Account 07: Crawling

Background information

• Name: Robert Wilson
• Pronouns: He/him
  
• Date: March 28, 2020
  
• Occupation: Programmer
• City of residence: Atkins, Michigan
• Date(s) of account: December 2012
  
• Subject of account: A new apartment
  

Account

It started late in December 2012. I had moved into a new apartment a few weeks ago, and was working at my computer when I noticed a crack in the corner where the wall met the floor.

It was a fairly small crack, so I wasn't surprised at not having noticed earlier. I figured I'd speak to my landlord Gabriel Scott about it if it caused any issues, but it had yet to do so, and I had work to do.

I turned away from the crack and looked back at my computer. But I kept thinking about the crack. Eventually, I looked at it and saw that there was a worm crawling out of it.

Do you ever think about worms? How they wriggle and squirm and crawl, how they can still live even after you cut them in half? I do. All the time.

The funny thing is, I don't have a problem with spiders or ants or anything like that. I just hate the way worms slither forward, inch by inch, like they're shuddering.

I ignored the worm, although I found it strange that an earthworm had found its way into my home, and continued to work. Still, I found it hard not to think about it. Eventually, I realized I couldn't focus on my work at all. I caved in and looked at the crack in the corner where the wall met the floor.

There were ten worms now. They were all crawling towards me, and they were at various points in their travel, as though they had squirmed out of that crack one by one. It wouldn't have surprised me, given I'd only seen the one at first.

I left the apartment and went on a nice, long walk.

I was expecting the worms to have gone away by the time I returned almost an hour later. Instead, there were more. There must have been around twenty of them, all writhing towards me.

I left the room and went to speak to Gabriel, but he wasn't there. I called him, but after several seconds of ringing, it went to voicemail. I left a message and went on another walk. I told myself I'd come back before it got dark, but I didn't.

I waited for hours before Gabriel called back. I started to say hello, but he interrupted me.

"There is a crack in the corner where the wall meets the floor."

His voice sounded strange, but I don't know how to describe it. He spoke very slowly, but it was hard to make out his speech. At first, I thought he was repeating himself. I realized after a moment that his voice was echoing. The connection must have been poor.

"There is a crack in the corner where the wall meets the floor," he said a second time.
"Sorry?" I asked.
There was a long pause.
"...Robert Wilson," he said. "That is what you are telling me, correct? Your message said that there was a crack in the corner where the wall met the floor."
I took a deep breath, unsure what to say. I was about to speak, but he interrupted me.
"Come here. Show me the crack. Perhaps we can clear things up."
"...Okay."
"I look forward to seeing you again."
"Right. Uh, see you."

I went back to my apartment before I went to Gabriel's. I wanted to be sure the worms were still there when he came to see.

The apartment was covered in worms. They were crawling out of every surface, forming a single pulsating mass of pale wet flesh that overlapped with itself and writhed over itself and devoured itself.

I backed away.

I bumped into something that felt wet and yielding like a sponge. I turned around to see Gabriel standing before me. He tilted his head.

"Robert Wilson." His voice still had that strange echoey quality to it that it had on the phone.

I nodded slowly.

Gabriel pushed past me and stared into the apartment. His eyes looked glassy.

He slowly turned around and stared directly into my eyes.

"Everything looks fine to me."

As he spoke, a single worm writhed its way from his mouth. He had no reaction as it crawled across his face and dropped onto the ground in front of my feet, causing me to flinch.

I left the apartment building and went to a fast food place that was still open. I wasn't hungry after what I'd just seen, but I needed somewhere I could call a friend of mine in peace.

I asked if I could sleep at their place. They said yes and didn't ask why.

I haven't looked into things too much since then. At all, I should say. Honestly, I've tried my best not to even think about it.

Analysis
It was difficult for Alex and me to find much information related to this account, partially since it occurred over such a short time frame. However, we did learn from city records in the Atkins District Library that a man named Gabriel Scott owned an apartment building in downtown Atkins between 2006 and 2012.

In 2012, Scott was found dead of asphyxiation in his apartment in spite of any visible strangulation marks or possible causes of drowning. The coroner who performed his autopsy found both earthworms and soil in his lungs.