Officers Scott O’Malley and Derek Hall were cruising the streets in the rain, making sure people were upholding the law, when the radio cracked to life. The kind voice of Sheila Ward could be heard, saying,”Dispatch to vehicle 132. We have a wellness check at the Erenfield Complex. Some older lady’s complaining about water leaks – says it’s coming from the apartment above. She’s in unit 214. Go check it out, please. Over.”

O’Malley picked up the radio and said,”132 reporting in. It’s some ten minutes away from here. We’re heading there now. Over.”

They shared a glance and O’Malley said,”You heard her. Let’s roll.”

Hall turned right at the next junction, heading towards the Erenfield Complex. Ten minutes later, they arrived. The building loomed ahead – a massive stucture of red brick and clay. The rain darkened the walls, giving the place a damp, tired look. Hall took a deep breath as he studied the building. “Let’s get inside fast. I’ve had enough rain for today,” He said. They got out and hurried to the entrance. It was locked – it was late evening, after all – so they rang mrs. Black’s bell. After a few moments, they heard an older voice say,”Hello?”

”Police, ma’am,” O’Malley said. “We got a call about a wellness check. Can we come in?”

“Oh, of course,” Mrs. Black said and buzzed them in. They climbed the stairs and knocked on her door. She opened it, smiled faintly and exchanged quick pleasantries. Then Hall asked,”You said something about a wellness check. Who exactly are we checking in on?”

“Right. I’m not sure when it started, but there is something odd going on upstairs. The man in 314 – I think his name’s Joey – I rarely see him. Quiet, polite. But lately… he’s just been up there. All day, every day. I haven’t seen him in over a week.”

She lowered her voice. “And this morning I woke up with water dripping on my face. It’s coming through the ceiling. Real damage, too – my things are soaked. I’m not sure what, but something’s up, I tell you.”

They exchanged a glance and O’Malley said,”Mind if we take a look at the ceiling?”

“Oh, but of course, my dear. Come on in. Mind the shoes, please.”

They stepped in, removed their shoes, and followed her into the living room. The ceiling was stained dark with a wide, spreading watermark, and several smaller blotches surrounded it. Drops of water fell steadily onto the floor. Hall sighed, and said,”All right, we’ll go check on him.”

“What about insurance?” Mrs. Black asked.

“Not our department, ma’am,” O’Malley said.

Mrs. Black cursed under her breath as they stepped back out into the hallway. Hall grabbed his radio to call it in. Static. He frowned. That’s odd, he thought to himself. He said to O’Malley,”I can’t reach dispatch. Something’s messing with the signal.”

O’Malley shrugged as they headed up the stairs. They knocked on the door to 314. No answer. O’Malley raised his voice,”Police. Open the door.”

Still nothing. They knocked again. Silence. “What do you reckon?” Hall asked. “Suicide?”.

“Might be,” O’Malley replied. “She hasn’t seen him in a week. No comms. No super on site. We only have one option.”

He stepped back.”We kick it in.”

Hall stepped to the side and let O’Malley do his thing. He was a big brute of a man, fourty-eight years old and it was as if he was sculpted out of granite. Big and burly – the kind of guy you were glad was on your side. One swift kick and the door swung open.

The lighting in the room wasn’t great. A few lights were out, and there was a weak light coming from one of the corners. O’Malley motioned for me to stay alert. “Police,”he called out. “We are coming in. Do not make any sudden moves.”

They carefully made our way in, trying to glean whatever truths hid in the waterlogged dark. Then, they heard it – a voice behind one of the doors. It was faint, rythmic almost. Hall paused, tilting his head to listen, trying to decipher what was being said. It did have a certain rythm to it, Hall could hear, as he closed in on the door. “Hello?” He asked, in a nervous-sounding voice. “Police. Come out with your hands up.”

Both of them drew their guns and trained them at the door. This time, O’Malley shouted out.”Open the door and slowly come out with your hands in the air.”

They kept creeping up to the door slowly, wading through water that was high enough to cover their shoes. As they stood before the door, Hall motioned for O’Malley to be still. He leaned in and put his ear to the door. He heard a low voice chanting, “It’s in the walls… it’s in the walls…”

Hall stepped back as O’Malley shouted once again,”Police. Come out with your hands up. Comply or we break down the door.”

Again without a response. Only the chanting. O’Malley kicked the door. It didn’t budge at first. Three more kicks and the door cracked open, and water spilled out. The hallway got flooded. The open door revealed a bathroom. The faucet, the bath, the shower – all running. Sitting on the edge of the bathtub was a young man, no more than thirty years old. His eyes were wide and his hair unkempt. He was staring at the far wall, lips moving in a slow loop, chanting his mantra. Both officers had their guns trained on him, as O’Malley called out. “Joey? Joey Miles?”

No response nor even acknowledgement. Not a single sign that he had even heard them. The officers shared a glance. Hall nodded as O’Malley walked towards Joey, or whoever it was. As he grabbed Joey’s left arm, Joey seemed to snap back to reality. “What… what are you doing?” he asked, in a low voice.

O’Malley read him his Miranda rights, while Hall explained the situation. “We got a complaint from the lady downstairs. Her apartment has suffered water damage. We are taking you down to the station, where someone will sort this mess out.”

His already wide eyes got even wider. “Oh no, ooooh no… we can’t leave. We can’t leave the water. It is afraid of it. It can’t cross it. Please, I beg of you.”

O’Malley had finished the Miranda warning, and said,”What are you talking about?”

He then looked at Hall. “His circuits have been fried. He needs a padded room.” He let out a short laugh after saying that.

Hall looked concerned. Something was clearly bothering this man. How had he gotten to this state? Well, no matter. They had a job to do. After O’Malley handcuffed him, they both grabbed an arm. Hall on his left, O’Malley on his right. They started escorting him out, but he tried resisting. He kept saying, “No… no… don’t, please,” and dug his heels in, trying to stop them from going out into the hallway. “You are just making it harder for yourself, kid,” O’Malley said in a dry voice.

They got out the door, into the hallway. They turned right, heading for the stairs. Joey started yelling, “It’s coming…It’s coming for us.”

O’Malley, obviously annoyed by this point, rolled his eyes. “Cut the theatrics. You are go-“

Before he could finish the sentence, something appeared. From the wall. A shadowy figure. Well, the top half of a body. A large head, humanoid but not quite, and a large arm, larger than a human’s, with massive claws. At least, that was what it looked like to Hall. The creature, as soon as it appeared, clawed at O’Malley. It tore his throat open and raked across his shoulder. O’Malley fell like a sack of potatoes. Blood was pouring from the wound. The artery had been severed. “O’Malley!” Hall shouted.

He loosened his grip on Joey, who broke free and ran back to his room. “Hey, you can’t just run off.” Hall yelled, chasing him back toward the apartment. Joey sprinted for the bathroom. Hall grabbed his shoulder and shouted, “What was that?”

Joey stared down at the floor. “I… I don’t know. I was in the bathroom one night, brushing my teeth and I saw it. Can’t remember much – just that I somehow found out it is afraid of the water. It’s been stalking me ever since. I was losing hope when you guys showed up. But it seems it won’t relent until it has taken me. Maybe even that won’t satiate it. We are doomed.”

Hall grabbed his radio. “Dispatch, this is officer Hall. Do you read me? Dispatch?”

He was met with static. “Damn it.”

Joey turned to him. “It blocks communication somehow. I don’t know – but when it’s close, nothing gets through.”

A sound. Coming from the walls. A tapping sound. Joey’s eyes widened. “Oh god… it wants me. Or us. It wants out. We have to stop it. Whatever it takes.”

“And how exactly do we do that?” Hall asked.

“The water,” Joey said. “As long as we stay in it, we’re safe. It won’t cross it.”

Right then, the floor let out a deep, groaning creak beneath them. “Okay, we need to move. Now.” Hall said.

Joey seemed hesitant, so Hall grabbed his arm and bolted down the hallway, wading through the now shallow pool that remained. Joey tried to resist, but quickly gave up and followed.

As they got out into the hallway, Hall took a quick glance, trying to see if something was waiting for them. Clear path. He sprinted towards the stairs, Joey following him. As Hall got to the stairs, he heard a loud tumble. Joey had fallen over his own feet, and was lying on the floor. “Joey! Get up!” Hall shouted, but it was too late.

As Joey pushed himself to his knees, a shadow peeled itself from the wall. A vague, black shape, impossibly fast, closed in. Joey screamed as it enveloped him. Hall cursed under his breath and turned.

He continued running down the stairs, two steps at a time. He slipped once, but caught the railing and regained balance. As he got down to the ground floor, he opened the door and ran into the hallway, heading for the main door. He sprinted as hard as he could, keeping his eyes on the door. As he closed in, he reached for the doorhandle with his hand. As he touched the doorhandle, a shadowy hand reached out and grabbed his arms. He was too late.