The Woman in Apartment 404: Nobody Had Lived There for 17 Years

The first rule was simple.

Never open your door after midnight.

When Daniel heard those words from the old caretaker, he laughed.

He was twenty-six, newly employed, and had just moved into an apartment building where the rent was surprisingly cheap. He wasn't interested in ghost stories or neighbourhood superstitions.

But three weeks later, he would wish he had listened.

The Apartment Nobody Wanted

Daniel found the apartment through an online advertisement. It was spacious, close to his workplace, and much cheaper than other apartments in the area.

When he arrived to inspect it, an elderly caretaker named Mr. Benson showed him around.

The building was old, with faded walls, narrow corridors, and lights that flickered occasionally.

Everything seemed ordinary until they reached the fourth floor.

Daniel noticed a door directly opposite the apartment he was about to rent.

Its number was 404.

Unlike the other doors, it had several locks and a layer of dust around its handle.

"Does someone live there?" Daniel asked.

Mr. Benson stopped walking.

"No," he replied. "Nobody has lived there for a very long time."

Daniel laughed.

"Then why don't you rent it out?"

The caretaker looked at him.

"Some doors are better left closed."

Daniel assumed the old man was being dramatic.

He signed the agreement that afternoon.

The First Knock

For the first few days, everything was peaceful.

Daniel went to work, returned home, cooked dinner, and watched television.

Then, on Thursday night, something happened.

At exactly 12:17 a.m., he heard three knocks.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

They came from his front door.

He checked the time on his phone and walked towards the entrance.

"Who is it?" he asked.

Silence.

He looked through the peephole.

The corridor was empty.

Thinking someone had made a mistake, he returned to his bedroom.

Then he heard a woman's voice.

"Daniel?"

He froze.

The voice had come from the other side of his door.

"Daniel, please open the door."

He slowly approached the entrance again.

"Who are you?"

There was no answer.

He checked the peephole.

Nobody.

That night, he slept with the television on.

The Strange Sounds

The knocking continued over the next few nights.

Sometimes it came at midnight.

Sometimes at 2 a.m.

But the strangest part was that the voice always knew his name.

One night, Daniel called Mr. Benson.

"Someone keeps knocking on my door. Do you know who's doing it?"

The caretaker was silent for several seconds.

"Have you opened the door?"

"No."

"Good. Keep it that way."

Daniel became frustrated.

"Why? What's going on in this building?"

Mr. Benson sighed.

"Just promise me you won't open that door after midnight."

Before Daniel could ask another question, the old man ended the call.

The following morning, Daniel decided to investigate apartment 404.

He knocked on the door.

Nothing.

He tried the handle.

It was locked.

Then he noticed something written on the wall beside it.

SHE IS STILL WAITING.

Daniel stepped backwards.

The writing looked old, but the words were clear.

He hurried downstairs.

The Photograph

That evening, Daniel searched online for information about the building.

After several searches, he found an old local news report.

Seventeen years earlier, a woman named Mrs. Evelyn had disappeared from the fourth floor of the same building.

According to the report, she had lived in apartment 404 with her young daughter.

Neighbours had complained about hearing someone knocking repeatedly from inside the apartment. Then, one night, both mother and daughter vanished.

The apartment was eventually sealed.

No explanation was ever publicly established.

Daniel stared at the screen.

He was living directly opposite the apartment where the woman had disappeared.

He called Mr. Benson again.

This time, the caretaker answered immediately.

"I told you not to investigate," he said.

"Who was Mrs. Evelyn?"

There was a long silence.

Then Mr. Benson spoke.

"She was the last person who lived in 404."

"What happened to her?"

"I don't know everything. But I know that every new tenant in your apartment eventually hears the same voice."

Daniel felt a chill.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because most people wouldn't believe me."

The Night Everything Changed

Daniel decided he was leaving the next morning.

He packed his belongings, arranged transport, and placed his keys beside the door.

At 12:17 a.m., the knocking began again.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Then came the woman's voice.

"Daniel, I know you're inside."

He didn't move.

"I have something to show you."

Daniel picked up his phone and called Mr. Benson.

The caretaker answered, sounding frightened.

"Don't listen to her."

Daniel whispered, "She's outside my door."

Mr. Benson replied:

"Daniel, listen carefully. Apartment 404 has been empty for seventeen years. But the voice you hear doesn't always come from there."

Suddenly, the knocking stopped.

Daniel looked towards the hallway.

His phone screen went dark.

Then a notification appeared.

Security camera: Motion detected inside your apartment.

Daniel stared at the message.

He had never installed a security camera.

He slowly turned towards the living room.

Everything was still.

Then he heard a whisper from behind him.

"Daniel..."

He turned around.

Nobody was there.

But his bedroom door, which he had left open, was now completely closed.

He ran towards the front entrance, unlocked it, and rushed into the corridor.

Apartment 404 was open.

For the first time since he moved in, its door stood wide open.

Inside was a small room covered in dust.

And on the wall was a photograph.

It showed Daniel standing outside the building on the day he had first visited.

He recognised his clothes.

He recognised the bag in his hand.

But he had never seen the photograph before.

Underneath it were several other photographs.

All of them showed previous tenants.

And in every photograph, a woman stood somewhere in the background.

The same woman.

The same expression.

The same dark dress.

Daniel dropped the photograph.

From somewhere inside the apartment, a little girl's voice whispered:

"Mummy says you've been here before."

Daniel ran.

He never returned for his belongings.

The Final Discovery

Three days later, Mr. Benson entered Daniel's apartment to collect the keys.

The place was empty.

Except for one thing.

On the living room table was a photograph Daniel had never seen before.

It showed the caretaker standing outside apartment 404.

Beside him was a young boy.

Mr. Benson stared at the photograph for a long time.

Then he turned it over.

Written on the back were five words:

You promised you would return.

His hands began to tremble.

He looked towards apartment 404.

The door was closed.

Then, from the other side, came three familiar knocks.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

And a woman's voice whispered:

"Mr. Benson... it's been seventeen years."

The old caretaker slowly stepped backwards.

For the first time in his life, he wished he had never taken that job.

Because Daniel was not the first tenant to hear the knocking. And judging by what happened next, he would not be the last.

What Would You Have Done?

Imagine hearing your name called from an apartment that has been locked for seventeen years. Would you investigate, run away, or call someone for help?

Share your thoughts and theories in the comments!

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Disclaimer: This is an original work of fictional horror. The characters, building, and events are imagined.