Short story
I was just dropping off to sleep when I heard the sound of braking glass. I live in a shared flat so it could just be one of the flatmates making noise after an evening out. I still went to check if everything was alright. No one was home
and I could not put my finger on what had made the noise. I know it couldn’t have come from anyone’s own room, since the soundproofing in our apartment is outstandingly good. I moved a chair in the hallway back to its place and walked back to my room, then I heard the same noise again. It was closer than before now.
My phone went off when I tried to listen for the noise. I quailed for a moment. Who could be calling at this hour? I noticed it was my brother and picked up. He said he was glad I hadn’t gone to sleep yet as he needed my help with something, and I should meet him in the city. My brother and I were really close so of course I’d go help him. I changed, ran through the hallway to get to the exit knocking over the chair I moved earlier. Right before stepping out I heard the noise again, and now I knew it came from inside the apartment.
My brother met me in front of the coffee shop and told me about his problem which was that his bike had been stolen and he needed money for his bus ride home. I realized I had left in such a hurry that I hadn’t brought any money with me, in fact I had nothing but my bike with me. My brother was astonished because I usually never left anywhere without some pocket money and my phone. So, I told him about the noises I’d heard in my apartment and when he didn’t believe me, I told him to stay the night at my place.
He chauffeured me home on my bike and as we walked in the closer, we got to my rooms hallway the louder the noise got. I opened the door to the flat and we stepped in. Still no one was home. But the noise, it was like someone was slamming glasses on the floor. But no one was. My room was furthest back down the hallway and you had to walk through the living area to get there. My brother was walking in front of me and I could tell he was just as creeped out as I was until suddenly, he just started laughing. He relaxed himself hastened his pace towards the fallen chair. Now I noticed it too and was kind of embarrassed over being so frightened by a game console that had been left on. It was my flatmates console that had been on the chair that I knocked over and when it fell it broke and the volume went up and down while it was glitching. I hope to never experience anything like this again.