The real estate agent handed me the keys to my newly purchased home. I had lived in the city my whole life and decided it was time to move to a more rural, secluded area. I found a house that sounded perfect to me on Zillow. It was a 2 story house that was covered with aging red paint. It was said to have been built in the early 1900s. It was relatively cheap as well due to the location.

“Congratulations, it's all yours!” the agent said with a grin.

“Thanks!” I replied while matching his smile. I turned to face the house and felt pride. It was the first house I had ever owned. I grew up in an apartment and then moved to another one when I became an adult. I started towards the house and the tall grass began to blow towards me when a gentle breeze picked up.

I closed my eyes and savored the moment of the breeze. I continued to walk to my new home until I was at the doorstep. I Placed the key into the old rusty lock and turned it. I heard a click and proceeded to press forward on the door. The door opened and I took in that sweet new house smell. I stepped into the house and turned on the first light switch that I saw. I watched the old fluorescent light bulbs flicker to life, illuminating the living room with a pale yellow. The house had already come with an old red sofa and an aged coffee table. I walked towards the couch and took a seat.

I sighed happily and then smiled. I looked around my new house and admired it. Sure, it was very dated and needed some fix ups, but after living in cramped, noisy, New York apartments my whole life I deeply appreciated it. I had some time to kill until the moving truck arrived, so I decided to browse social media on my cellular device until then. I scrolled through the news but quickly became upset with all of the bad news they shared.

I closed the news app and switched to Instagram and watched some lighthearted funny videos. Before I knew it, I heard the sounds of the U-haul truck pulling up in my long dirt driveway. I stood up from the couch and trotted to the door. I turned the knob and felt the nice fresh air wash over me. The air was noticeably different from the city. I put my hand over my forehead to see the truck in the distance over the blaring sun that had just begun to set. I watched as the truck pulled up. A pudgy middle aged man stepped out and started to walk towards me. We made some small talk, and then I walked over to the garage to open it with my new set of keys.

I watched as the garage noisily and shakily opened. The man stepped back into the truck and began to reverse into my garage so that we could easily transport my boxes there. Once he was done reversing, he stepped out and walked to the back of the truck. He unlocked the back doors, revealing my boxes. We both started to carry and then place the boxes into the garage. Around an hour later we were finally done. I thanked the man and tipped him some money. He walked back into his truck and I watched him drive away past the horizon. I pressed the garage button on my keys and watched as the garage began to close. I looked down and realized I was sweating. I needed a shower. I walked over to the box that was labeled “BATHROOM” and picked it up. I walked through the garage door that led into the house and then to the bathroom. I placed the box down in front of the bathroom door and then opened it, revealing a dated bathroom. I instantly felt a chill down my spine when I saw the shower. Nothing was inherently wrong with it, but I just could not shake the uneasy feeling that it gave me. I picked up the box and placed it on the bathroom counter. I realized that I had forgotten to bring my box cutter with me. I swiftly returned to the garage and grabbed it. I entered the bathroom once again and cut open the box, revealing a pack of toothbrushes, toothpaste, some towels, shampoo, conditioner, and some body wash.

I grabbed the body wash and pulled the shower curtain. The uneasy feeling that I had grew ten times worse after doing that. I thought about not taking a shower anymore, but I looked down once again and saw the grimy sweat I was covered in. I sighed and stepped in the shower. I turned on the hot water and was instantly freaked when I began to hear a terrible and inhuman screeching noise. I almost immediately turned the water off and then swiftly took a few paces backwards. My heart started to beat rapidly and my breathing picked up. I had never heard such a horrifying sound before. I now felt scared and unsafe in my new home. I stood there for a few minutes and then realized that I was more than likely just overreacting.

It's an old home, of course it's gonna have some weird noises. I suddenly remembered that the master bedroom in a house usually has a bathroom. I settled on just taking a shower there instead. I walked out of the bathroom and weirdly instantly felt calmer. I raised my eyebrow due to that fact. I started to walk up the stairs for the first time. I didn't actually know what the interior of the house looked like. Strangely, the Zillow listing only had pictures of the exterior of the home. I reached the top of the stairs and entered the hallway. I saw 3 doors. I opened the first door and saw a small bedroom. I opened the second door and was met with a slightly larger medium sized bedroom. I then opened the 3rd and final door and was presented with a bedroom almost double the size of the first one. I saw a door in the corner.

That must be the bathroom

I entered the room and reached the door. I turned the handle and opened the door but was confused and disappointed to see it only led to a small closet. I examined the entire room and confirmed that that was the only door. I always believed that most houses had bathrooms in the master bedroom. I sighed and crossed my arms in defeat. I needed to shower. It felt wrong to be so scared of the downstairs bathroom just because I heard a weird noise. I knew deep down that the noise was more than just weird though.

It was horrifying. It didn't even sound like a possible sound to come from a shower. I decided on taking a makeshift shower in the kitchen sink. As gross as it sounds, it was better than not showering at all. I exited the master bedroom and started down the stairs. I looked out of the small window on the front door and could tell that night had fallen already. That realization made me yawn. I continued towards the kitchen and then reached the sink. I felt a small wave of nausea come over me when I realized I would have to go back to the bathroom to retrieve my body wash and towel. Now that night had fallen, I was getting an eerie vibe from the home, unlike the positive vibe I had when I had first arrived. I sighed and started towards the bathroom. Each step closer to the bathroom increased my uneasiness. It was almost as if the bathroom was just radiating something sinister. That thought made me grow even more sick. I placed my hand on the handle and closed my eyes.

I inhaled sharply and pushed the door open. I swiftly turned the light switch on and heard it buzz and then flicker to life. I looked at the shower and had to turn away quickly. I couldn't bear staring at it for one more second. I grabbed my body wash and a towel and quickly left and shut the door behind me. I felt the opposite effect as I walked away from the bathroom. Each step away made me slightly calmer and less fearful. I reached the kitchen sink and turned on the hot water. I stared out the kitchen window and admired the full moon for a second. It brought me a feeling of peace and serenity.

I touched my hand to the stream of water coming out of the faucet and felt that it had heated up. I Undressed and took my makeshift shower. I cleaned myself best i could. I dried off with my towel and felt peaceful and clean. I yawned once more and decided it was time to go to bed. The master bedroom did not come with a bed, but I bought an air mattress in case of this. I opened the garage door and switched the light on. I walked to the boxes and found the one labeled “BEDROOM”. I picked the box up and put the box cutter in my pocket. I exited the garage and began up the stairs. I reached my bedroom and opened the door. I blew up my air mattress and started to place my blankets and pillows on top of it. I could not stop thinking about the bizarre noise from the shower. It almost made me regret moving.

I settled into bed and instantly fell asleep. I awoke some hours later to birds chirping. I now had a new sense of courage and positivity. I wasn't scared of the shower. I chucked it down to just being paranoid since it was my first time living alone and in a secluded area. I stretched and then got out of my air mattress. I started down the stairs and into the kitchen. I grabbed my Body wash and towel and headed towards the bathroom.

Each step I took closer didn't change any emotions this time. I turned the bathroom door handle with a smile on my face. I walked into the bathroom and right to the shower. I Turned the hot water on and quickly turned around and went to the sink. I froze for a moment, half expecting to hear the same screeching noise from earlier, but I didn't.

I unfroze and let out a sigh of relief. I turned on the bathroom sink and squeezed some toothpaste onto my toothbrush. I brushed my teeth and then turned to face the shower. My stomach dropped and an intense wave of fear washed over me when I saw the scene in front of me. The shower was spraying out Blood. I stood there in fear induced paralysis for a few minutes. I stared at the thick red liquid casually leaving the shower head as if it were water. I suddenly screamed, causing me to jolt out of my paralysis. My heart was beating out of my chest.

I..I have to just be imagining this..

I walked to the shower and turned it off. I looked at my hands and saw the blood on them. I instantly felt gross and dirty. I ran to the sink and frantically washed the blood off. I went back to the shower and looked at its floor. It was still stained with blood. Suddenly, an idea came into mind of how I could confirm if this was reality or not. I pulled out my cellular device and opened the camera app. I snapped a picture and sent it to my mom with no context. I put my device back into my pocket and then found myself just standing there staring at the blood stained shower floor. It was sickening.

Whose blood is that?

It had to be someone's blood. Blood didn't just come from nowhere.

Is this apart of an unsolved murder case?

I continued to stand there, my mind racing with burning questions. I snapped out of it when my device dinged. I pulled my device out and saw a text back from my mother.

“What the hell?!! Are you okay?! Call me!!” the text read.

My heart climbed up into my throat from the message. It confirmed that what I was seeing was in fact reality. I ran out of the bathroom and then into my hallway, i grabbed my keys and finally ran out of the front door. I felt relief from the fresh air. I bolted to my car at full speed. I unlocked my car and plopped down in the driver's seat. I quickly put the keys in the ignition and the engine roared to life. I Slammed on the gas and started down my long driveway. My new house was roughly 30 minutes away from any town. I was driving with no destination, but that was fine. It was fine as long as I wasn't inside of that house. My phone dinged again. I pulled my device out and looked at the text while also trying to keep my eyes on the road.

“HELLO?! CALL ME OR I WILL CALL THE POLICE” The text from my mother read. I unlocked my device and called my mother. She answered almost instantly.

“Jeremy! Are you alright? W-What happened in the shower?” she asked, sounding extremely worried.

“Mom. I need you to believe me. Please.” I replied.

“Jeremy.. What did you do?!” She asked, essentially assuming I was the cause of the blood.

“Mom, I-I didn't do anything. I swear. I- and i know this is gonna sound dumb, but i think the new house i bought is haunted.” I said.

“What are you talking about?” My mother asked. She didn't believe in the supernatural, and neither did i. I was obviously having second thoughts after the experience, though.

“I turned on the shower and it just started spraying blood instead of water!” I explained. I realized that I sounded absolutely insane.

“Mom, I need you to believe me. PLEASE!” I added before she could reply.

“Jeremy.. Please calm down. Are you absolutely positive it was blood? Are you sure it wasn't just rotten water or something?” My mom asked, trying to find a logical explanation for what I had told her.

“Mom. It was exactly like blood. There isn't a doubt in my mind.” I replied.

“And where are you right now?” she asked me.

“I am driving. I am driving away from that house.” I replied to her.

“Jeremy, I want you to stay on the phone with me and drive back to the house. I want you to FaceTime me and then turn the shower on again. Please.” She explained to me.

I stopped in the dirt road and thought about her request. It didn't seem like that bad of an idea to me. I didn't really have anywhere else to go, and this could prove to my mom that I wasn't crazy.

“Okay.” I replied just before sharply turning around and starting in the direction of my home.

“I am driving back now.” I added. I put my device on speaker and placed it on the dash. The rest of the way back my mother talked about light hearted topics in an attempt to comfort me. It didn't work, but I deeply appreciated the effort. After a few minutes of driving, I had finally reached the house again. I picked up my device and held it close to me.

“I just arrived, I'm gonna hang up and face you.” I told my mother. I hung up the call and then instantly facetimed her. She was at the apartment that I grew up in, where she still lived, and she was laying in her bed. She had a facemask on. I felt guilty for disrupting her peaceful time like this. I switched to the back camera and made it to my front door. I shakily placed my key into the lock and it clicked open. I turned the knob halfway. I realized that the quicker I got this over with, the easier it would be. I would turn on the shower, show my mom, and then run right back out the house and into my car.

I shoved open the door and I ran to the hallway and sharply turned into the bathroom. I looked at the shower floor and it was still stained with blood. I saw my mom's face grow even more worried when she saw that. I turned the handle, but nothing came out. I stood there and waited. Thirty seconds had passed, and still nothing had come out.

“No no no…” I muttered. I saw my mom's face become concerned, but this time with me.

I started to cry, when suddenly I heard a thump. I looked at the shower head and saw a huge lump in the pipe above it. I quickly turned my camera to it and my mom's eyes widened. I shakily stepped into the shower and looked into the shower head. I screamed and dropped my device when I saw a dark red eye looking back at me. I quickly stepped out of the shower and almost started to run, but I heard something wet and heavy hit the shower floor. I slowly turned around and was absolutely horrified to see a seven foot tall demon standing in front of me. Its eyes held pure evil and malice. They stared deeply into mine. Its entire body was covered with red, skinless flesh.

It began to growl and I ran for my life. Adrenaline surged through my body each stride I took. I could hear the demon right behind me. He was incredibly swift. I wanted to run out of the front door, but I knew the demon would more than likely catch me if I did. Instead, I took a sharp left and ran to the garage door and slammed it shut and instantly locked it. I stood there and pressed my heart on my chest, trying to calm it down. The demon began to growl and repeatedly slam its body into the door. I needed to do something.

I didn't care if this was a hallucination or not, my best bet was to assume it was reality. I thought of what I knew about demons. I was christian for a little bit as a kid, but now identify as an atheist. During my time as a christian i never learned much about demons. But I did learn how to make holy water. That is the one thing I can remember from my time. I went to a youth group one day and they held a lesson on how to make holy water.

I always had a sharp memory, so i remembered exactly how to craft it. I knew that holy water would be my best bet right now. I ran to the box labeled “KITCHEN”. My anxiety continued to grow as I continued to hear the demon attempting to break the door with all of its strength. I had limited time and i had to act fast . I ripped open the box and grabbed a bowl and some kosher salt. I poured the salt into the bowl as quickly as possible and then exorcized it. I then grabbed a water bottle and another bowl. I poured the water into the bowl. The demons attempts to break down the door were getting stronger. It was almost as if it knew what i was doing. I then exorcized the water. I took the salt and poured it into the water in the shape of a cross.

I then blessed the water. I planned to open the door and instantly throw the water at the demon. I was aware that my plan could easily fail and i could die. There was nothing else that i could do, though. I couldn't open the garage because I didn't have my keys, and the house didn't even have a manual button to open it. I took a deep breath and carried the bowl to the door, some spilled due to my shaky hands. I watched the door get pushed closer and closer to its breaking point, when I unlocked the door and the handle turned free. The demon burst through the doorway and instantly charged towards me. I threw the bowl of water at the demon just before it reached me while also accepting my likely demise. I stood there, frozen. The demon looked startled and weakened. I was shocked when i watched the demon start to slowly crawl away from me to the door. I followed it in confusion. Did my plan work? The demon continued to slowly crawl. It entered the living room, then the hall, and then the bathroom. I stood in front of the bathroom door way and watched the demon crawl into the shower. I gasped when the demon was suddenly sucked into the shower head. I was relieved, but still kept my guard up. My device. I instantly felt terrible for my mother who had to watch the scene of the demon coming out of the shower head and then chasing after me.

“JEREMY!!!” I heard my mother yell from my device. She stayed on the call the whole time. I quickly ran into the shower, grabbed my device, and instantly ran out into the hallway. I grabbed my keys and ran out the front door. I hopped into my car and started driving once again.

“MOM!” I yelled.

“JEREMY!!! THANK GOODNESS YOU ARE ALIVE!!” She yelled, sounding incredibly shaken.

I explained to her through shaky breaths what had happened. She told me she saw the demon fall out of the shower head. That confirmed to me that what I saw and experienced was in fact reality. I almost couldn't believe that fact. I had decided I was going to find a hotel to stay at for now. I told my mom that and also explained to her that I would be fine. I told her that I needed to get directions to a hotel and that I would call her tomorrow. I hung up the call and started a GPS route to a motel forty-two minutes away in the nearest town. I always kept 100$ in my car in case of emergencies. I was always a very prepareful and cautious person.

“Thank god.” I muttered under my breath when I remembered that fact. The hotel cost only 39$ a night. After a while of driving, I had finally reached the town. Only ten minutes to go until I reached the hotel. Seeing civilization calmed me alot. I finally reached the motel. I stepped out of my car and embraced the fresh air and sounds of life. I entered the lobby and purchased a room on the second floor. I was handed a key card.

I exited the lobby and walked up the stairs. I reached the top and examined the room numbers, trying to find mine. I walked to the other end and found my room. I opened the door and was greeted with a very dated room. Yes, it was dated but it was a million times more comforting than my house. I jumped onto my bed. I started to cry. I was so traumatized and shaken from the events. After hours of crying, I settled into the sheets and turned on some TV. I watched TV for a few hours, trying to think about what I should do. That was when the idea struck me.

I need to contact the owner.

I opened up a browser and went to Zillow. I found my house and pressed “Contact owner”. I began to type out an email.

“I have some serious concerns about this home that I just purchased. Please reply back ASAP.

Best regards, Jeremy Williams.”

I pressed send and then set my device on the bed. The only thing that I could do was wait for the response. I turned up the TV volume and distracted myself with it for the rest of the afternoon. Night had fallen, and I was exhausted from the day's traumatic events. I opened up my email inbox, hoping for a response, but I sighed when there wasn't one. I turned off the lights and settled into bed. I took some deep breaths and managed to fall asleep.

DING

I instantly woke up in the early morning to a notification coming from my device. I sat up and quickly grabbed it. I saw that I had one notification from the mail app. The email was from the previous owner. I opened the app and read the email.

“Hey. I can already guess what your concerns are regarding. We can discuss it over a phone call.” the following line contained his phone number.

I copied the number from the email and pasted it into the phone app. I pressed the call and anxiously awaited an answer as the phone began to ring.

“Hello.” A cold sounding man answered.

“Hey! Is this the owner?” I asked.

“Ah, you were quite quick to call.. But yes, it's me.” The man replied.

I felt embarrassed as I realized I had called him just moments after he sent the email.

“So, it's the shower, isn't it?” The man added.

I was taken aback by his question.

He knows that something is wrong with the shower?

“Y-yes.” I replied shakily.

“Well, I’ll just put this simply. The shower is cursed. Whoever touches the handle becomes cursed as well. That curse will follow you to every shower you come into contact with.”

I paused and looked in the direction of the motel shower. A shiver ran down my spine. I figured I didn't want to beat around the bush any longer.

“Are you cursed?” I asked.

“No, not anymore. I broke the curse. After I did that I packed up my things and left as quickly as I could. I listed the house on zillow so I could afford to move somewhere far away.”

I thought it was cruel that he listed the house even while knowing the horrible curse it held.

“Well, how did you break the curse?” I asked the man.

“I killed a demon.” The man replied calmly, and then hung up the phone. The way he said “A demon.” implied that there was more than one. That thought made my skin crawl.

I have to kill a demon?

My earlier encounter with the demon was horrifying. I couldn't imagine going back and trying to kill it. I figured it must be possible if the man had done it though. I was upset with how vague the man was, but at least he had given me something to work with. I had seen that the demon was vulnerable to holy water, but it didn't kill it. I sighed and opened up the browser on my phone. I started to type into the search bar.

“Demon Weaknesses” I pressed enter and read the first result.

“Cold iron.” That was something that I could work with. I went onto Amazon and purchased an Iron sword along with some liquid nitrogen. I shamefully purchased the products with my mom's credit card. I hoped that she would understand. I remembered that I promised I would call her that morning, but I didn't want to anymore. Instead I shot her a quick text message.

“Hey mom. Not really in the mood to call but I'm OK. Also i am sorry for the amazon charges, i will pay you back soon. Love you.” I hit send and then turned off my notifications. I ordered express delivery so the items would be delivered tomorrow, meaning I would have to buy another night here.

I grabbed my remaining money and put it in my pocket. I opened the door to my room and took in the crisp morning air. I entered the front desk and purchased another night. I then went back to my room and spent the rest of my day watching TV while laying in bed, thinking of my plan to kill the demon. I was terrified, but knew it had to be done. I didn't have much of a choice unless I wanted to stop taking showers forever.

The next day finally arrived. I got out of bed and went to the front desk. I asked if they had received my packages , to which they replied yes. They handed me my packages and I went back to my room. I opened the sword first. I admired the beauty of the sharp, pure iron sword. I opened up the other package and saw the liquid nitrogen container. The nitrogen would make the iron incredibly cold. I grabbed the little belongings I had brought to the motel and carried them out of the door and into my car. I checked out of my room and started driving to my house.

I turned on the radio and tried to distract myself from the reality of what I was driving to. The drive went by quickly and before I knew it I was pulling into the driveway of the dreaded house. I made the car come to a crawl in front of the house, and then stopped. I stared at the house, trying to build up some courage. I took a very deep breath, and then quickly exited my car and started towards the garage. I opened the garage and entered it. I went to the box labeled “KITCHEN” and grabbed a large bucket. I poured every water bottle that I had into it. I then poured kosher salt into a bowl. I performed the same ritual as earlier and I had created a large bucket of holy water. I was ready for my plan. I set my sword down and then placed the liquid nitrogen right next to it. I exited the garage and started towards the bathroom. Each step I took made me grow incredibly nauseous and fearful. I entered the bathroom and stared down at the still blood stained shower floor that had now turned a brown color.

I inhaled sharply, bracing myself, and then quickly turned the shower handle on. I stood there and waited for the inevitable demon to fall out once again. Each second I stood there was horrible. Finally, the same lump from earlier formed above the shower head and I knew that the demon had arrived. I stepped backwards to the door. I watched the demon fall out of the shower head and instantly ran to my garage. I couldn't tell if I was moving slower this time, or if the demon was moving faster. I reached the garage and slammed the door shut behind me. I locked the door and then ran over to my plans. I picked up the liquid nitrogen and sprayed it onto the sword. The demon began to slam itself into the door again, but this time much more forcefully. The sword instantly became covered in ice. I then picked up the sword from the handle. I placed the tip of the sword into the holy water and watched as it created vapor.

I held the sword as far away from me as I could , being cautious from the dangerously cold vapor rising from the sword's tip. I made it to the door and opened it. The demon growled and pinned me to the ground, knocking my sword to the other end of the garage. I started to scream and struggle as the demon tried to keep me pinned. After minutes of putting all of my strength into breaking free, I finally did. I quickly got up and ran to the sword, but tripped and fell right in front of it. I managed to grab the sword just before the demon grabbed my leg and started dragging me. I Screamed and forcefully stabbed the demon with the sword. It groaned with pain and backed up momentarily.

It grew even more angry and charged toward me once more. I stabbed the demon's head and it stepped back and shrieked in pure agony. It started towards me again but was much slower this time. I began to stab the demon repeatedly while screaming my heart out. I watched as the demon fell to the ground and continued to shriek from the pain. The demon finally went still, and I let out a sigh of relief, but the demon started to slowly crawl away while continuing to shriek, but this time quietly

. I ran towards it and pierced the demon's head with the most forceful blow from my sword yet. The demon went completely still and silent, but I didn't let my guard down just yet. Suddenly, the demon began to crack, bright light shone out of the cracks, temporarily blinding me. I heard a loud pop, and then the lights stopped. I looked down at the floor and saw a pile of red dust. I started to laugh maniacally. I had finally broken the curse. I opened the garage door and placed the boxes that carried my most valuable belongings into my car. I went to the box labeled “GARAGE” and grabbed a can of gasoline and a pack of matches. . I exited the garage and poured gasoline throughout the entire house. Once I was done, I stepped out of the front door and poured a large pile of gasoline directly in front of it that connected to the rest of the gasoline trail. I grabbed my wallet on the counter that had been there since when I first entered the home. I lit a match and threw it in a puddle of gasoline. I turned around and ran. I heard the house begin to go up in flames behind me. I ran to my car and got inside. I stared at the house for a few seconds and watched as the flames rapidly grew. The scene was fascinating but I knew if I stayed any longer I would be in danger from the fire. I turned the keys in the ignition and quickly turned. I slammed on the gas and looked at the house in flames one more time in the rearview mirror. I continued to drive for hours and hours, until my fuel was about to run out. I was now in an unfamiliar suburban town

I stopped at a closeby hotel and treated myself to a nice room. I entered the hotel room and instantly went to the bathroom. I turned on the shower and stepped into it. I embraced the normal, hot water releasing from the shower head. I deeply appreciated it. After I was done taking a shower,I checked my device’s notifications and saw that my mom was not happy about the Amazon Charges. I paid her back and apologized. I got dressed into some pajamas and settled into bed and started writing this. This was certainly the most traumatic and supernatural event I have ever experienced. I am now having second thoughts regarding the supernatural.I don't know what my plan is for the future, but I'm just grateful that I am alive and safe in this present moment.