The lights surrounding her looked like fireflies through her tear-stained eyes. She didn’t bother looking down; she knew what lay below.  Only two words echoed through her mind: “my baby.” She sighed one final time before closing her eyes and soaring over the edge.

“Do you know the one about the woman in front of the apartment complex on 75th street?”

“No, tell me, tell me!”

Evangeline sighed and put her head down, trying to drown out the growing chatter.

“So there was this woman, right? Her husband divorced her after he found out she was having an affair. She lost custody of her four-year-old daughter, too. In despair, she climbed to the roof of the apartment complex and jumped. Rumor has it, on a dark night when you’re all alone, she’ll stagger up to you, body all mangled and bloody, and ask you where her daughter is. If you can’t tell her where she is… SHE’LL DRAG YOU TO HELL WITH HER!”

“That’s enough you asshole!” Callie said, thwacking Kyle on the back of the head with her folder. “C’mon Eva, let’s get outta here.”

“You didn’t have to hit him, I’m okay. This sort of thing always happens, especially around Halloween. It’s no big deal,” Evangeline said, forcing a smile onto her face as Callie dragged her down the hallway. “You wanna grab some coffee or something on the way home?”

“I know he doesn’t know any better, but still… Honestly, you don’t have to pretend it doesn’t bother you. If I ever hear him tell that story again I swear to God he’s gonna get more than just a smack on the head, that’s for-”

“That’s enough, Cal!” Evangeline snapped with more of an edge to her voice than she intended. “Just drop it, okay?”
An awkward silence hung over the two as they walked home.
The second she got home Evangeline flew up the stairs to the sanctuary of her room.

It had been ten years since Evangeline had been taken from her mother. Ten years since the last night she ever saw her. She’d heard the rumor a thousand times before: “The Ghost of the 75th street Apartment Complex.” When she was younger, she’d considered looking for her, the ghost of her mother, but she was always too afraid. Now she was far too old for such things. She no longer believed in ghosts. At least, that was what she tried to convince herself. She fell asleep clutching the one picture she had of her mother close.

“Mommy!” the little girl cried as the officer dragged her off.

“No please! I’ll do anything! Don’t take my baby away, she’s all I’ve got!”

“I’m sorry ma’am; court order.”

“Mommy!”
The door slammed in her face like an impenetrable wall. No matter how much the girl kicked and screamed the officer wouldn’t let go of her arm. She finally struggled free and ran back to the door, throwing it open, but it was too late. Her mother was gone.

Eva woke with a start to the sound of her phone. It was Callie. She let it ring. Two minutes later the cursed object vibrated again, and the message light flashed. She sighed and reached for her phone.

“Hey, it’s Cal! Um, listen, I’m sorry about this afternoon, ‘kay? I was just… you know… I guess I got a little carried away… well anyway… if you’re up to it I was thinking maybe we could hang out tomorrow night? Maybe sleepover? I mean, it is Halloween. Call me, okay? Please don’t be mad!”

Evangeline groaned and flopped onto her bed. She could never stay mad at Callie for long. They’d been best friends since preschool, long before- she cut herself off there. Taking a deep breath she sent Callie a text promising to meet in front of the park at 7 p.m. the next evening.

“Hey! So, what do ya wanna start with tonight? Trick-or-Treating? Or do you wanna go back to my place and watch some horror flicks!? Ooh! Or we could make some prank calls!” Cal shouted, having clearly already helped herself to quite a bit of Halloween candy.

This was the moment Evangeline had been preparing for all night. “Actually… I was wondering if you could… do me a favor…” she trailed off.

“Sure! What’s up?”

“I… the apartment complex. I… I have to see if it’s true… Look, I know it’s stupid, but-“
Cal shook her head vigorously. She was in.

When they got there, the scene before them was less than thrilling. The place looked like every other abandoned building on the east side of town. They decided to split up and look around. Evangeline was so lost in thought she almost didn’t notice the shadow stretching out before her.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

“Cal?” She asked, growing more and more uncertain as the shadow drew near her. When she received no answer, she stepped a little closer. Quite a few things about the figure seemed off. It was moving very slowly, and it looked mangled. It was definitely a woman, but it seemed as though every bone in her body was broken, and her hair stood out in all directions.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The noise appeared to come from the direction of the shadow. Evangeline swallowed hard and strode quickly toward the shadow’s source. “GYAAAAAAH!” she screamed. The woman was definitely her mother, only her face was dripping with blood, and her eyes were completely bloodshot.

“Where’s my baby? Help me find… my baby.”

Evangeline stood frozen. Tears streamed down her face; from fear or heartbreak she could not tell. Of course she wouldn’t recognize her. This ghost was still looking for a four-year-old little girl, not a fourteen-year-old. She feebly raised her finger and pointed it toward herself.

“You’re not… MY BABY!” The woman screeched, lunging at Evangeline. She began choking her and slamming her head into to ground, but Evangeline made no effort to stop her. All she’d ever wanted was to see her mother one last time. She figured if she died here she could be with her forever.

“Eva! Get the h*** away from her, you b****!” Callie screamed, swatting at the creature with a nearby branch.

“Cal, stop! She’s my mother, stop it!” Evangeline sobbed, throat burning.

“This… this thing isn’t your mother, Eva! Your mother would never hurt you, would she!? She’d never do anything bad to you, right!? I don’t know what the h*** this thing is, but we have to get away from it. NOW!”

Callie took one final swing at the woman before dragging Evangeline away with her. Once she’d gotten them a good distance away, Callie dropped a shivering Evangeline to the ground and sank down beside her.

“That was close… What the hell were you thinking, just sitting there! She coulda killed you!” Callie snapped.

“She was my mother Cal! I have to go back, she’s hurt! I can’t just leave her, Cal, not again! Not again…” Evangeline broke down sobbing. “Mommy…”

Slap!

Evangeline looked up, confused and hurt. Callie’s hand still hovered in the air, tears streaming down her face. “Pull yourself together! That wasn’t your mother! She wasn’t…” By this point Callie was sobbing, too. They pulled each other in for a hug. “C’mon, let’s go back to my house. We’ll eat candy ‘til our teeth rot!” Callie said, dragging Evangeline to her feet.
Evangeline squeezed her hand tight. Even if her mother was gone, she knew she wasn’t alone anymore. So long as Callie was there with her, she’d never be alone again.
*Author’s Note: This story is very loosely based on the Korean Ghost story of Bongcheon Dong