I made my escape from that insufferable woman and her ramblings. My footsteps echoed off the pavement with each rushed step down the staircase. I had reached my cars trunk when I popped it open and looked over the contents within.

My backpack that held many of the smaller objects I needed for the hunt had shifted and been tossed about the trunk and leaned against the relic of an air conditioner that I had taken off Alina's hands as a housewarming gift. Last was a rolled up sleeping bag, my improvised bed to get through the first night here.

It won't be comfortable, but I can link the doors between here and my room back at Alina's house. Until then, it's an hour plus drive each way and gasoline is expensive.

In my approach to the building, I stared at the windows that lined the structure. The white framed vinyl windows complimented the bricks and trim. In my scan of the building, I noticed an old greyed six paneled window that stuck out like a sore on the spotless facade.

"New windows are expensive too." I looked to the ground while cursing.

Another expense to add to the renovation costs. I thought the souls I cashed in would cover it. Gonna hope I don't have to sell the rest to flip this place.

With each step towards the building, a cacophony of hums grew. Stemming from the air conditioners in wall sleeves and windows. I closed in on the steps that lead to the front door, a golden five screwed into place to confirm I had found the right place. I picked up my pace as a smile formed on my face.

Time to damn you to hell, Alexander!

I climbed the stairs and pulled out the keyring Moira gave me and looked at the five keys. The mailbox key was easy to eliminate since it was too small for the lock. I looked to four that remained when a woman's voice called out.

"Hey! Are you the guy who bought the haunted place?" I turned to see a woman wave at me. Instead of acknowledging her, I glanced back at the keys. In a split second decision, I tried the gold colored key only for it to get stuck a quarter of the way into the lock.

Ok, three to go. One of these will get me in and away from this woman.

"I'm talking to you!" Her tone implied she wouldn't give up so easily. Casting another glance back to the driveway, I saw that her tied-back, brown hair swayed with her rushed steps toward me. Time was running out until interaction would be unavoidable.

Three keys—one with a wide head, another with windows designed in it, and one with a triangle logo. In my second attempt, I tried the wide headed key only to fail again.

Ok, fifty-fifty, which one do I use?

The encroaching footsteps had reached the concrete staircase I had climbed a minute earlier. With all my hopes put into the windowed key, I put it in the lock.

Only for it to fail.

"Use the silver key with the triangle logo on it," she said when I turned to see the woman standing on the final stair before the landing. She leaned against the bricks, basking in the late afternoon sun that had taken on a golden hue.

Following her advice, I tried the last key. It fit easily.

The door opened.

"Thanks," I said and took a step into the building. Before I could shut the door, she called out to me.

"Wait!" Her voice sounded more nervous than annoyed. I let out an exasperated sigh, setting the sleeping bag and backpack against the interior wall of the building. Stepping out of the doorway and onto the landing, I held the door open and stared into her amber eyes. They hinted at her sudden nervousness.

"Look, it's been a long day and I know the gossipers will be all over me, but it's not haunted." I stood in silence, hoping she'd back away only for her to stop leaning on the wall and face forward.

"Oh, well, this case of paranormal activity is real," she said in hopes I'd speak or ask questions. Instead, I stared her down when she spoke again. "If you're not careful, you could get hurt!" More silence followed, but she remained on the top stair, undeterred despite her growing anxiety. "Can you just listen to me?" Her arms tensed up. I raised a brow at her before stepping out and letting go of the door. Once it closed, I stepped towards her. Despite the height boost I got from her being on landing and her on the top stair, we stood at eye level with one another.

"So you got a name?" I asked, "Should I give you a nickname? Cause I can."

The woman gave me a nervous smile when she held her hand out. "Cassie Pines, you?"

I took her hand. "Vincent Balcom." One awkward handshake later, I pressed her for info. "You said the ghost is real. Do you have any proof?" I asked, waiting in false anticipation at what she would say next.

She gave an enthusiastic nod. "I've seen it!"

I gave a half-assed nod back when she pursed her lips at me, her amber eyes pleading with me to believe her. 

"Cassie, when I asked for proof I meant something tangible, you got a picture or anything to make you look a little less unhinged?" My face was unamused as I watched the gears turn in her panicked little head.

"Noooo." Her response dragged itself out much like the conversation we were in, another moment of silence taking hold. I turned to leave and head back inside. She made a desperate claim. "I can show you what I was doing when I saw him. It was right over there!" She pointed away from the building and at a dumpster in the parking area.

If you're making me do this, I'm gonna mess with you.

"Did the ghost get evicted and move into the dumpster?" I asked with a smirk, "Oh, maybe he haunts the raccoons now!"

Cassie's lips perked up a moment before stifling herself and shaking her head at me. "No! he's not... Will you just come over here with me!" Before I could tease her further, she went down the stairs and I followed. Upon reaching the dumpster, it hit me with the stench of its contents as they baked in the setting sun and heat. A gag escaped Cassie before taking a step closer to me.

"Ok, make this quick. What happened?" The irritation in my words prompted Cassie to speak.

"So one night I was out taking some trash to the dumpster. On my way back to my building, I saw him up in the window." She again pointed, but this time it was at the old window that caught my eye earlier. I stepped closer to her to play along with her story as I looked with fascination. "He just walked by the window and then went into the kitchen. I always heard stories he slams the window, but he didn't do any of that," she said as worry clung to her words.

Wait, she saw him walking around in a passive state? He should only be easily visible and somewhat audible in the aggravated state. Am I dealing with an abnormal? Looking over my place, it seems the twin birch trees give the windows decent coverage, all except for that one window that shows a bit into the kitchen, but I can keep him away from that if people could see him.

"So, do you believe me now?" Her plea made in the hope I would listen.

I believe you, Cassie, but I got a job to do, so let's ditch you.

"I'm not saying you're crazy." I paused and let it drag as I made myself appear lost in thought, "But that is... interesting." My voice went flat, like Sammy's often was. I watched as her eyes narrowed at me.

"What? Interesting? And you had to dig for that!" She shook her head at me. "Just tell me if you think I'm crazy!" She let out a breath and looked away from me a moment. "He's real, and he's gonna try to hurt you," she said, in a hushed whisper as she looked at me with pleading eyes.

Why is Cassie acting weird? I've only been around her for maybe three minutes and she can see the ghost in a passive state? Is she human? Or something else?

"Cassie, are you worried about me going in there?" She gave a nod. "Oh, I see." I glanced to the side and raked my hair when my face took on a red hue. "How sweet of you." I watched as her pupils dilated and she bit on her lip for a moment.

"Yeah," she said, before taking a look back at the building, as if she felt something.

So glad I learned how to blush on cue. Seems like she's fallen for me. Humans don't fall this quick, hell it took Moira till the end of my time in that office to fall for my pheromones. That and the ghost sighting. She could be useful... At least for now.

"Cassie, why don't you come with me? We can check the place out together. I still think ghosts are a load of bullshit, but-" She cut me off before I could finish my invitation.

"Why do you keep lying?" Her question left me surprised as she gripped her arms. "Whenever you deny the ghost being real, I can tell you don't believe it. You know he's real, don't you?" An impromptu standoff began.

Ok, she can tell if I'm lying that leaves me with a few dozen creatures she could be, but I need to figure out if she could be a problem later.

"You got me. I thought it would be easier to get around here if I pretended the ghost isn't real." Her face relaxed. She believed my technical truth. "Moira said people gossip about the ghost and I really just wanted to be left alone." I turned my head to the side when a touch of red returned to my face. "Though I wouldn't mind you joining me in there now." An eager smile formed on her face.

"Sure, let's head over." Joy beamed from her face, as she turned her back to me and made her trek away from the dumpster.

"Hey, I need to get something from the car. Do you mind getting the door for me while I carry it in?" Cassie obliged my request and continued on. I watched her walk away when my irises went radiant silver and the world went photo negative. A rose-pink ball appeared in her chest with beams of light emanating from it.

Heaven bound creature, she isn't evil, but not knowing what she is could be a risk. For now, stick to technical truths and let the pheromones do their job. Then I can get some answers.

My trip back to my trunk was uneventful. I got the AC unit and made my way towards the staircase where Cassie waited for me.

"That thing looks heavy. You need any help?" she asked, despite me having no issue carrying it. I shook my head before giving an answer, as I made my trek forward.

"Nah, I'm way stronger than I look. People just underestimate me cause I'm short. Could you just get the door open, I can-" I went silent as she unlocked the door with her keys.

Why does she have keys to my building?

Cassie saw the curiosity on my face. I made my way up the stairs and she explained herself in a hurry.

"Before you ask if I'm some crazy person who's got keys to all the buildings, I'm not." Her panic to get her sentence out made her take a breath before continuing. "I live next door in building six and our buildings have basement hallways that connect, so the exterior keys are all the same for us. Also, if you go down to the basements and to the right, you'll reach the laundry room in building four." Her side tangent was met with me stopping before the doorway to give her a look of concern. My tactic resulted in her face tensing up in worry that she had just made herself look crazy to me. I gave her a grin and her anxiety hit a peak.

"Oh, so even if I made my way in before you caught up to me, you would have just followed me in?" I got clear of the door when I stood before her and leaned in towards her. "Did I get here early and ruin your plan to ambush me from inside?" My grin remained when her face eased and she laughed before swatting at my shoulder.

"Excuse you, I didn't even know when you would be here," she said, as her smile nearly beamed. "I'm also watching your neighbor Virginia's place. Her and Harold are on a trip to Block island right now. Virginia will be back in a week, so you'll meet her soon. She's a very sweet woman." Cassie's face took on a somber expression as she paused, her fists tightening as if fighting herself on whether to speak about something.

She's on the fence about telling me something. Let's butter her up more.

"Oh." I slumped my shoulders while keeping the air conditioner from falling. "Here, I thought I was special or something." Her nervous expression returned when I laughed and leaned in towards her ear. "You're fun to mess with," I said in a whisper. The two of us stood there, our faces a short distance apart. I watched as Cassie's internal conflict continued to play out in her tightening hands and lips. She whacked me on the shoulder yet again before her hand moved down my arm and felt my bicep.

"You're the worst!" Another laugh escaped her when a comfortable silence lingered between us. She glanced down and realized her hand was still on my arm when she let go of me. As her touch left me, I feigned sadness at the severed contact before a sly grin took its place.

"Sure I am, Cassie," I said as the last leg of our journey began, a final set of stairs to my destination, unit thirty-seven. "Or maybe I'm just a twenty-three-year-old who knows what he wants." A giggle escaped her as she took my words the way I hoped she would.

Surprise took hold of me when the sound of crying grew louder with each step up. I located the source of it. The wall on the left. The sobbing voice sounded like that of an older woman.

"Virginia... Please be ok." The voice choked back tears as I pretended not to hear the voice of who I assumed was Greta. The old woman who had recently died in my building.

I knew Greta's death sounded off when Moira told me about it. If her soul is here, she's got unresolved issues. Once I evict Alexander from my property, I can meet the new neighbor. Cassie has to know about her too. More questions to ask this lovesick lady.

Cassie joined me when she noticed I was staring at the door to unit thirty-six. Instead of acknowledging the crying, she looked at my door.

"Oh, that wasn't there this morning," she said as I turned my head to see the door to my condo, where an envelope was taped to it. I could make out the writing on the envelope.

To the new owners