that does this? Is it a new invention being tested?"

After pondering for a moment, Juan swiftly strolled over to the door, intending to open it and rejoin Jose. However, Juan discovered that the door was locked! No, it wasn't locked, he just couldn't open it even though it was unlocked!

"Mierda! Is this one of those door that locks itself under the control of others?! Jose?! Jose! Are you there?" Juan hollered in an attempt to get help, but he got no response.

Juan gave the door a kick in frustration as he muttered, "Hijo de puta! When he sees money, he forgets about everything!"

Juan knew he had to rely on himself. Based on what he knows, since it's a game, it should be unreasonable that he would be trapped forever. There must be a key to get out. Juan then began to search the rooms for a key.

Meanwhile, Jose had already trot passed apartment 446. With a strip of toilet paper wrapped around its plushy foot, a plushy girl doll in a pink dress was clear in his sight, and his eyes were filled with greed. That 100 dollars is his soon!

Suddenly, the toilet paper strip became taut as if there was another force pulling on the rope! Before Jose could react, the doll was pulled into the apartment room as the door slammed shut! Bam!

"Hijo de puta! Put my 100 dollares down for me!"

Losing sight of his money, Jose flared up as he forgot that he was still in a haunted house. He ran forward and hammered on the door of apartment 444, wanting to get his money back.

"Mierda! I was so close! I knew that this stupid place won't let me get my money that easily," Jose angrily complained as he glared back at Juan who was silently following behind him, "And Juan, why didn't you run faster? Your stamina has always been better than me. Maybe we could have gotten 100 dollares already!"

Juan didn't answer. He only had a weird smile on his face as he silently stared back at Jose. Jose felt the mood to be a bit uncomfortable and creepy. He couldn't help but give Juan a light punch on his shoulder, "Hermano, what's wrong with you?! Why are you giving me that creepy smile? This is unlike you."

Juan didn't respond. Instead, he silently turned his head to look at the door to apartment 444. Then, the door actually creaked open on its own!

Hearing the door open, Jose jumped back in fright as he tensed up, ready to fight. However, the door opened to reveal no one!

Jose's heart skipped a beat as his blood pressure accelerated. He couldn't help but feel a bit scared as he muttered, "Mierda. Could it be an automatic door? Juan, what do you think?"

Juan replied by having a wide grin on his face. He then silently pointed his finger into the room. Jose felt something was very wrong, but when he glanced further down into the room, he noticed a doll laying on the ground near the corner of the living room!

"Ah ha! I have found you mi dollares!" Jose's eye lit up in excitement as he forgot about the problem with 'Juan' and stepped into the apartment room.

Seeing Juan still standing outside, Jose rolled his eyes as he couldn't help but invite, "Juan, are you going to just stand outside. There's nothing to be afraid of mi amigo. We go in together, and we share the money together."

Of course, Jose didn't want to admit that he was a bit scared to go in alone. Who knows what scary traps are waiting. He feels safer if he at least brings his trusted partner along.

Juan didn't answer but followed Jose in with a smile. When Jose turned his back, he thought he heard a chilly, female giggle, but when he looked back, it was still Juan. Seeing that there was nothing out of place, Jose confidently strolled forward to pick up the doll.

Bam! Jose jumped in place as he swiftly turned around to see that the door was closed! Jose couldn't help but angrily glare at Juan as he cursed, "Pendejo! Why did you close the door! What if it locks us in?!"

While complaining, Jose moved towards the door to open it, but he found he couldn't open it! Seeing that the door was unlocked, Jose had a bad feeling as he whispered to Juan, "Juan, we are trapped. Could this be one of those high tech doors we see in those shopping malls?"

Hearing no response, Jose couldn't help but turn around while calling, "Juan-"

Then, he realized that he was actually all alone inside the room! Juan had disappeared at an unknown time! Fear suddenly filled Jose's heart as he felt his legs weaken.

"J-Juan?! You there?! Pendejo, it's not time to play a prank on your amigo! Come out right now or I will be angry!"

However, nobody answered Jose. Jose felt a chill down his spine as he felt his hands become a bit sweaty. As he glanced around the room, the only thing that looked back at him was the creepy doll on the ground. Wait ... has it always been looking at him?

Jose felt a chill as he tried to recall the previous position of the doll. He clearly remembered it wasn't looking his way! Jose tried to calm himself, "It's all just your imagination. You probably remembered it wrong. Let's not care about the doll and look for Juan first."

Taking a couple of deep breathe, Jose then walked over to the nearby door. He tried to push it open, but realized that it was locked from the inside. Jose then knocked on the door as he hollered, "Juan?! Are you hiding in there? Puto, you better come out for me or I will fight you when we go back!"

Hearing no response even after waiting a while, Jose frowned as he turned to glance at the doll that was chilling at the corner. He turned back to the door and knocked on it once more, "Juan, if you don't come out, I will keep all the 100 dollares to myself!"

Nobody responded. Jose felt his heart sink inside. He knew that Juan won't avoid the money because he has kids to feed. Now, Jose truly felt that there was something wrong. As he glanced back at the doll, Jose jumped back in fright! The doll was no longer at the corner! It somehow moved closer!

"Mierda! What is happening?!" Jose trembled in fright as he knew that he wasn't imagining things, but he still tried to find a way to calm himself, "It's just childish pranks. Someone must have moved it when I wasn't looking. If I'm correct, that someone must be hiding in the room right there!"

After making a conclusion, Jose walked over to the other closed door and easily opened it. Click. The door swung open to reveal an empty bathroom.

Jose glanced around cautiously, but he didn't see anyone! He frowned, but he doesn't believe that there is anywhere else that anyone can hide.

Rumble. Suddenly, Jose felt his stomach grumble. He clutched it with one hand as he cursed, "Mierda ... did I eat something wrong today?"

Glancing at the nearby toilet, although Jose felt he should find a way out as soon as possible, he decided to solve his stomach first. Click. Shutting the bathroom door behind him, Jose then sat on the toilet and began to sing the national anthem.

After a beautiful chorus, Jose weakly flushed the toilet while cursing his poor luck for not having any toilet paper. Washing his hands, Jose then opened the door to the bathroom. Suddenly, Jose was shocked because there was actually someone standing outside the bathroom!

Jumping back in fright, Jose bumped into the sink and felt a bit of pain. It wasn't until he recognized that the person was 'Juan' that he calmed down while cursing, "Que te den! Why are you scaring me like that?!"

'Juan' didn't say anything, but only tilted his head a bit with a creepy smile as he raised his hands. It was then that Jose noticed that 'Juan' was actually holding the doll with both of his hands!

Jose then widened his eyes in shock as he saw the doll wave at him! He thought he was imagining things, but he then noticed the wide, bloody grin that appeared on the doll's face!

"Mierda! Juan! Throw that away! It's alive!"

However, 'Juan' didn't do as Jose commanded. Instead, 'Juan' smiled back as he replied for the first time, "Why should I throw such a cutie away? How about I throw something else away instead?"

"Q-Que?" Jose stuttered while feeling something was very wrong with 'Juan'.

Although 'Juan' looked right, and his voice was right, but when he talked, Jose only felt a chill down his spine!

"Hehehe~"

Suddenly, a female's charming giggle echoed in the room. Losing control of his body, Jose's eyes slowly widened in fright and became bloodshot as he watched the head of Juan tilt and completely detached from his body, revealing a bloody, headless stump!

A female voice then came from the mouth of 'Juan' whose head has fallen to the ground, "How about I throw away my head instead?"

"Eeeeeeeek"