TAP

Mandy looked behind her spookily as she walked down the corridor of a quiet hospital. The lights were dim and flickering.

She quickened her pace as she heard footsteps following her.

The nurse walked faster and faster, almost running now.

She had to run.

Fast enough.

The footsteps were closer, clearer.

Run.

Run.

Run!

"CUT!"

Sharon stopped running and wiped off a thin layer of perspiration on her forehead as her assistant ran up to her with a bottle of VodaVoda mineral water and a box of tissue paper.

"Good job!" The director shouted happily as he gave the beautiful actress a thumb-up sign to signal the end of a day's work. Everyone started to clear the filming ground.

Sharon sat on a mini-stool and drank her water with relish. She had been filming that particular scene for four hours and she finally did it. She hated this particular director because he was known specially to "torture" actors in the entertainment circle. However, his movies always had good critics and that was why Sharon agreed to pick up the role as Mandy, a nurse who was working in a haunted hospital.

As everyone was busy bustling around the 3rd level of the abandoned hospital, Sharon's handphone rang.

Her assistant, Kimmie, quickly brought the phone to the actress who was busy packing her bag.

"Hello?" Sharon said as she signalled Kimmie to pack the remaining things into her bag while she walked to a quiet corner to speak.

"Hey baby. Finished filming, finally?" A cheerful voice quipped from the other side of the small Nokia phone.

"Ya. Finally! I was practically exercising alright! That stupid director kept making me run and run. So stupid," Sharon complained, leaning against an old wall. "What time is it now huh? I was so busy I didn't take note."

"Oh. Um. It's about..." There was a short pause, "about one a.m. Do you want me to come and pick you up? I'm around the vicinity." Her boyfriend offered.

Sharon smiled. Her boyfriend of two years can be the sweetest thing on earth sometimes. He can be pretty possessive at times, but his wealth and character made it easier for Sharon to overlook his tiny flaw.

"Okay. I'm starving by the way. Let's grab something to eat before going home," Sharon smiled to herself and hung up the phone after her boyfriend agreed to the idea.

"Kimmie! Are we done?" Sharon asked with a smile. She felt so much better now, especially after listening to her boyfriend's voice and having a sumptuous supper to look forward to.

Kimmie Lim was barely twenty. The polytechnic student was only taking over Sharon's permanent assistant, Liza, who was on a one month long holiday. Although Kimmie was just doing her holiday job, she took it seriously and Sharon had no complains or whatsoever about this young girl.

Kimmie slung the bag across her shoulder and nodded. "Yup! Done!"

The crew cleared everything and started to move off from the place.

As they headed down, Kimmie and Sharon were one of the last people to follow behind. Sharon was a staunch Christian, so she never really bothered about ghosts and stuff. However, Kimmie, being young and ignorant, nudged Sharon when they were reaching the 2nd level.

"Sharon, are you afraid of ghosts?" Kimmie asked suddenly, her voice almost in a whisper. She was probably worried the other crew might laugh at her stupidity.

Sharon giggled.

"Darling. If there were ghosts, I would be the first to bump into them alright?" The actress laughed and shook her head, "when I was nineteen, I believed in ghosts too. So I don't blame you honey." She continued as they continued to the first level.

One of the crew member, John, interrupted, "you wouldn't say that if you really met one, Sharon. This world is full of mysteries. You better watch out since you didn't participate in the prayer session before the filming of this movie."

Sharon smirked.

"Only stupid people hold joss sticks and bow to nothing alright? It's been two months now and we're still filming fine. I don't see the hassle of praying or something. Jesus loves us too much. Besides, "Sharon said and tucked a strand of hair behind her left ear, "ghosts don't even exist."

They arrived at the ground level. The abandoned hospital stank of urine and rotting animals. It was exceptionally bad on the first level.

"Ew. Somebody should come and clean up this place. I can't believe we're going to film in this hospital for the next one month." Sharon complained as she tip-toed across some broken planks.

The crew remained quiet as they headed towards the exit. Kimmie was grabbing hold of Sharon's arm as she tried to quicken her pace to follow the other crew members.

After a good five minutes walk towards the entrance, they finally arrived at the main gate. A car was parked right by the gate with the headlights still on.

"I've got to go," Sharon told Kimmie happily and bidded the crew farewell before rushing towards the BMW and hopping into the front seat.

"My god, Ben. You won't believe it. Thank God I exercise often or else I would have probably been dead by now, " the girl complained as she bent over and gave her twenty eight year old boyfriend a kiss on the cheek. She was well aware the crew members were looking, but she hardly bothered what others think of her.

Ben laughed and drove off. The night was quiet but Sharon's voice filled the car as they made their way to supper. Ben loves this lady. She is not only beautiful, but filled with energy. She always had this enthusiasm in her that he lacks. She has got to be the one woman he could spend the rest of his life with.

They stopped by a coffeeshop near Geylang and ordered frog porridge and beef horfun. Sharon could eat and never gain any weight. She blamed it on her high metabolic rate.

"Hmm! You can't imagine how hungry I am, okay?! That stupid Kenny made me ran like a mad cow for four hours! Crazy!" Sharon cursed and swear as she ate her porridge delightfully, "this is really good!" She quipped.

Ben laughed. "Take it slowly, dear. We've all night. Do you have filming tomorrow?" He asked, taking a mouthful of the horfun.

Sharon nodded. "Yup. At eight. Same place. Stupid you know, film horror movie in such a smelly and dirty hospital. Why can't they just build something up in the studio?" She replied with disgust and winced. "Oh. The thought of going back to that smelly place really spoils my appetite." She placed the chopsticks neatly on top of her bowl of half eaten porridge.

That night, Sharon reached home at about three. Ben had dutifully sent her to the doorstep and bidded her goodbye. He left after making sure Sharon locked the door behind her.

Sharon lived in a beautiful condominium down at Bukit Timah. She had recently upgraded from a private apartment to this very home because she loved the feeling of living in a wealthy vicinity. She made plans to buy a home with Ben in the near future at Sixth Avenue where all the wealthy people live at. That would be her ultimate dream.

Her parents are residing in America where she was raised since ten. She came back to Singapore when she was eighteen and stayed here ever since. Acting had been an interest. Sharon knew that she was born to entertain since she was seven. She picked up her first role as Tammy in a local serial drama when she turned twenty. That was her stepping stone to her career. Given her stunning beauty, being made popular in Asia simply took her four years. Now, at twenty six, she drives a Lexus, and does movies.

The night finally ended for Sharon at five. She did her normal nightly routine. She checked her voice machine, read mails, fed her dog, took an aromatherapy bath, did her facial and gulped down a glass of fruit smoothie. Only then, she felt comfortable enough to sleep.

It was about eight thirty in the morning when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She was still in a midst of her sleep when that happened. Disturbed by it, she woke up and turned around. It could be her dog, but to her surprise, there was no one. The house was exceptionally quiet too. There were no sound of intruders. Convinced that it might just be her imagination, she fell back asleep.

She had slept through the entire day, and woke up only at six in the evening when the sun was setting.

"Oh," Sharon groaned as she rubbed the back of her stiff neck groggily. It was strange. She had slept the entire day and she still felt tired.

"Shelbert!" Sharon called for her dog loudly as she sat up. The setting of the sun reflected the orange twilight onto her white bedsheets.

"Shelbert?" She called out again, only to find her puppy standing at the doorway of her room, staring her at her.

Sharon smiled and clapped her hands. "Shelbert! Come here!"

The brown puppy stood where he was and refused to move. Sharon was startled.

"Shelbert? Come to mummy." She urged again, this time, kneeling on the bed so that the dog could see her better.

The dog barked at her loudly and ran off.

"Shelbert!" Sharon cried and ran after her puppy. Her puppy ran to the living room and hid himself under the sofa. The gap was narrow, hence, Sharon could not stretch her hand in to pull him out.

"Shelbert!" She called again and sat on the floor despondently. She felt totally lethargic. It felt like she could not do anything. All she wanted to do was sleep. Just then, her handphone rang.

Rushing into the bedroom again, Sharon slumped onto her bed and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" She yawned.

"Hello? Sharon! Kimmie here! Are you ready? I'm downstairs!"

Sharon rubbed her temples and moaned. "Oh, alright. I'll be right down." She threw her phone on her bed and gently slapped herself. "Wake up!" She told herself and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

She had totally forgotten about Sherbert when she headed towards her carpark in her cap and her casual t-shirt and shorts. She tried her best to dress up, but she simply felt too lazy and tired to put on any cosmetics or get dressed up. She left house as quickly as she could after pouring some food into Sherbert's feeding bowl.

Sharon drove her Lexus out of the carpark and stopped by a pavement outside where Kimmie was waiting for her.

"Oh, you don't know how hot ..." Kimmie was grumbling as she closed the door and immediately gasped when she saw how horrible Sharon looked. "My god, Sharon! Did you sleep last night?"

Sharon looked at her rearview mirror and tapped her cheek worriedly, "do I look horrible?"

Kimmie immediately offered the concealer Sharon uses during filming. "Use this. You'll scare everyone, I swear."

Kimmie was kind enough to apply the concealer for Sharon as she drove themselves to the hospital that Sharon dreaded.

"I don't know, Kim. It feels like I haven't been sleeping in years. My whole body just feels weird. Do you think I'm just too tired?" Sharon asked as she pulled up during the red traffic.

Kimmie took a bite of her pork bun and offered another to the actress who declined politely. "You know," Kimmie started, "maybe you're just too tired. Do you want to take a break? I'll tell Kenny about it. You go home and sleep." She offered.

Sharon shook her head as she kept rubbing her stiff neck. "No, no. If we delay this whole thing for stupid reasons like these, I'll have trouble with other producers in the near future. You know how eccentric directors are."

They arrived at the filming ground shortly. Sharon found it harder to keep awake as she stepped out of the car. She just wanted to sleep.

Kimmie and Sharon made their way up to the 2nd level of the hospital where the filming will be done that night. The crew and the cameras were getting ready as Sharon greeted the director with a weak smile while Kimmie went to get her costume.

"Hi Kenny," Sharon said in a weakest voice.

The producer turned around and was pretty shocked to see the actress that was once so beautiful, looking like she have aged overnight. "Sharon! What happen to you? You look sick. Are you not feelin well?" He asked, his voice thick with concern.

Sharon smiled. "No, no. Not enough sleep, that's all. Just don't shine too much light on me tonight. We'll do those dark scenes first. Is that alright?" She asked, steadying herself while holding on the the back of Kenny's chair.

Kenny agreed to it and ordered everyone to shift the filming equipments to the forth level where there was a broken down lift. They had intended to use the one at the second level, but the doors of the lift refused to open up, hence, they decided to find one with the doors already opened.

"We'll do the lift scene first. Get ready," Kenny instructed Sharon when she came out of the changing curtain in her nurse uniform.

Kimmie passed the actress the script for the lift scene and took the changed clothes from her hands.

The make-up artist, Joey, came up to Sharon and ordered her to sit down while he worked on her make up. As he dabbed the concealer for Sharon, he said numerous "tsks". Sharon could not concentrate on her script and looked up to the skinshavened make-up artist with irritation.

"Can you stop saying tsk tsk? It's really irritating," Sharon complained, her brows frowning.

Joey pointed at her face and whined. "You look at your face! Do you ever do facials? Dark eye rings, bad skin! No matter how much concealer I put for you, you still look horrible!"

"I didn't sleep well last night, that's all," the actress mumbled and went back to her script.

Basically, this scene did not require her to run or do any physically exhausting stunts. She was only required to look scared and scream. Even for this screaming scene, Sharon did some preparation last week before they starting filming at the hospital. Ben had complained of deafness after she screamed at his apartment.

Sharon was asked to sit at a corner of the lift and curl up as tiny as she could. She did as she was told.

"Later, when Cindy crawls down from behind, you look up and you scream. Okay?" Kenny instructed as he took his place beside the camera man.

Sharon nodded and curled up, her face turned pale with horror. She could act well. No matter what she was asked to act, she could do it within minutes. Even crying was easy.

Cindy, the "ghost" had climbed up to the top of the lift and stayed there with her long wig and bloody eyes. She was ready to make the horror appearance.

"The strings okay? Cindy?" Kenny asked, pointing a thumb-up sign to the "ghost" lying on her chest at the top of the lift ceiling.

Cindy returned the thumb-up sign and got ready.

The camera rolled.

Mandy looked around fearfully as she curled tightly at a corner of the lift. Tears filled her eyes as she prayed aloud. "Oh God! Please, please don't let anything happen to me!" She buried her face into her hands.

Then she felt it.

She felt a tap on her shoulder. Mandy looked up from her hands and looked at Kenny. She did not remember reading this part on her script. However, Kenny did not stop or shout "cut", so she continued with the scene.

Mandy shook with fear when suddenly, she heard a loud, screeching scream in her left ear.

Sharon passed out.

*********************************************

"Sharon," Kimmie called gently as she slapped the actress's face lightly.

Sharon opened her eyes and felt her eyelids flutter as she struggled to sit up. They were still at the hospital, but the crew were all crowding around her. Everyone dispersed when the actress regained consciousness.

"Kim!" Sharon cried and hugged her assistant like a baby. Kimmie patted the actress and smoothed her hair. "Hush. I think you're too tired."

That night, Sharon went home with the company of Kimmie. She did not drive her Lexus back. She was not in the right state to, anyway.

"Do you live here alone?" Kimmie asked in awe as she helped the weak actress to the sofa. The house was beautifully done, with white lace curtains and fanciful decors. For once, she understood how the rich differed from the poor.

Sharon did not reply and sat down. Her body was aching all over. It felt as though she had been bashed all over for twenty hours straight. She could not move much and her head was throbbing with pain.

"I'll get you some wa-" Kimmie stood up and was about to head to the kitchen when she saw a brown puppy standing behind a couch. "Oh, you have a dog!"

Sharon had been so tired, she barely noticed her precious dog. Now that she realised Shelbert had been staring at her, his body stiff and defensive, she called out to him. "Shelbert!" She said softly, bending down a little to signal her dog to come over.

However, the dog did not move. Shelbert continued to stare at his owner.

Sharon got irritated and upset. She threw a cushion at the dog from where she sat. "Stop staring at me. Go away." She groaned and cried.

Kimmie came out with a glass of water. "Drink some water." She offered to the crying actress and sat beside her.

Sharon sobbed and took the glass. Wiping off the snort on her nose, she took a sip of water and faced Kimmie. She placed an icy cold hand on top of Kimmie's and asked, "did you hear the scream in the lift?"

Kimmie looked at the girl with smudged mascara streaking down her cheeks and shook her head. "No. You just passed out suddenly. We really didn't know why."

Sharon gripped Kimmie's hand. Kimmie winced in pain as Sharon pressed her long nails into the girl's tender flesh.

"I heard it. I heard it. It was so loud. It was like.."

Sharon let out a shrilly scream. Shelbert ran into the room and hid under the bed. Kimmie felt her hair stood up behind her neck. She was starting to get afraid.

"Did you hear that? It was in the lift. It was with me. Didn't you all hear it?! It was so loud!" Sharon asked nervously, still gripping onto Kimmie's hand.

Kimmie patted the cold hand that held onto hers and tried to shift herself into a comfortable position.

"Okay... Sharon. Nobody heard anything. You just passed out. Nobody knew what happened. Cindy haven't even made her entrance yet. I don't know what sound you heard, but it was definitely not one of us."

"And the tap! Someone has been tapping my shoulder! This morning and at the lift! There was someone tapping on my shoulder!" Sharon cried, unable to control her emotions any further. Suddenly, her life felt like it was in a mess, and, for once, she did not know what to do.

Kimmie kept quiet and hugged Sharon. Then she looked at the distraught lady whose hair was no longer in place, and she no longer looked so beautiful.

***************************************

"We heard some stories about you being disturbed by some spirits when you were filming "The Fourth Level". Is any bit of that true?" The reporter interviewing Sharon asked.

Sharon smiled and sat back against a big red couch, her dark brown curls neatly pushed back with her sunglasses. She looked happy and relaxed.

"Okay. First of all, those reports exaggerated abit," Sharon laughed and crossed her legs comfortably. "I wasn't possessed alright, and no, my boyfriend, now fiance, did not leave me or anything like that. We're still happy together, and yes, we're getting married next year." She revealed confidently, her white teeth flashing at the beautiful reporter sitting opposite her.

"Oh. Tell us what happened?" The reporter probed, hinting the actress that she had replied out of the point.

Sharon cleared her throat and looked serious, for once, since the interview started.

"I was apparently, disturbed by this spirit from the hospital. I didn't know who, or what it is,
but I was petrified alright. It haunted me for two weeks. I was practically skeletal and boney by the end of the whole thing." Sharon started, and showed the reporter some blue black bruises on her arms. "These, were inflicted by "it". I don't know how I got it, but all I know is, I was tapped on my arms and back so many times, sometimes there were bruises."

The reporter sat up. "Then? What happened?"

Sharon took a sip of her ice lemon tea and settled back down. " Anyway, I used to not believe in praying before filming alright? You can ask anyone who worked with me. Whenever they prayed, I would be standing at the side and only take part in the phototaking sessions as part of the publicising job." She paused for awhile and went on, "but after this incident, I learnt from my mistakes. I know, now, why we must pray before we film."

"It is to respect the dead and anyone "living" around the filming area. I didn't use to believe in that, but I swear, after all those tapping and "that thing" following me home, I learnt. So, no matter what, always remember to say a small prayer before occupying any space or doing anything on any abandoned grounds. You never know what you might get."

The reporter nodded. "I heard about these stuff too. So, how did all that haunting stop?"

Sharon laughed, "simple. Pray and offer some offerings to "it". As long as you're sincere about it, "that thing" leaves you alone, and oh yes, you've to let them know you're just filming there so that, you know, they won't get confused."

The reporter laughed and nodded. "It was that simple?"

The actress pulled down her sunglasses and smiled, "yes, because it was a female ghost who meant no harm. She was simply asking for help because I was wearing my nurse uniform all the while when I was filming there."

******************************************

Two months ago...

"Let's see the playback," Kenny told his producer in the studio after the crew came back from the hospital. Sharon had gone home early after the faint and everyone decided to call it a night since the main actress was not there.

The producer played back and stopped at a part before Sharon fainted. They saw a faint white shadow beside Sharon. They zoomed in closer and was terrified when they saw a face of a lady. She was screaming into Sharon's ear.