Short Horror Stories

Jazz Death

"Brando Luis?" The girl at the front desk asked, chewing her gum loudly causing it to echo throughout the deserted lobby. Brando glances up, his dark curly locks shading his eyes from her view.

"Yes, that's me." He replies in his warm voice that would make anyone in the world feel welcomed, however this girl didn't care for such thing. Her tired eyes looked him up and down slowly, not an 'I'm attracted to you' kind of way but a 'I'm judging you by your cover'.

"Here's your keys to your apartment, room twenty seven." She slid the keys across the white marble counter and he grasped them in his big hand.

"Thanks." He nodded his head firmly and swept the curls away from his face. He picked up his two luggages and repositioned the satchel that strapped across his broad chest as he went to turn away from the lady.

"So why'd you decide to move here?" She suddenly asked him. Brando stopped in his tracks, thinking about her question and repeating it in his head before he glanced back at her with stitched brows.

"I'm sorry?"

The lady kept her same deadpan expression across her face. "What made you decide to move here of all places? I'm just curious I suppose." She questioned him once more. His eyes glanced around the lobby of the apartment complex in a moment of silence. The lobby was so quiet, you could hear a pen drop. This was certainly one way of welcoming in a new renter.

"Well, I-uh..." Brando pauses to regain himself, "I just wanted to get myself out there. I felt...stuck. I've been searching for better job opportunities, a better life in general." He shortly explained to the lady while she nodded slightly at him.

"I see... well, there's one thing you should know about this city. It plays music and it plays it quite a lot. So, since you're new here and you know this now; don't be coming down here and complaining about it as there's nothing we or anybody else can do about that." She says and Brando couldn't help but let out a slight laugh. Brando continued staring at the girl, realizing that she wasn't joking and he quickly changed his expression to a more serious one with firm lips.

"Wh- that's...fine." Brando shrugged and finally took his bags along with him up to his new apartment. He walked down the hall, his boots making a louder thudding sound the further he walked away from the main area and until stepping inside of the elevator. The building seemed to go with a dark red and white marble theme, Brando observed. He looked up and there on the ceiling was a mirror to look back at yourself. He pressed the second button and the elevator shifted, letting out a soft roar similar to a lion as it went up. Brando took in the appearance of the elevator, it seemed so fancy. If you never went outside, you would never know that the surrounding area was rather sketchy. While Brando waited in the elevator, the air inside seemed thick with a dark aura. Perhaps it was due to him being new to the city, but it certainly caused him to feel a sense of unease. Upon stepping out of the elevator, a little boy ran across the hall.

"Hi! Are you new? I've never seen you around here before." The blond haired boy smiled up at Brando and he grinned back.

"Why, yes I am." He nodded to the boy. Before the little boy could bug him with any more questions, a yell from a woman traveled down the hall, urging for the boy to come back immediately.

"Leon, get back here! Don't talk to strangers!" She sternly yelled and he ran down the hall, into an apartment where the door was ajar before it was abruptly slammed closed. The grin from Brando disappeared and he made his way through the hallway, unlocking and opening door twenty seven. He stepped inside the wide open space and for the first time in awhile, a genuine smile came across him. The city was maybe a bit worn down, but he had finally found the perfect apartment for him and he knew that he was no longer stuck in the same old town with the same old job. He closed the door and began unpacking his things, knowing and dreading the several trips he would have to make to get all of his furniture.

The hours went by and the sun hovered over the town with its orange fiery hue once Brando plopped back down onto his futon. He took a deep breath after a weary day of going back and forth to carry up several parts of furniture to make his apartment at least slightly habitable. He glanced around his living room. A futon, a small coffee table he's had for over seven years, two nightstands and a somewhat small television to set onto the coffee table. It wasn't exactly perfect, but it was most definitely enough in Brando's eyes. In the black of his apartment, a neon sign from across the street buzzed on and off slowly and his eyes trailed over to his wall where the light illuminated over it, his eyes fighting to stay open as the low buzzing becoming his lullaby for the night.

Brando awoke later that night to loud jazz playing, but not just one jazz song playing; multiple jazz songs overlapping one another to the point where it no longer even sounded like music. Before he went down to the lobby to complain, he recalled what the lady had told him and since his tiredness was far too strong tonight for him to care, he let it slide and fell back into his sleep.

The week went by in almost a perfect routine fashion. Wake up for his new job, get back to the apartment, do whatever what needed to be done and fall asleep before eventually waking up to loud jazz music. The weekend had arrived and Brando settled back on his futon watching the television with his windows open, allowing the night air to spill through and the city folk voices beckoned. The murmurs of their laughter and joy echoed throughout the streets for people down blocks to listen along to. The city's pulse refused to stop as much as Brando wished it would take a break from its chaotic nightlife. And then there it was again, the same old jazz music that seemed to turn on, one by one like it was a ritual. Brando groaned, he never hated jazz music but with this city's strange obsession over it; it was certainly starting to agitate him deeply.