Follow the corridor

Leanne headed down the corridor. Moving swiftly away from where the old woman had grabbed her. She continually peered over her shoulder as she walked. Anxious about being discovered. She was nervous enough in her current state of undress.

The corridor was the same as others she'd seen. A long line of indistinguishable doors and the same dim gloom. She proceeded onwards down the hallways listening out for anyone approaching. Not wanting to have to explain why she was patrolling the corridor in nothing but a man’s shirt. However, before she made it too far one of the doors opened and a man stepped out into the hallway.

"Hello?" called out the aged resident. The young woman didn't answer. "Who... Who's there?" he asked timidly.

"L-Leanne," she responded eventually, figuring it was pointless to stay silent. "I'm... I'm a helper here today."

"Oh, hello, Leanne." replied the old man warmly. "My name's Mr. Norworth. But you can call me Jimmy."

"Nice to meet you, Jimmy." said Leanne with a smile. She felt a little more relaxed despite her lack of clothing. "Did you need something?"

"I just heard you coming down the corridor. So I came out to see who it was." answered the old man. "It's a little unusual for anyone to be walking around at this time of the afternoon. Most people are either resting or doing other things."

"You've got very good hearing to hear me coming," replied Leanne. She'd been deliberately trying to walk quietly given her circumstances.

"My hearing is a little better than most," confessed the pensioner. "One of the advantages of being blind I guess."

At this Leanne's face lit up in a beaming smile. So that's why he hadn't questioned her lack of clothes. "Oh, I'm sorry, Jimmy. I didn't realise." It was hard to sound sincere with the big grin spreading across her face. Then an idea popped into her head. "Jimmy? This might sound a little strange, but do you have any spare clothes I could borrow?"

"Why do you need some spare clothes?" asked the pensioner curiously. "Don't you have some of your own?"

"Of course!" lied the young woman, a little too eagerly. "But I, um, spilled some coffee on my top and could do with something fresher."

"Hmmm... I used to live here with my wife before she passed away." answered Jimmy. "I think most of her things are still in the wardrobe. You can come and have a look if you like." Leanne thanked the old man and followed him inside his bedroom. It was similar to everywhere else in Rosefield Manor that she'd seen so far; gloomy and sparsely furnished. "The wardrobe is over there. Unless somebody's moved it." Mr. Norworth chuckled. "Help yourself to whatever you need."

Leanne thanked the kind old man and began searching through the rack of clothes for something suitable. She found an array of dresses, skirts, blouses and cardigans. They were obviously more appropriate for an old woman but she did see one dress that caught her eye. It wasn't too long with just a hint of cleavage. She checked on the bind old man. She noticed a slight bulge developing in his pants and Leanne smirked as she imagined what the pensioner was picturing. Quickly Leanne slipped off the shirt before pulling the dress over her head and turning to admire herself in the mirror. "Perfect!"

"I take it you found something suitable then?" asked Jimmy.

"Definitely." answered Leanne. "Your wife had good taste." The young woman continued to check out her reflection for a minute or two before turning her attention to the waiting pensioner. "So, what's it like living here?"

"It's okay... Mostly." came the surprisingly sombre response.

"Mostly?" queried Leanne as she focused in on the tone of his reply.

A long sigh escaped from the old man. He didn't seem comfortable in telling her his thoughts but at the same time he wanted to let her know. "There's a lot of... strange things happening lately." he began cautiously.

"Like what?" asked Leanne. Intrigued by what the resident was going to tell her.

"I hear unusual noises at night." continued Jimmy. "Banging on the pipes, things like that. And then there's that odd light." The old man hesitated again. "I know I'm blind, but I still have a very small percentage of vision." Leanne wrapped her arms tightly around her body, wondering exactly what the pensioner was capable of seeing. "If there's a bright light I can make it out among the dark. Most days I see this orange glow under my door. And it's been happening more regularly the past few weeks."

Leanne moved to sit next to the old man and placed her arm around his shoulders. She was trying to think of something kind to comfort him when she saw the strange orange glow Jimmy had just described coming from the corridor. She wondered whether to say anything to the pensioner. Maybe it was something completely harmless and she could ease his worries. Then again it could be something much more sinister.