PITCH PERFECT HORROR WEEK 2019
DAY 7 - (#HW197)

Strange Neighbors

A/N: Before you ask, there won't be a Day 6 post from me. Sorry.

"Can you hear anything?" Chloe whispered.

"No," Amy said. "I think they're out."

"What are we listening to?" Beca asked, causing both her roommates to squeal and jump back.

"Dammit, Beca," Chloe yelled as she smacked the brunette. "You scared the shit out of us."

"Sorry," Beca said, rubbing her arm. "What are you guys doing anyway?"

"Weird sounds are coming from our neighbor's apartment," Amy said. "We were trying to figure out what it is."

"Whose idea was this?" Beca asked, pointing to the glass Amy was holding.

"What?" Amy asked. "I read somewhere that you could hear through the wall if you hold a glass up to it."

"This was Amy's idea?" Beca said, looking at Chloe. "And you went along with it. I expected better from you, Chlo."

"It sounded plausible," Chloe said with a shrug. "What are you doing home already?"

"It's six-thirty," Beca said.

"Oh, shit," Chloe exclaimed and grabbed her uniform before running into the bathroom to change. "I'm going to be late."

"Don't worry about it," Beca called out. "I'll spring for a cab for you."

"Do you want to listen?" Amy asked, holding the glass out to Beca.

"No," Beca said and pulled out her phone. "Want to order a pizza?"

"Get me the usual," Amy said as she went and laid on her bed.

Beca put in the pizza order and gave her credit card information. Chloe came out of the bathroom just as Beca was ending the call.

"I can't believe I lost track of time like this," Chloe said, tying her scarf around her neck.

"Come on," Beca said. "I'll walk you down and help you get a cab."

"Thanks, Becs," Chloe said and kissed her on the cheek before walking out the door.

Beca whistled for a cab, and one stopped at the curb. She handed Chloe some money and told her to take a cab home as well. Chloe kissed Beca's cheek again and got into the cab.

Beca stood smiling as she rubbed the spot on her cheek that Chloe kissed. She waited until the cab was out of sight before heading upstairs to their apartment.

** PITCH PERFECT HORROR WEEK 2019 - DAY 7 **

Later that night, Beca was awakened by a strange sound. She laid in the bed, trying to ignore it, but it was digging deep into her brain, and she couldn't get back to sleep. She sat up and looked around the semi-dark apartment.

Beca could see the lump that was Amy in Amy's bed. Chloe wasn't home yet from her job at the bar. The sound came again, and Beca looked at the wall that separated their apartment from their neighbors.

Beca listened for a moment with a furrowed brow. "What the Hell is that?" Beca muttered.

She looked over at Amy's bed again, and Amy hadn't moved. She chewed on her lip before getting out of bed and walking the three steps into the kitchen. She found a glass and walked over to the wall.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Beca mumbled.

Beca put the glass to the wall and placed her ear against the glass. She heard the noise again and pulled back.

"What the Hell?"

Beca put the glass against the wall again and listened. There was nothing. No sounds of any kind; it was quiet. Too quiet.

Beca jumped and dropped the glass when something touched her arm.

"Holy fuck!" Beca screamed.

"Sorry, sorry," Amy said. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Beca had a hand over her heart, and her breathing was rapid. "Why are you sneaking around?"

"I woke up and saw someone standing over here," Amy said. "I didn't know it was you until I was next to you. I thought you might have heard me."

"There was a strange noise coming from next door," Beca said. "I was trying to see if I could hear it again so I could figure out what it was."

Beca and Amy both jumped when the front door was opened. They both let out a squeal.

"Beca? Amy?" they heard Chloe's voice semi-whisper in the dark.

Beca reached and turned her bedside light on.

"What are you two doing?" Chloe asked as soon as she saw them standing together by the wall.

"Listening," Amy said.

"Did that noise start up again?" Chloe asked excitedly.

"I heard something," Beca said, jumping onto the pullout bed. She walked to the end and hopped off. She grabbed the broom and told Amy to move so she could sweep up the broken glass.

"How did the glass break?" Chloe asked, taking the broom and dustpan from Beca.

"Amy scared me while I was trying to hear into the other apartment," Beca said.

Chloe swept up the glass and used the dustpan to get it off the floor. She went to the kitchen and dumped the broken glass into the trash.

"Make sure you put on your slippers when you get up," Chloe said. "There might be some small pieces still on the floor."

"Okay," Beca asked. "What time is it anyway?"

"It's four," Chloe said.

"You're home late," Beca said. "You didn't walk home, did you? I'm sure I gave you enough for the cab to and from work."

"I did take a cab," Chloe said. "I'm late because the manager wanted to have an employee meeting before she would let us leave." Chloe yawned and stretched. "Are you two done spying because I would love nothing but to go to bed."

"Yeah, we're done," Beca said. She pushed Amy toward her bed. "Go change, and I'll make you a cup of green tea."

"Thanks, Becs," Chloe said, covering another yawn. "You're the best."

Beca went to make the tea, and Chloe went to change into her pajamas. Amy just went to sleep.

** PITCH PERFECT HORROR WEEK 2019 - DAY 7 **

A few days later, Chloe was sitting on the sofa, watching a movie on her laptop, and Amy was on her bed, scrolling through her phone.

"Phew!" Chloe said, waving her hand in front of her nose. "What is that smell?"

"Oh, sorry," Amy said with a sheepish grin.

"No, Amy," Chloe said, holding her nose. "I've known you for over seven years and have become familiar with all your...smells. This is not one of yours."

"Oh, crikey," Amy said. "I smell it, and it's rank."

"Open the window," Chloe ordered.

Amy turned and opened the window behind her bed. She moved so her head was sticking out the window.

Chloe closed her laptop and set it aside. She went to open the other window to help air the place out. She stood by the window, hoping the smell would go away.

"I'm going to check the hallway," Chloe said and went to the door. "Maybe I can figure out where the smell is coming from."

"You do that," Amy said. "I'll wait here."

Chloe opened the door, and the smell was even stronger. "Oh, my God," Chloe said and pulled her shirt up over her mouth and nose.

"What is that smell?" the neighbor across the hall asked.

"We can smell it, too," another neighbor said. "It's permeated our apartment."

"I think it's coming from there," another neighbor said, pointing to the apartment next door to Chloe's.

"I think you're right," Chloe said as they all stared at the apartment door. "Um, I'm Chloe. I live here with my two best friends, Amy and Beca."

"We're the Cunninghams," the neighbor across the hall stated. "I'm Howard, and this is my wife, Marion."

"I'm Meredith, and this is my boyfriend, Derek," the neighbors next to them said.

"I'm Rhoda Morgenstern," the last neighbor said. "Nice to meet all of you."

"Likewise," Chloe said. "I guess we should check on our neighbor to see if everything is okay."

"Maybe we should get the building manager," Rhoda said. "I don't trust anyone, and I don't want to be knocking on a stranger's door to complain about the smell. They could be one of those that shoot first and ask questions later kind of people."

"She may be right," Marion said. "Howard, why don't you go down and get the manager?"

"What?" Howard asked, and seeing the look on his wife's face added, "Sure, honey. I'll be right back."

The neighbors all stood around while waiting for Howard to return with the manager.

"Are you guys having a party out here or what?" Amy asked from behind Chloe.

"Mr. Cunningham went to get the manager," Chloe told Amy, moving aside to let Amy stand next to her. "We're just waiting to see if everything is okay next door."

"Mr. Cunningham?" Amy asked.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "Our neighbor from across the hall. That's his wife, Marion. And, over there," Chloe pointed to the next set of neighbors, "Are Derek and Meredith. And next door on this side is Rhoda."

"Hi, everyone," Amy said with a wave. "I'm Amy, formerly known as Fat Amy."

Before anyone could say anything more, they heard Howard and Mr. Schneider coming up the stairs.

"We think it's coming from this apartment," Howard said, indicating the apartment next to Chloe and Amy's place.

Howard continued walking and stopped to stand next to his wife. Schneider banged on the door, calling out, "Mr. Smith? It's Mr. Schneider, the manager. Is everything okay in there?"

Schneider waited a moment before knocking again. "Mr. Smith? If you don't open the door, I'll be forced to come in so I can check to make sure everything is safe in there."

The door suddenly opened. "Mr. Schneider, what can I do for you?"

"Whoa!" Schneider said and stepped back, holding his nose. "What is that smell? It's permeating this entire floor and has started to make its way downstairs."

"Oh, um, I'm sorry," Mr. Smith said. "I had something in the oven and forgot about it. I took it out, but it was too hot to do anything with."

"Well, you need to get rid of it immediately," Mr. Schneider told Mr. Smith. "Bag it up and take it out to the dumpster. No one wants to be smelling, whatever that is."

"What is it?" Amy asked.

"Who are you?" Mr. Smith asked.

"I'm Amy. Chloe and I are your immediate neighbors," Amy said.

"Can you have this conversation later?" Mr. Schneider interrupted. "I need you to remove that foul-smelling whatever it is immediately. Let's go."

Mr. Smith sighed and went into his apartment and slammed the door. Schneider stood there a bit stunned.

"Is he removing it?" Schneider asked.

Everyone still in the hallway shrugged.

"I suggest everyone open their windows to help air the place out," Chloe said.

The neighbors agreed and left Schneider standing in the hallway. Chloe peeked out their door to see if Mr. Smith had come out. She saw the backs of Schneider and Mr. Smith walking toward the stairs. Mr. Smith had a bag thrown over his shoulder.

"Looks like Mr. Smith took whatever it was away," Chloe said, closing the door.

Amy nodded her head, but otherwise ignored Chloe. She was back on her phone, scrolling through her social media.

Chloe ran a hand through her hair and went back to the sofa and picked up her laptop. She had a rare night off, and she wanted to enjoy some quiet time.

** PITCH PERFECT HORROR WEEK 2019 - DAY 7 **

About half an hour later, Beca came into the apartment with her nose scrunched up.

"What the Hell is that smell?" she asked.

Amy laughed. "You rhymed."

"Yeah, I guess I did," Beca said. "So?"

"So, what?" Amy asked.

"Why does it stink so bad?"

"Our neighbor was cooking something and forgot about it," Chloe said. "Although I have no idea what would smell that bad if it was overcooked."

"Don't you think it's weird that we've heard strange sounds from that apartment?" Amy asked. "And, now, strange smells."

CREEEEAAAAAAKKKKKKKK! BANG! BANG!

The three roommates screamed. Chloe jumped up and grabbed onto Beca.

"Wh-what the Hell was th-that?"

"I don't know. But it came from next door," Beca said.

"Should we check it out?" Amy asked from behind Beca and Chloe, causing them both to squeal and jump.

"Dammit, Amy," Beca said, holding a hand to her chest.

"Maybe we should check on Mr. Smith," Chloe said.

"Who?" Beca asked.

"Our neighbor," Chloe responded.

"We should," Amy said, grabbing each girl by the arm and dragging them with her to the door.

Amy doesn't stop until the three are standing in front of Mr. Smith's door.

"Go ahead, Chloe," Beca said. "Knock."

"You knock, Becs," Chloe said, stepping back.

"Amy?"

"No way."

"Fine," Beca huffs and knocks on the door. "Mr. Smith? Are you okay in there?"

No answer. Beca knocks again, and the door opens a few inches. Beca looks at Chloe with raised eyebrows. When she turns to look at Amy, Amy is no longer standing there.

"She ran back into the apartment," Chloe said.

"Oh," Beca said. "Do you think we should go in?"

"Call his name again," Chloe suggested.

"Mr. Smith?" Beca called out as she pushed the door open further. "It's your next-door neighbors, Chloe Beale and Beca Mitchel. Your door is open, and we're coming in."

"Wait," Chloe said, reaching past Beca to feel for the light switch. She flipped it up and heard a click, but no lights came on.

Beca reached in and tried, flipping the switch off and on a couple of times. "Do we have a flashlight?"

"I have one on my phone," Chloe said and switched on her phone's light.

Chloe was afraid and handed her phone to Beca. She got behind Beca and grabbed the back of her shirt. Beca shook her head and moved the light into the apartment so they could see.

Beca got about three feet inside and stopped. She moved the flashlight around and saw nothing. Nothing as in no furniture, no TV, no shelves. Nothing.

"What the Hell is going on around here?' Beca asked.

"Where's all the furniture?" Chloe asked. "Amy and I have been home all afternoon. We would have heard if he moved out. Plus, it's only been about an hour since Schneider told him to get rid of whatever was stinking up the place."

"It doesn't stink anymore," Beca said. "It smells clean; really clean."

"Becs, this doesn't make any sense," Chloe said. "Someone was living here an hour ago. Now, everything is gone, and the place has been sanitized or something."

"Let's get out of here," Beca said.

Beca and Chloe left the apartment and closed the door behind her.

"Oh, hi, Mrs. Cunningham," Chloe said, seeing their neighbor in the hall.

"Oh, are you moving in?" Mrs. Cunningham asked.

"I'm sorry?" Chloe asked, confused.

"That apartment has been vacant for a while," Mrs. Cunningham said. "I'm glad Mr. Schneider found someone to rent it."

"No, Mrs. Cunningham," Chloe said. "We live next door." Chloe pointed to the door to their apartment. "We've been here for two years."

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear," Mrs. Cunningham said. "Did we meet? I'm afraid I don't remember your names."

"I'm Chloe," Chloe said. "And this is my best friend and roommate, Beca."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Cunningham," Beca said.

"Oh, please call me Marion," Mrs. Cunningham said.

"Are you guys okay?" Amy asked through a small opening in the door.

"We're fine," Chloe said and turned back to their neighbor. "It was nice talking to you, Marion. Come on, Beca. We should get back to our apartment."

"Have a good night, Mrs. C," Beca said and followed Chloe into their apartment.

** PITCH PERFECT HORROR WEEK 2019 - DAY 7 **

"Marion acted as if we've never met before," Chloe said. "I mean, it was just today, but still."

"So, tell me everything that happened this afternoon," Beca said, sitting next to Chloe on the sofa.

Chloe and Amy told Beca about the foul smell and seeing all the neighbors in the hall.

"So, our neighbors all have names that are from some TV show?" Beca asked. "Don't you find that odd?"

"Look at you," Chloe said with a smug smile. "Knowing the names of characters on TV."

"I don't like movies," Beca said. "I do watch TV."

"So, who is Rhoda named after?" Amy asked.

"She was best friends with Mary Richards," Chloe said. "Played by Mary Tyler Moore on the show named after her."

"Hmm, never heard of it," Amy said.

"I'm more curious to know how Beca knew who Howard and Marion Cunningham are," Chloe said, looking at Beca.

"Happy Days?" Beca said. "That show is iconic. It was fun to watch. Can we get back to our strange neighbors and what we're going to do about them."

"What can we do?" Chloe asked. "We can't force them to remember what happened today."

"There is something really strange going on around here," Beca said. "I don't know about you, but I'm not comfortable just sitting around waiting for something bad to happen to us."

"You think something bad is going to happen?" Amy asked, looking around with wide eyes.

"It might," Beca said. "I don't know. We should talk to Schneider. You said he walked out with the guy, Mr. Smith, was it?"

Chloe nodded, and Beca stood. "Maybe Schneider can shed some light on our neighbor/not neighbor."

"Okay," Chloe said and stood. "Amy, you coming with us?"

"I, uh, think I'll just wait here," Amy said.

"Okay, suit yourself," Beca said. "Good luck with staying here by yourself."

"Uh, on second thought, I'll go with you," Amy said, jumping up and grabbing the door handle.

She pulled the door opened and let out a scream, slamming the door in the process.

"What happened?" Beca asked as she walked to the door.

"Sorry, sorry," Amy said, opening the door again.

"Mr. Schneider?" Beca asked. "What are you doing here? We were just coming to see you."

"Oh," Schneider said. "Um, I came to ask if you were planning to stay? All the other renters are gone, and I thought if you were staying, you might want to move into one of the larger units."

"What do you mean all the other renters are gone?" Chloe asked.

"They've been moved out," Schneider said. "The owner wanted to know if you planned to move as well. They said if you wanted to move into a larger unit, you could. The rent will remain the same."

"Could you give us a minute, please?" Beca asked.

"Sure," Schneider said.

Beca grabbed Amy and Chloe and pulled them to the kitchen area. "Let's take him up on it. We can ask to see the other apartments. If they're really empty, then something is definitely going on that we should know about."

"I agree," Chloe said, chewing her bottom lip. It was a nervous habit, and she found herself doing it without conscious thought.

"I don't agree," Amy said. "This is some spooky shit, and I don't want to stick around."

"Stay here and think this through," Beca said. "If one of these apartments is a two-bedroom, Chloe and I are going to take it. That means you'll have to figure out how to pay your rent on your own without us."

"What?" Amy all but screamed. "You'd let me leave and go somewhere else?"

"It's your choice, Ames," Chloe said.

Beca and Chloe went back to the door.

"Mr. Schneider," Beca said. "We're planning to stay and would like to see the units that are available."

"Excellent," Schneider said with a big smile. "We can start with the one next door. It's a two-bedroom."

"Um, can we see the others first," Chloe said, warily eying the apartment next door.

"Yeah," Beca said. "I'm with her on that."

"Sure," Schneider said. "This one across the hall is also a two-bedroom."

"Wait! Wait!" Amy yelled out and hurried over to Beca and Chloe. "I changed my mind."

** PITCH PERFECT HORROR WEEK 2019 - DAY 7 **

The three roommates were back in their apartment and discussing what to do about dinner.

"Is it strange that all the apartments on this floor except ours are vacant?" Chloe asked, chewing on her bottom lip.

"It is," Beca responded. "And have you seen any of our neighbors? I know I haven't. Except for the past few days, I hadn't even heard any of them."

"I'm beginning to rethink staying here," Chloe said nervously. "Maybe we should look for another place, Becs."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Chlo," Beca said. "Rents keep increasing, and we'll be lucky to find something even this size for what we're paying here."

"That may be," Chloe said. "But at least we don't have to worry about strange neighbors. Or the weird stuff that goes along with them."

"Chlo, we live in New York," Beca said with a chuckle. "Of course our neighbors will be-"

Suddenly, several doors are heard slamming shut at the same time, causing the girls to squeal and huddle together.

"That's it!" Beca screamed. "We're moving!"

A/N: I know, late again and no Day 6. Sorry, but I couldn't come up with anything for the Day 6 prompt, so I decided to scrap it and finish Day 7.

The Halloween Week prompts this year were hard. It took a lot to come up with something to post; I'm not thrilled with them but like some aspects of them all. I hope you at least enjoyed reading them. Until next time. . .

#pitch perfect horror week #Pitch Perfect Halloween week #Halloween #HW197