The Previous Tenant of My Apartment Left a Survival Guide | Scary Stories from The Internet

The previous tenant of Flat 42 left a handwritten survival guide for the new occupants. It contained twelve rules: don't use the communal lift between 1:11 and 3:33 AM, ignore the window cleaner who knocks on the balcony, never let in neighbors claiming to live in flats 65 through 72 (which burned down in the 1980s), keep a weapon in every room, and don't leave food scraps out. The note was signed by Prudence Hemmings, who had lived there for thirty-five years. The new tenant, Kat, found the note the morning after moving in with her boyfriend Jamie. She dismissed it as a joke until the window cleaner appeared on her balcony, knocking for thirty minutes without stopping. Jamie had left for work at 3:15 AM and taken the lift. He never arrived at his shift. He never came home.

The Rules Are Real

Kat followed the rules to the letter and survived. The postman, Ian Flanders, confirmed everything. He told her that the building is infested with creatures—rodent-like beings with two rows of teeth that are "consistently hungry." The residents struck a deal with them decades ago: the creatures would be left alone and allowed to live in the building, and in return, they would only attack people who entered the lift between 1:11 and 3:33 AM. Anyone who wanders in during those hours is "fair game." Jamie was gone. Ian was blunt: "Your boy's gone. Let go. Follow the rules."