My wife, Emma, and I had a chilling experience in our apartment located in the heart of an old town.
It was a modest one-bedroom above a bustling retail store.
The building, with its thin walls and peculiarities, was a constant reminder of its age.
The noisy pipes and the shared hot water with our neighbor added to its quirks.
Although it was affordable,
it was clear that this place had its drawbacks.
Fresh out of college, we had recently tied the knot, but Emma had yet to find employment.
The layout of the building was such that there was a single entrance at the back alley.
The stairs leading up to our apartment were shared by our neighbor, Mark, and us.
Mark, an older gentleman around 50 years old, seemed amiable most of the time.
However, it was evident that he had his own issues.
Mark was a regular drinker, and we suspected he had involvement with harder drugs as well.
When sober, he appeared quiet and soft-spoken.
Yet, as the night grew darker, unsettling sounds would emanate from his apartment—crashes and shouts that pierced the silence.
It seemed like there was always something disturbing happening over there.
Concerned, we kept our distance from Mark.
During the day, Mark would apologize profusely for the commotion that occurred the night before.
However, the disturbances persisted, and we grew tired of his excuses.
One fateful night, while lying awake in bed,
we heard voices raised in anger next door.
Mark lived alone, but it was evident that there were at least three other individuals present.
Their conversation seemed far from friendly,
and we suspected illegal activities were taking place.
Suddenly, the downstairs door swung open, and heavy footsteps echoed up the stairs.
I got out of bed, making my way to the door.
Peering through the peephole,
I caught sight of a tall, thin man with a bald head and a face tattoo.
He exuded an aura that made you instinctively avoid him on the street.
Though I didn't want to judge, I couldn't help my apprehension.
The man walked past our door and forcefully entered Mark's apartment.
Returning to the bedroom, I recounted the scene to Emma.
While we initially believed it to be another one of Mark's episodes,
the atmosphere immediately shifted once the stranger entered.
A shrill scream pierced the silence, followed by a guttural, gurgling sound that sent shivers down our spines.
The apartment fell silent once more, but whispers reached our ears, too faint to decipher.
Then, the unimaginable happened.
Mark's door swung open,
and I watched through the peephole as two unfamiliar men carried a third man down the stairs.
It dawned on me that they had taken a life,
and I was left in stunned disbelief.
Trembling, I returned to the bedroom to share the horrifying sight with Emma.
We both agreed that it was time to involve the police.
As we contemplated our next move, we heard the distinct sound of Mark's door opening again.
He stomped towards our door,
and his pounding grew more aggressive, as if he was desperate to break in.
Glancing at Emma, I saw her already dialing the emergency line.
There was no longer any room for discussion; we needed help.
Fortunately, our door held long enough for the police to arrive.
They swiftly apprehended Mark, who spent the night in jail for the torment he had put us through.
We shared with the authorities what we had witnessed and heard leading up to that ghastly night.
Despite my best efforts to describe the mysterious man,
he did not match any reported missing persons.
Consequently, the police had no choice but to release Mark.
Before anything else could happen,
we gathered our belongings and sought refuge with my sister while we searched for a new place to live.
That night would forever haunt our dreams, as we lay in bed,
listening helplessly to what we believed was a murder taking place next door.
Fear gripped us for a long time,
as we worried that Mark or one of his associates would seek revenge for our cooperation with the authorities.
However,
they never came after us.
We never saw Mark again,
and this chilling ordeal occurred over a decade ago.
we hope we never see him again.