John

JOHN

Julien, A tall, dark skin male, walks into his apartment building with his headphones in his ears covered by his shoulder length curly head of hair. As he enters the dark corridor, he notices that many of the hall lights are out. He knows that he will pass four halls just like this, so he begins to sing Kristen Lawrence's "Ghost of John."

"Have you heard of the Ghost of John?
Long, white bones and the rest all gone!
Oooooooh!
Wouldn't it be chilly with no skin on?"

A chill slowly fills the air, as he continues to walk down the hallway. He notices yet continues to sing. Many of the existing lights overhead begin to blink. Julien sudden feels something behind him. He turns quickly to an empty, partially dark hallway.

"John belongs in a quaint nightmare.
Wobbly jaw and a hollow glare!
Oooooooh!
Wouldn't things look murky through sockets bare?"

Julien sings as a thud and dragging sound follows him. He doesn't hear the sound due to his loud music. As Julien gets to the stairwell, he turns again, and faintly makes out the shape of a man. He shakes his phone, causing his flashlight to beam down the dank area. For an instance, a ghostly male figure appears. When Julien waves his phone again, the hall is empty. Julien shakily continues to sing,

"John is gone from feet to skull.
Pointy elbows and clavicle!
Oooooooh!
Wouldn't it be harsh to hug John's fossil?"

He shrugs his shoulders and makes his way up the stairwell, up two flights of stairs. He continues to sing, as he takes out one of the apple earbuds, hearing the door slam shut that he just walked through. He looked down, trying to make out the person who just walked through but saw nothing. As he continues, skeletal hand bones clutch the railing of the stairs.

"John's not sad; he has had his day.
Smile that's fixed in a rigid way!
Oooooooh!
Wouldn't frowning be hard when lips decay?

John once said, "I've lost my head!"
Empty thoughts top his spine instead.
Oooooooh!
Isn't it the truth now that he is dead?"

Julien finishes the song as he walks toward his corner apartment. At the end of the hallway, he can see it, a male like figure, with skin sliding off bones, and a grimace upon his face. Julien closes his eyes, and begins reciting to himself, "It's not real. It's not real."

He struggles to unlock his door, as his keys fumble to the ground. With his eyes closed, he bends down, reaching for them as the sound of the thud and dragging of the figure's steps get closer and closer. Tears roll from his closed eyes, as his hands shake uncontrollably. Unable to find the keys with his eyes closed, he finally opens his eyes and grabs his keys. In that very moment he realizes that the figure is standing inches away from him. Julien's eyes make their way up the skeletal remains, with his back tightly pressed up against his apartment door. As his eyes make it to the hollowed eye sockets words stumble from his mouth.

"Hi, John."

He turns his head, as John gets closer and closer to his face. Julien turns his head to the side as smell of death fills his nostrils. His screams fill the empty hallway.