Night enveloped the world, its pale light bleeding into Konstantin's room.
Konstantin felt only a lingering trace of fear; the video where "Misha" explained the legend had ultimately been his salvation.
"Let's see how long you can keep this game up!" Konstantin called out with forced cheer, though the tremor in his voice and the hard swallow before he spoke gave him away.
He immediately sat at his computer, pulled up his favorite music tab in the browser, and cranked the volume to the max.
"The neighbors are going to kill me for this..."
But Konstantin didn't care. Right now, survival was his only priority.
Deep in the shadows of the apartment, the creature gorging on fresh macaroni paused for a second, then went right back to eating as if nothing had happened.
Relieved at first, Konstantin then grimaced. He pushed the volume even higher and began to belt out the lyrics along with the song.
The creature instantly froze, its wet chewing noises cutting off.
The bedroom door stood wide open, almost as if Konstantin were inviting the spirit to join in on the duet.
Suddenly, a frantic commotion shattered the silence. Someone's feet were pounding heavily toward his room.
The footsteps didn't start slow or build up speed; they were terrifyingly fast from the very first second.
The spirit wasn't running—it was walking, but at an unnaturally rapid pace.
Anyone in Konstantin's shoes would have been paralyzed with fear.
— Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud-thud-thud-thud...
Pure horror gripped Konstantin's heart. His mind raced into a dead end, and a cold dread washed over him.
Two seconds later, a shape materialized in the gloom.
It was roughly his size. Konstantin stood at 6'1", and the spirit towered just slightly over him.
Instead of eyes, the entity possessed a toxic green glow. Its skin was completely unhuman, covered in patches of stark white fur, and its frame was so skeletal that only those glowing eyes stood out clearly in the darkness.
"Are you out of your mind?!" the spirit shouted over the blaring music, snapping Konstantin out of his trance.
Konstantin immediately blinked round, regaining his composure within seconds.
"Aren't you supposed to run away from me? Why are you staring at me like that, and why did you just insult me?"
"You can talk?" Konstantin asked, a faint note of fear still clinging to his words. "And besides... I'm awake right now, so you can't touch me anyway."
The spirit opened its mouth.
"There are all kinds of spirits out there, you know. Some are mindless beasts, others are intelligent. That spell you listened to just pulls random entities out of the spirit world... Got it?"
the spirit explained, its tone casually conversational, as if it were just chatting with a friend.
Konstantin nodded slowly. He let out a long breath as his racing pulse finally began to settle down.
"But just so you know, there are plenty of spirits that would rip you apart on the spot, whether you're awake or not,"
the entity hissed, making sure Konstantin didn't get too comfortable.
Fear flared up again in Konstantin's chest just as he was beginning to calm down.
"Get the hell out!"
He slammed the bedroom door shut, cutting off the spirit's path.
He turned the lock, sealing himself inside the room. Crawling back into bed, he grabbed his phone and stared at the chat history with Misha—the guy who had called him and sent the clip.
He considered reaching out, but since the spirit seemed rational—or at least intelligent—he decided to hold off for the moment.
He planned to check if the entity had left the apartment first. If it was gone, he wouldn't bother Misha; if it was still lingering, he would initiate a video call.
Konstantin had always preferred handling his problems with his own hands.
He relied on himself almost always.
Without a second thought, he rolled out of bed. His back was drenched in sweat, but despite the goosebumps crawling up his skin, he yanked the door open with a sharp pull.
— Screeeeech!
Nothing.
The pitch-black darkness swallowed the hallway.
There was no one there.
Stepping cautiously into the dark, he decided to pull up his phone camera and hit record.
He cleared every room one by one, using the built-in flashlight to illuminate the corners, but found no trace of the intruder.
He exhaled a sigh of relief. The intelligent spirit had actually listened and left.
The only evidence behind was a mess of food crumbs scattered across the kitchen floor and a trail of dirty footprints.
"Are you kidding me? I just cleaned the whole place today, and this jerk ruins it," Konstantin muttered, exasperated. "Completely shameless."
It was Saturday, and a perfect weekend had been thoroughly derailed by a random video on his feed.
Still dazed by the bizarre encounter, he went through the motions of tidying up the kitchen and brewing a fresh cup of tea.
Tomorrow was Sunday, so he didn't have classes and could afford to lose some sleep.
Over his tea, the memory of the spirit already began to fade from his immediate thoughts, and he completely forgot about the friend he had meant to invite over for the night.
He headed back to his bedroom and lay down. Outside the window, the sun was just beginning to crest the horizon, bathing the surrounding buildings in a bright, warm light.
The morning sun hit the bedroom, its rays beaming directly at Konstantin as he stretched his arms overhead with a wide yawn.
Pushing the night's events to the back of his mind, he slipped into his usual weekend routine.
After brushing his teeth, he found himself staring intently into the bathroom mirror, checking to make absolutely sure there was no one lurking behind him.
When he sat down to eat, his eyes kept darting back to that same bathroom doorframe.
Even as he enjoyed the rich flavor of his black tea with milk, he kept glancing sideways at the bathroom door, flinching at every low hum and rattle from the refrigerator.
It was obvious that yesterday's terror hadn't vanished; it had simply dulled.
But it was enough to bring the entire evening rushing back to him.
A second later, a sudden realization hit him, leaving him completely paralyzed.
He remembered that he had forwarded that exact video to Ruslan on the messenger app, thinking it would be a funny way to scare him.
"Is Ruslan dead?"
He quietly gritted his teeth in a wave of sudden regret, downing the rest of his tea.
His hand instinctively went for the phone to scroll through the feed—a habit that was too deeply ingrained to break easily, or perhaps it was just a straight-up addiction.
He quickly swiped out of the feed, opened the messenger, and brought up the profile of the guy who had dialed him last night.
"Misha."
His thumb hovered over the screen, debating whether to type.
He made up his mind. Yes, he would write to him.
Casting his doubts aside, his fingers flew across the keyboard, quickly firing off a message.
— I'm around. I need some help. I sent that video to a friend of mine, and now he might be in trouble. Or maybe he's fine, who knows...
He hit send, and the text popped up in the chat window. There was no "Read" receipt yet, only the blinking icon showing it had been successfully delivered.
All he could do now was wait for a reply.
He glanced at the mirror standing next to his desk. The morning sun streamed in, illuminating the right side of his face and catching his features perfectly.
Toxin-green eyes, dark hair, and an expression that carried both deep exhaustion and the sharp energy of youth.
But right now, a mask of cold anxiety and intense alertness was frozen in those tired eyes.
Riiiing!
Knock! Knock!
Someone was ringing the doorbell and pounding on the wood at the exact same time. What kind of nonsense was this?
Still on edge from the night before, Konstantin immediately suspected the spirit had returned.
He crept over to the door and peered into the small digital screen on the wall to see who was on the other side.
Curious brown eyes, long black hair—it was a nineteen-year-old girl, well above average in the looks department.
Konstantin recognized her instantly. It was his neighbor, Evelyn.
He unlocked the door, and their eyes met.
From what he remembered, Evelyn was strict but genuinely kind-hearted; she often brought him small gifts or treats around the holidays.
Evelyn gave a lively nod and waved.
— I heard voices and a ton of noise coming from your place late last night, - she said, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.
— Did you have company over?
Konstantin frowned, a strange feeling tightening in his chest.
"If she heard the incantation last night, could it have affected her too? But she seems completely fine right now."
— Hey Evelyn. Yeah, sorry about the noise... My friend came over for a sleepover and we just got way too carried away gaming.
Konstantin knew the walls were thin enough for his neighbor to hear him, and vice versa.
It was 2019, and these apartments were far from modern.
— Carried away gaming, huh? - Evelyn said, giving him a knowing wink. She smiled. — Don't worry about it, things happen. You guys are still young and reckless.
Konstantin and Ruslan were only about 16 or 17, after all.
Konstantin nodded politely, mentioning that he had to get back to his chores to cut the conversation short.
He clearly didn't want the small talk dragging on. Evelyn took the hint and nodded back.
The door closed with a firm click, and Konstantin headed back to the kitchen, wanting to think over the whole situation over another cup of tea.
He couldn't just leave things as they were; he'd have to check on his neighbor later tonight.
He couldn't rule out the possibility that the curse might target her too, and this mess was entirely his responsibility.
Later, he went out for a walk to clear his head and dialed Ruslan—the friend who, by all accounts, should either be dead or in extreme danger.
He was currently sitting in a spacious cafe called Viva La Vida.
The vibe inside was warm and welcoming; people chatted in low tones over coffee, while others lazily skimmed through books over light snacks.
He opened the app and tapped on Ruslan's contact name.
«Fat Bastard»
He initiated a video call, and the line began to ring.
— Ding!
Ruslan picked up.
The face that appeared on the screen belonged to a young guy with warm brown eyes and matching hair. He practically radiated easygoing friendliness.
— Sup, sausage link, - Ruslan greeted.
Konstantin couldn't help but laugh, a massive weight lifting off his chest at the sight of his friend alive and acting completely normal.
"Hey, I sent you a video last night. Did you actually watch it?"
Ruslan held up a fist and flashed a decisive thumbs-down. Konstantin figured his friend was about to say, "I'm too lazy to open the junk you send me."
Instead, Ruslan just grinned.
— Didn't have time. You know I've been grinding for a job, but my luck finally turned around—I actually landed a gig as a food delivery driver yesterday!
Konstantin let out a massive sigh of relief.
Everything was fine. His friend hadn't opened the clip, so he was safe.
The message to Misha had already been sent anyway, so he would just wait for a response.
But now, Konstantin faced a new challenge: he had to convince Ruslan "never" to watch that video, and he had to do it subtly.
If he suddenly claimed that a monster would hunt him down because of a video, Ruslan would just think he'd completely lost his mind.
"Don't open that video I sent, seriously. It'll completely brick your phone, haha!" - Konstantin laughed awkwardly, instantly cringing at his own terrible excuse.
An equally awkward chuckle came through the speaker.
— Haha... Moron. If my phone gets fried, I'm coming over to end you.
—Click.
After chatting for a bit longer, Konstantin slid the phone back into his small shoulder bag and zipped it up.
Night was beginning to fall as the sun dipped below the skyline.
The real show was about to start.
A mix of nervous anticipation and dread tightening in his stomach, he made his way back home.
He finally reached the sixth floor, turned the key in the lock, and stepped inside.
— Am-am-am-am-am-am...
A bizarre, wet chewing sound was echoing directly from the kitchen.
Without even taking off his jacket, he crept silently down the hallway and turned left toward the kitchen.
There, sitting flat on the floor with its back to him, was a massive creature completely blanketed in thick white moss.
Like a wild animal, it was savagely devouring the leftover food from the night before.
—Am-am-am-am-am-am-am...