I was here for too long (Patreon)

All the warning signs were there, yet Rachel didn’t react. She knew that she shouldn’t have signed the lease, and now that she was feeling this way, she realized that she should have trusted her gut instinct. She had barely made it to the bathroom before her knees gave way, the cold tiles hitting against her skin as she keeled over, the light above flickering ominously. Her chest was convulsing, her stomach churning as though she was about to vomit, but no bile came up. Instead, she felt a bizarre tingle pulsating through her body, a sensation akin to thousands of tiny needles pricking her from within. In the mirror, she could see her face twitching uncontrollably, her eyes darting back and forth in panic. It was as if she were being controlled by some unseen entity, her body no longer under her command.

Suddenly, a deep, rumbling whisper echoed in her ear. A voice that wasn’t her own. It was a man’s voice, his words barely comprehensible, yet filled with an eerie aura that sent a chill down her spine. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She was being possessed. The sudden onslaught of terror that seized her was almost paralyzing. “This feels so good,” her lips mouthed. “The feeling of a heart beat. The warmth of flesh. Being bodiless for this long made me forget how wonderful it is to be young and gorgeous. Don’t think I was ever this fit, though. It’ll take a while for me to get used to being a girl, but … oh, wow. You’re putting up a fight, huh?”

“Get out of my body,” she struggled to whisper as they fought for her body. It was only a week ago when Rachel had moved into the eerie apartment, a move necessitated by a lack of better, more affordable options. The chilling draft that always seemed to be present, the odd creaking of the floorboards at night, the perpetual feeling of being watched – it all fell into place now. It wasn’t her imagination playing tricks on her. The apartment was haunted, and she was the spirit’s newest toy. She knew that the landlord had an elderly tenant who died of old age, but she didn’t realize ghosts were real.

“I’m not going anywhere,” the spirit laughed. “I knew you were starting to understand who I might’ve been. You were doing all sorts of research. I can’t have you running around knowing that I’m Andrew. I can’t risk having my spirit cleansed – I have a lot of plans with your body. Don’t worry, I’ll make the most of it.” Ignoring the primal urge to panic, Rachel steadied her breathing. She focused on the cold tiles against her skin, the stark whiteness of the porcelain sink, anything to ground herself in reality. Her heart pounded against her chest as if seeking an escape route, but she kept her gaze steady, her breath even.

As she allowed the foreign sensation to wash over her, she could feel the spirit waning, its grip on her body loosening. She could feel the spectral intruder retreating, its icy tendrils slowly withdrawing from her mind. Sweat dripped from her forehead, her body weak and trembling, but the strange sensation gradually faded, replaced by a sense of utter exhaustion.

The moment she thought she had completely regained control of her body, Rachel scrambled for her phone, her fingers shaking as she dialed the number of a local priest. But before she could finish punching in the number, her entire body became stiff. “Not so fast,” her lips whispered. “I’m not letting you help that easily.” She tried to let out a scream for help, but she had finally run out of energy. The spirit was still motivated, and Rachel found herself slowly falling asleep.

“Wow, that was close,” Andrew laughed while he stood up from the ground. He let the cool air wash over his new body while he admired himself in the mirror. After haunting the girl for the past week, she was amazed at how quickly her spirit managed to latch on to the young college girl. Most tenants ran away, so he never had the opportunity to possess anybody. And with a body like this, he didn’t plan on being dead again. He planned on making the most out of his second life.