A woman named Kim who lived in the Philippines for 15 years she had built a life there comfortable and stable until recently when something so terrifying happened that she fled the country as if running for her life so let’s go back to the summer of 2022 at that time we was working for a company in Manila she had just landed a job at a major corporation her salary had gone up and things were looking better than ever but what really made her feel like she had made it was the luxurious apartment her company provided ina multiple story high-rise with a breathtaking panoramic view of Manila Skyline from her living room the city stretched endlessly beneath her a dream come true but the dream didn’t last as the excitement settled she realized the downside of such a massive space cleaning and maintaining it alone there was no way she could handle that on her own so after some thought she decided to hire a fulltime living housemaid someone who would stay there day and night to keep the place in order and that’s how she met Rachel .
Rachel was in her mid-20s cheerful reliable and meticulous in her work, the perfect maid thanks to her the moving in process was seamless.So Kimi quickly settled in feeling more at ease with someone else in the house. Then, one quiet Saturday morning everything changed. she was video chatting with her friend truan who still lived in Korea ..Tran was so excited that her friend landed great job and was living in a luxurious apartment so she said show me your apartment. So, Kim flipped her camera around giving her a virtual tour of the apartment, sunlight streamed in through the enormous Windows, the space looked perfect eventually she turned the camera back to face herself, settling into a chair at the dining table, she was smiling mid-sentence when Trian suddenly interrupted oh! who’s that behind you ?? so he froze behind her just over her left shoulder, Rachel was standing completely still so he hadn’t heard her walk in.. oh !! that’s my maid Rachel she said startled but laughing at off let me introduce you.
She turned in her chair and Rachel was gone..the hallway was empty .Rachel stood up peering around the apartment maybe.. Rachel had stepped away quickly maybe she had been uncomfortable with the sudden attention or maybe Kim had just been so absorbed in the call that she hadn’t noticed her leave but still a feeling of unease crept up her spine trying to shake it off she ended the call and decided to check in on Rachel. She walked over to Rachel’s room and knocked lightly before pushing the door open Rachel was inside. She was sitting on the edge of her bed rubbing her eyes as if she had just woken up when she looked up at Kim her expression was is one of mild confusion oh! miss !! when did you wake up ? she asked , sleep still thick in her voice and Kims blood ran cold, her stomach twisted … you were just outside, Kim said slowly, I saw you you were standing behind me and Rachel blinked tilting her head in confusion then as if she hadn’t even heard the question she smiled and said shall we eat I’ll make us breakfast .
A suffocating unease settled over Kims chest, something about Rachel’s expression fell off the smile was just too natural like someone reciting lines from a script but what could she do, she let it go maybe… she was overthinking maybe she had imagined it a few nights later Kim was working late in her second floor bedroom finishing up a project for work , the house was silent and Rachel had already gone to bed , then she heard a strange noise , a scratching sound like she ignored it but it was getting louder a low grating noise like nails dragging against a wooden surface, it was coming from just outside her bedroom door, she stiffened her hands hovering over her laptop she held her breath, the sound continued slow deliberate scraping , her heart pounded in her chest , was it Rachel..?? was she awake finally..?? she couldn’t take it anymore so she threw open the door, the hallway was empty and the scratching had stopped feeling her pulse in her throat she slowly walked downstairs scanning the apartment and that is when she saw Rachel she was in the living room standing on the sofa, not just standing she was jumping.
Rachel was bouncing on the cushions , her body moving in an eerie rhythmic motion like a child playing but her expression was completely blank so she froze . Rachel ?? she called out , her voice shaky and Rachel stopped. Oh! I hate this part she turned around slowly and then she looked directly at Kim , her head tilted to the side and then she smiled but it wasn’t just a normal smile it was too slow stretching too wide her lips pulled back unnaturally ,the corners of her mouth creeping upwards in a way that wasn’t human, her eyes never blinked .Kims body locked up in pure Primal Fear, her mind was screaming, RUN.. but her feet were rooted to the floor, Rachel took a small step forward that smile was still growing wider and wider as if her skin would tear, KIM felt something cold and sharp twist in her stomach and at that moment she knew the woman standing in front of her wasn’t Rachel anymore. Panic gripped , she bolted up the stairs , heart pounding like a drum she threw herself into the bedroom locked up the door and pressed her body into the darkest corner of the room and then Rachel was running no sprinting , her footsteps were pounding against the floor coming straight for KIM’s room . KIMS breath hitched.. why was she running ? was that really Rachel something about the unnatural way she had smiled just minutes ago made KIMS skin crawl and then silence…. Rachel never knocked, never called out her name and for the longest time she stayed curled up in that corner holding her breath waiting for something, anything to happen but it never did and then the sun rose. She couldn’t bring herself to leave the bedroom even as Morning Light filtered through the curtains even as the sounds of normal life returned . Her body refused to move past her door, then that sound again her breath caught the same sound ,the one she had heard outside her door that night and then a voice bright and cheerful familiar.. Miss Kim?? are you awake?? Kim swallowed hard when she finally opened her door , Rachel stood there looking completely normal as if the night before had never happened but Kim couldn’t meet her eyes because every time she tried all she could see was that horrific stretching smile burned into her memory and later that day she called her friend Chan to tell her everything and Chan’s reaction was that’s insane how can you keep living with her after that just tell her you need to replace her it’s not worth it and maybe junan was right maybe she should have let her go she was seriously considering it when Rachel suddenly approached her. Miss ? so Rachel said softly , watching her carefully she said what’s wrong you look so tired are you not feeling well? before Kim could answer Rachel held something out a small packet here she said with a smile it’s a bath bomb my friend gave it to me as a gift maybe a nice bath will help you relax and so she hesitated for the first time in days ,Rachel seemed normal she even looked genuinely concerned and at that moment a wave of guilt washed over her maybe she really had been imagining things maybe she had been too paranoid after all, Rachel had been nothing but kind to her before all this so pushing her doubts aside so she accepted the gift and that night she decided to use it the bath bomb fizzed and foamed filling the tub with a soft fragrant lather soy left the bathroom briefly giving it time to dissolve while she tidied up when she returned something was floating in the water she frowned a strand of hair long black hair at first she just brushed it off maybe a strand of hair had been stuck to the bath bomb packaging but then something brushed against her hand, her eyes caught beneath the bubbles a shape was forming slowly too slowly something began to rise a face pale water locked skin wide unblinking eyes a nose barely above the waterline and that mouth that awful stretching smile .Rachel screamed, she stumbled backward nearly slipping as her heart slammed against her ribs , what was happening ..what the hell and then a voice panicked coming from outside the bathroom door. Miss ?so are you okay? please open the door KIM’s stomach dropped, her head whipped toward the floor, it was Rachel’s voice Rachel was outside, Rachel was also in the water watching her smiling ,Terror unlike anything, she had ever felt before gripped her entire body she fumbled for the door handle and threw it open Rachel stood there breathing hard her face filled with concern but when she whipped around to look at the bathtub it was empty no face no floating hair nothing, her hands shook violently had she just imagined it, was she losing her mind, Rachel took a step closer gently touching Kims arm – Miss soy ? you’re shaking are you okay ? so just couldn’t look at her because for the first time she realized even Rachel’s normal expression terrified her so she forced to shake her breath and lied yeah! I think.. I think.. I just dozed off in the tub I must have had a nightmare .Rachel paused and then she said something that made KIM’s blood turn to ice . oh ! I see .. but you didn’t see anything did you ? so stomach clenched what kind of question was that why phrase it like that normally someone would say- did something happen or what’s wrong? not you didn’t see anything? did you? it was like a warning a challenge maybe or a threat and then as if nothing had happened Rachel gave her that same soft smile and said well if you need me I’ll be in my room . From that moment on Kim watched her closely and the more she observed the worse it got once she saw Rachel lingering outside her bedroom whispering in hush tones on the phone she couldn’t make out the words but something about her body language felt tense, urgent then one night Kim woke up to the smell of smoke she rushed out of her room only to find Rachel kneeling in the center of the living room muttering chanting a small pile of Ashes smoldering in front of her. Her hands trembled over the Flames as she whispered something under her breath it looked like some sort of ritual but what is she burning and why and that was when Kims fear turned to certainty Rachel wasn’t just strange she was probably dangerous and the more Rachel’s bizarre behavior escalated, the sicker kim became, her body weakened, her skin grew pale ,her energy drained faster each day something was terribly wrong very very wrong and she knew without a doubt… Rachel had something to do with it. For months kim was not herself anymore, the sleep paralysis became unbearable, her body grew weaker, her mind darker, some nights she found herself staring at the window thinking wouldn’t it be easier just to jump the thought, came so casually so frequently too frequently and that’s when she knew this was dangerous. She had to get out after much deliberation she made her decision ,she submitted her resignation booked a ticket home to Korea and told Rachel I’m leaving in 2 weeks, thank you for your help but you don’t have to clean my room or the second floor anymore for the remaining days she kept her distance she avoided Rachel as much as possible speaking only when necessary then on her last night in Manila she had a farewell dinner with her co-workers by the time she got home home it was late exhausted. She walked up to her room pushed open the door and froze Rachel was sitting on her perfectly made bed, humming, she turned slowly her eyes locking into so then the door slam shut the wind no there was no wind Kims breath shuttered she whipped her head around nothing she turned back Rachel was gone where did she and that is when she saw it strands of black hair peeking out from under the bed I really hate this part she’s going to kneel down and look under the bed right Rachel come on stop joking Kims voice was unsteady her body shook as she took a small step forward but Rachel never responded so’s pulse pounded her mind screaming at her to run but she had to know she had to see so she knelt down she lifted the blanket and it wasn’t Rachel a child’s face stared back at her pale expressionless eyes too wide she screamed scrambled back heart racing but before she could stand something else moved a man’s face skin peeling and a woman’s face burned Twisted both of them staring at her then their voices were low raspy they took a step closer sniff the air we nasia The Whisper turned into a chant they were getting closer no escape nowhere to run so he clamed her hands over her ears shut her eyes tight and then something pounded on the walls the voices growing louder pressing against her skull until suddenly everything went dark she passed out when she woke up she was on the floor her body was shaking her face was wet with tears and Rachel was there kneeling beside her Miss so are you okay so jerked away the room was empty no child no burned woman just Rachel just Rachel who now looked scared then Rachel’s gaze shifted past her , her face paled Miss did you do that SOI turned slowly her breath caught in her throat the walls were covered in handprints some big some small pressed in every direction like something had been trying to crawl out and in that moment soy’s mind flashed back to the night before to the hands reaching out out from beneath a bed her voice trembled Rachel what does reia mean Rachel hesitated then softly she answered it means she’s going home so we broke down through heavy sobs she told Rachel everything Rachel listened quietly her face growing more serious then after a long pause she said you know I felt something strange in this house too she looked away as if choosing her words carefully I even asked my mother about it and she told me Rachel swallowed we need to speak to someone and that night a village Shaman came to the apartment the moment he stepped inside he froze,then his face darkened Rachel translated there are spirits here, they have been here much longer than you, you never asked permission to live among them, they were angry and now that you’re leaving the shaman gesture toward the handprints on the wall they don’t want to let you go, a chill slithered down kims spine, the shaman shaking his head they will make sure you don’t leave easily and that was the the last night we ever spent in that house the next morning she packed her bags without looking back the Philippines has been her home since she was in Middle School for 15 years she had loved it but after that night she knew she would never return.
So, this concludes our story or does it because sometimes when you leave a place haunted something follows you home in you know as if I was telling today’s Story one question kept nagging at me was this really just about a haunted house or was Rachel actually involved did she somehow bring those Spirits with her and if she knew something why did she pretend not to I don’t know the more I think about it the more unsettling it becomes. what do you think? stories like this always make me realize just how important it is to be careful when moving into a new house I mean how can we ever really know what kind of History a house holds even in Korea people just pay close attention to funray before moving they avoid places with heavy stagnant energy because bad things tend to happen in houses like that it’s not just Superstition it’s just I think it’s Common Sense Dark Places attract dark things and honestly I have experienced it myself when I was was younger from middle school to college I lived in a house that just didn’t feel right I was constantly getting sleep paralysis I would wake up in the middle of the night drenched in cold sweat unable to move sometimes even seeing things in darkness at that time I brushed it off maybe I was just too stressed maybe my body was just tired but thinking back now I can’t shake the feeling that something else was there have any of you ever experienced something like that have you ever lived somewhere that felt off somewhere that seemed to drain your energy or make you feel like you weren’t alone was it just exhaustion a trick of the mind or was something really there let’s think about it !!!
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