Whatever you do, don't tell the Tenant in the basement you can see him.

I was the first of us to show up. Hell, even the landlord was still running late. Maybe it was something about the neighborhood, but the other two candidates were running late as well. Not that it mattered; I had already made my mind up. I was going to get this room. The crappy part was that I knew I was going to have to get through some crazy shit to do it.<br><br>See, the last tenant of this room had gone insane. Literally. I don't know what happened, but the landlord told me she just went crazy, fully batshit level four crazy. So, he had a special condition. He told me that whomever took this room would be the only one. No other applicants if I said yes. Of course, I said yes. I had my mind made up.<br><br>After some more waiting, the landlord showed up. He told me that the other two applicants had cancelled at the last second. He said he was surprised. He told me that he was going to show me the room, and if I liked it, he would let me have it.<br><br>As we walked through the halls, he told me about the other tenants. First, the ground floor. The first neighbor right across the street from us was a family of four. A mom, dad, and two kids. The next tenant was 70+, kept to himself, and lived alone. He was nice and kept out of the way.<br><br>The next floor, the second floor, was where I would be living. The landlord told me that I couldn't let one of my neighbors in. He told me if I did, the deal was off, and I would have to pay for the room for a month before I could get a refund. He said there was nothing wrong reason not to, but he just didn't want this tenant in my room. The last tenant on the floor was the crazy neighbor. She was sort-of sane, but very violent if she found out that you were watching her. She was convinced that someone was in her house with here. The landlord told me that she was a lie and that the previous tenant had tricked her and made all these booby traps in her room. He told me to never enter her room and that if I caught her trying to break into my room, I was to call the cops. He said if I tried to stop her, she would hurt me. This was an issue since she was one of the tenants I shared a bathroom with. I figured it wouldn't be a problem since I had already figured out the deal.<br><br>The last tenant was on the top floor. He told me that if I valued my life, I would never talk to him. Never associate with him. I was to pretend he didn't exist. He told me if I even thought about him, he would know. I didn't take it seriously, I mean who would? I asked him about all the stuff he told me, and he said it was just for my own good.<br><br>He showed me my room. It was small, but it was good enough to live in. I said yes. He handed me the key and told me that my first month was free. He told me I had one condition. If anything strange happened, I was to never ask about it. He told me he wouldn't be back to see me for a while, and that if I ever needed him, he would be in the basement.<br><br>It was night when I moved in. I was tired and angry, so I decided to go right to bed. I would unpack in the morning. I went to sleep.<br><br>I woke up the next day. I went to the bathroom and got ready for the day. I walked into the kitchen, and I saw her. The crazy neighbor. She was sort of pacing, staring at the fridge. I tried to ignore her, but she looked at me and started to run at me. I threw my hands up, and she stopped. She went back to the fridge.<br><br>I went down to the ground floor. I walked outside, and I saw the landlord. I asked him about the fridge, and he told me that it was hers. The fridge in our kitchen was hers. She was pacing because she couldn't find the key. He told me to never talk to her. I sort-of laughed, but he told me to never talk to her. I agreed and asked about the deal. He told me it was off. I asked why, and he said that I had already broken all of the rules.<br><br>I sort of went into a daze, and the next thing I knew, I was in the back of a car. I looked at the driver. It was the landlord. He told me that I was in danger. He told me that since I had broken all of the rules, all of the other tenants were going to be angry. He told me that he was moving me. He told me that he was moving me to a new place. He told me that it would be different. He told me that I had a choice to make. I told him I was ready. He took me to my new home.<br><br>My new home was in the exact same building. The only difference was that I was changing rooms. He took me back into my old room, but right before we entered, he stopped. He told me to get the key. I asked him why, and he sort of waved his hand and told me to do it. He didn't seem right. His eyes were black sort-of. I did what he said. I picked the key up. He told me to open the fridge. I opened it. It was empty. He told me it was right. He pulled out a knife and plunged it into my heart. I fell to the ground.<br><br>I woke up in my new room. I was sort of dazed. The landlord was pacing back and forth in front of me. I don't know how he got in. I asked him what was happening, and he told me that I had to sort all of these things out. He told me that if I didn't, the other tenants would be angry. He told me that if they were angry, something would happen. He pulled out a piece of paper and dropped it on the ground. He told me to read it, and I did.<br><br>On the paper was a list. A list of all the things I had to do. The first thing on the list was the Tenant in the basement. It said that I had to get him to leave. He told me that if I told him I could see him, he would never leave. He told me that I had to do it. He told me that the other tenants were angry with me. He told me that I had to do it. He left me. He told me to figure it out. I did.<br><br>I went to the basement. He was no where to be seen, but I knew he was there. I pulled out my wallet. I looked behind me. The landlord. I told him what I was going to do. I asked him if it would work, and he told me that he didn't care. I told the Tenant in the basement in a loud voice that I couldn't see him. I heard his voice just behind my ear. He said that I could see him and that I was tricking him. He backed away, and I heard footsteps going up the stairs.<br><br>I looked at the landlord, and he just waved me away. I went back to my room to read more of the list. I heard banging. I heard shouting from all of the other rooms. The other tenants had found out. The Tenant in the basement had told them. I ran to the basement, but right before I entered, I heard the Tenant in the basement on the other side of the door. He told me he was going to kill me. I sort of waved my hand and told him to do it. He didn't seem right. His eyes were black sort-of. He did what I said. He plunged a knife into my heart. I fell to the ground.<br><br>I woke up. I was in my room. The landlord was next to me. He was moving my legs. He told me to stand up. I did what he said. I stood up. He told me to walk. I did what he said. He told me to go back to the list and finish it.<br><br>I walked back to my room. I stumbled. I fell. I got back up. I made my way to the list. I got dizzy. I fell. I got back up. I made it to the list. I read it. I had to move the family into my old room. I had to break into my old room and move all of their things into the room. I had to write a note to them and apologize. I had to tell them I was sorry. I had to tell them that I had tricked them into moving. I had to tell them that I had tricked the Tenant in the basement. I had to tell them that I had tricked the landlord. I had to tell them that I was sorry and that I would trick them again if I had to. I had to move them. I had to trick them. I had to trick the Tenant in the basement. I had to trick the landlord.<br><br>I pulled out my wallet. I looked behind me. The Tenant in the basement. He looked at me. He plunged a knife into his own heart. I fell to the ground. Everything went black.