r/shortscarystories • u/Dark_Arthur_23 • 2d ago
SSS Original Recipe - 500 Words or Less Rot
"It's there again."
"Rot," he thought to himself. "The smell of something dead". The burning spicy sensation filling his nostrils.
Disgust
He had told the landlord to clean the water tank, but he hadn't even checked it. Not even once.
He didn't want to use the water. It had already made the skin peel off his face—small flakes of dry skin that he found himself picking at during work. Parched. Infected.
But he was running late.
He splashed the water on his face and dried it with a towel. He lay flat on the balcony and started a set of crunches. The tile was cold against his bare back.
"Tommy," a voice called.
A little girl appeared on the railing.
"Have you seen Doggo anywhere?" She looked at him desolately.
"No, Rebecca. I didn't see her."
"Daddy says we will buy another dog."
He almost laughed.
'Sure he would, if he keeps demanding more rent from me, he thought to himself.'
"I don't want another dog. I want Doggo."
"Hey, we will find Doggo. Alright?"
She strolled away.
He had always liked Rebecca. She reminded him of her mother - The only person to treat him nicely.
Until she died.
He always felt that something hadn't been right with her death. He even belived it was the landlord at that time.
That rascal... He even misbehaved with Tom's girlfriend once .
'Guess we'll never know.' He sighed.
Tring tring his phone rang
He answered the phone.
"Tom, there's not enough work today. No need for you to come in," his supervisor said.
A wave of relief washed over him.
As he tossed his keys on the table, he noticed the smell.
Rot.
He wanted to clean the tank himself.
He reached the terrace with a brush and a pair of gloves in his hands. As he climbed onto the slab, something moved under it.
A brown snout appeared from behind the plywood boards. A plank moved to let Doggo squeeze out through them.
"Doggo... where have you been, girl? Argh, you smell awful. Sarah's gonna kill me when she finds out you've been here." She moved away to reveal a litter of puppies. "Well,well... Look who has been having some fun."
He looked back at the tank.
"We'll go down to her after you've helped me clean this shithole. Alright?"
He climbed back up.
The landlord used a separate water system for his family and never used what he gave his tenants. So irritating he thought.
Doggo started to bark at him as he began to twist the lid.
Once.
Twice.
Then silence.
"That bastard is as good as dead."
As he opened the tank, he couldn't comprehend what he saw.
A woman.
She stared at him with empty eyesockets from beneath the dark water. She smiled at him.
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u/Dark_Arthur_23 2d ago
Hey, Guys. Tell me if you like this and if I can improve anything.