The sun streamed through the windows of their apartment on day two, casting warm light onto the hardwood floors. Veronica sat cross-legged on the floor of the extra bedroom, surrounded by boxes and random furniture. She surveyed the room with a determined expression.
"This is going to be perfect for my office," she declared, holding up a framed print she'd brought from Riverdale. "Something modern, chic, but functional. And definitely no clutter."
Reggie stood leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching her with a slight smirk. "You mean no clutter for about five minutes until you start piling shoes and handbags in here?"
Veronica shot him a glare but smirked back. "Shoes and handbags are essentials, not clutter, Reggie."
She grabbed the vacuum and began running it over the carpet, the sound filling the room as Reggie wandered off to the kitchen for a snack. She had barely started cleaning when the vacuum suddenly sputtered and stopped, its motor falling silent. Veronica frowned, shaking the handle before flipping the switch off and on.
"Are you kidding me?" she muttered, sitting back on her heels. She checked the cord and found it still securely plugged into the wall outlet. "Perfect. Just perfect."
She was about to call out to Reggie when, from the living room, an earsplitting blast of music erupted. Dua Lipa's "Don't Start Now" roared through the apartment at a deafening volume, making Veronica jump.
"What the hell?" she yelled, rushing out of the room.
Reggie was already there, staring at the Bluetooth speaker on the console table, which was vibrating slightly as the music blared. "I didn't touch it!" he shouted over the song. "I didn't even know this thing was hooked up!"
Veronica stormed past him and hit the power button on the speaker, silencing it. She stared at it for a moment, her hands on her hips. "It's brand new. I just got it off Amazon last week. It shouldn't do that."
Reggie raised an eyebrow. "Maybe it picked up interference or something? Like, someone's phone from another apartment?"
Veronica didn't answer, her gaze still locked on the speaker. She crouched down, picking it up and inspecting the controls. It looked fine, no sign of malfunction. But a cold unease crept over her, and she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it.
Reggie, meanwhile, grabbed his phone. "I'm calling the landlord. Between this and the power cutting out on the vacuum, I'm starting to think this place has some wiring issues."
As Reggie disappeared into the hallway, Veronica set the speaker back down on the console. She stayed crouched, her fingers tracing the edges of the device as her mind raced. Suddenly, she froze. A faint, disembodied whisper echoed through the living room, barely audible but unmistakable.
"Veronica…"
She whipped her head around, her heart leaping into her throat. The room was empty, the only sound the distant murmur of Reggie talking on the phone in the hallway. But she swore she had heard it—someone calling her name.
"Hello?" she called out, her voice tight. "Reggie, is that you?"
There was no response. She stood slowly, scanning the room. Her pulse quickened as she thought she caught movement out of the corner of her eye—just a flicker, like a shadow passing across the far wall. She turned quickly, but nothing was there.
Her breath came faster as the feeling of being watched settled over her like a heavy blanket. Her eyes darted to the hallway, where Reggie was pacing with his phone pressed to his ear. He looked oblivious to anything unusual.
Before she could say anything, the Bluetooth speaker came back to life with a soft chime. This time, it played music at a normal, appropriate volume—a random instrumental tune that seemed to have no connection to Dua Lipa. The sudden noise made Veronica jump, snapping her out of her growing paranoia.
"Reggie!" she called sharply, her voice louder than she intended.
Reggie appeared a moment later, tucking his phone into his pocket. "The landlord's sending someone to check the wiring tomorrow," he said. "What's going on now?"
She pointed at the speaker, which was still quietly playing music. "It turned on again by itself."
Reggie frowned, stepping closer to the console table. He picked up the speaker, turning it over in his hands. "That's weird. Maybe it's defective?"
"It's not defective," Veronica snapped, the tension in her voice catching him off guard. "It's something else."
Reggie set the speaker back down and turned to her. "Ronnie, it's just a speaker. I get it's freaking you out, but there's probably a logical explanation."
"Logical explanation?" she echoed, her voice rising. "Like the vacuum cutting out for no reason? Or that whisper I heard just now?"
Reggie's face grew serious. "What whisper?"
She hesitated, glancing around the room again before meeting his eyes. "Someone whispered my name. I thought it was you at first, but… it wasn't."
Reggie opened his mouth to respond but paused, his expression shifting to one of concern. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Okay, I get it. This is creeping you out. But let's not jump to conclusions. We've been stressed from the move, and—"
A sudden knock at the front door interrupted him. Both of them jumped, staring toward the door as if expecting it to burst open.
Reggie shook his head, muttering under his breath. "I'll check it."
He strode to the door and opened it cautiously, finding no one on the other side. The hallway beyond was empty, the fluorescent lights flickering faintly. He closed the door slowly, locking it this time.
Veronica sat down on the couch, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Reggie, something is wrong with this place. I know you think I'm overreacting, but you can't tell me all of this is normal."
Reggie sat beside her, letting out a long sigh. "Alright. Let's keep an eye on things, okay? If it gets worse, we'll call someone. Maybe we can talk to a priest or… I don't know, a ghost hunter?"
Veronica rolled her eyes despite herself. "A ghost hunter. Great. That's exactly the fresh start I wanted."
Reggie smirked faintly, nudging her. "Hey, look on the bright side. At least it's not Riverdale-level crazy."
But even as he tried to lighten the mood, both of them couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that their new home was hiding something far darker than they had anticipated.