Ghost Stories: Terror in the Tub

One of the most difficult elements of being a landlord is dealing with unruly tenants who don’t pay the rent.

It’s more frustrating when they leave without warning, leaving behind a huge mess that will take ages to clean up.

What happened to me was far worse than any of that and more like one of those terrifying ghost stories you hear about.

Photo credit: flickr/miedo

Updated 2/9/2020 – My property was in a good neighborhood and in good repair, so when I realized they’d fled – I was concerned.

They’d resided in the house for over eight months and had paid the rent on time, right up until they took off.

When I got a call from one of the neighbors, telling me they heard strange noises, I went over to investigate.

From the outside, the place looked fine, but when I got inside I nearly threw up. The filth and stench was awful.

It seemed as though they’d deliberately let the place go but I felt that there was something more sinister going on.

I tried not to cry as I walked around to survey the “wreckage” – then I heard a sloshing sound from upstairs.

I knew I had to go upstairs and even though the electricity was still connected, I took my time to get there.

The strange sloshing sounds grew louder with each step.

As I approached the top of the stairs, I also heard moaning.

I wasn’t sure if the voice was a human, the air conditioning, the plumbing or even an animal. It was none of those.

Although I didn’t know that at the time, I had a hunch that I was about to come across something not of this earth.

For some unknown reason, I kept going, even though I was trembling and shuddering while my legs went to jelly.

As soon as I put my hand on the bathroom door handle, the sloshing and moaning stopped. I opened the door.

What happened next was so surreal I was sure that I was in the middle of a nightmare. It was so much worse.

The light flickered as my eyes were distracted by the terrible grime and mold that had taken over.

At first I didn’t see the “woman” peering over the edge of the bath.

Then I saw the black holes where her eyes were supposed to be!

Riveted to the spot, I could only watch as she slapped a wet hand over the edge and onto the floor.

Her long, dark, bedraggled hair clung to her twisted body.

Her skin was almost translucent and streaked with blood.

I don’t mind telling you that I had peed myself without noticing!

Then I jumped when the other hand hit the floor.

Her face was trained on me as she hoisted herself up and over the rim of the tub, while the moaning started again.

The sensible side of me tried to rationalize the scene as a drug addict who’d been squatting on my property.

That’s why I asked in a shaky voice, “Can I help you?” I regretted those words as her face became more grotesque.

I still can’t believe what I saw next.

Her face opened up like a flip-top trash-can – as the top jaw spread backwards.

It looked like she was turning inside out as she slithered towards me.

I screamed, turned around and raced off.

Then the police arrived.

They never found the slithering monster and thought I was crazy.

I wish that was the case, as it would’ve been easier to believe!

Terror in the Tub