“The Horror of Housekeeping in 210”

 Thomas and Shelly were a married couple who ran a small cleaning business in San Antonio, Texas. They had a few regular clients, mostly homeowners and renters who needed their help with tidying up their places. They enjoyed their work, as they were passionate about cleaning and making people happy.

One day, they received a call from a new customer, who wanted them to clean his apartment in a nearby complex. He said he was moving out and needed a thorough cleaning before the landlord inspected the place. He offered to pay them well, and asked them to come as soon as possible. Thomas and Shelly agreed, and drove to the address he gave them.

They arrived at the complex, which looked decent enough from the outside. They found the apartment number, 210, and knocked on the door. There was no answer, but they heard a voice from inside, saying “Come in, it’s open”. They opened the door and entered the apartment.

They were greeted by a sight that made them gasp in horror. The apartment was a mess, to put it mildly. There were piles of trash, clothes, dishes, and other items scattered all over the floor. The walls were stained with dirt, mold, and blood. The smell was unbearable, a mixture of rot, decay, and something else. They saw the customer, a skinny man with a pale face and dark circles under his eyes, sitting on a couch in the living room. He was holding a remote control, and a TV was playing some loud and violent show.

“Hi, I’m glad you’re here,” he said, without looking at them. “I need you to clean this place up. It’s a bit of a mess, I know, but I’m sure you can handle it. You’re professionals, right?”

Thomas and Shelly exchanged a look of disbelief and fear. They had never seen such a filthy and disgusting place in their lives. They wondered what had happened here, and what kind of person lived here. They wanted to turn around and run away, but they didn’t want to be rude or lose a potential customer.

“Um, yes, we’re professionals,” Thomas said, trying to sound calm. “But this is a lot of work, and it will take a long time. We’ll have to charge you extra for this.”

The customer nodded. “That’s fine, I don’t mind. I have plenty of money. Just do a good job, and I’ll pay you well. You can start with the kitchen. It’s over there.” He pointed to a door on the left.

Thomas and Shelly hesitated, but decided to give it a try. They grabbed their cleaning supplies and headed to the kitchen. They opened the door and walked in.

They wished they hadn’t.

The kitchen was worse than the living room. The sink was overflowing with dirty dishes, some of which had maggots crawling on them. The stove was covered with grease and burnt food. The fridge was open, and the contents were rotten and dripping. The floor was sticky and slippery. The worst part was the counter, where they saw a pile of bones, flesh, and organs. They recognized some of them as human.

They screamed and ran out of the kitchen. They ran past the customer, who was still watching TV, and out of the apartment. They got in their car and drove away as fast as they could. They never looked back.

They never cleaned that apartment. They never contacted that customer again. They never spoke of that day again. They tried to forget what they saw, but they couldn’t. They had nightmares about it for months. They quit their cleaning business and moved to another city. They tried to start a new life, but they were never the same.

They learned a valuable lesson that day: some places are better left uncleaned. 🧹