I live on the top floor of a five-story apartment. I live alone with my two cats. I work from home full-time and am a bit of a recluse. I even spend extra for grocery drop off so I have very few errands I have to run. I have no real friends or family to hang out with. This apartment was a little odd from the start. When I first moved in the first-floor neighbors were out on their patio and said hi in an attempt at friendliness. I hired professional movers to move my belongings as quickly as possible. Begrudgingly with a cat carrier in each hand I made pleasantries.
“Oh, are you just moving in?”
“Ya looks to be that way.”
We sat for a second awkwardly. I tried to appear as uncomfortable as possible. It was an older woman, probably around fifty or sixty that was talking to me. She looked like she had a rough life, her hair must have once been died pink but it had faded to an awkward color. Her gray roots showed through. She had no teeth and was sucking on her lips as she contemplated what she was going to say next.
“It is just you?”
My eyes lifted to the tall man who must have been at least three hundred pounds and about six feet. He was tan and covered in tattoos. His head was shaved and he was wearing a white wife beater and sweatpants.
“No, I have a brother and a husband”
I lied through my teeth. This was a bigger city and not in the best of neighborhoods. Best not to give out any info.
“Well, I better go.”
I rushed up the stairs before the neighbors could protest. The apartment looked as if it hadn’t been updated in years. The concrete steps and paint-peeling walls were not welcoming in the slightest. I heaved a sigh. I hadn’t gone to a showing so this was on me. The pictures looked a lot more welcoming. The apartment units were able to be accessed from an outside path. Similar to a motel. Two concrete stairs sat on opposite ends of the complex and went up the five floors with one ‘hallway’ that connected the two.
My apartment was 505 so the top floor so five concrete flights of outdoor stairs. And exactly halfway down the hallway to be the topmost middle unit of the complex. The leasing office had given me five keys but weirdly enough my door only had one lock. The deadbolt. I set down the least jumpy cat which was the one in my right hand and tried each key in succession. The two movers were just clearing the fifth staircase with my king mattress when I found the correct key and hastily opened the door.
I grabbed the set down Miso who seem unperturbed by the disturbance and headed into the apartment. The inside of the unit was a one bed one bath but was at least recently remodeled. I moved to the bedroom and shut the door behind me enjoying a moment of peace. Today was a lot. The amount of social interaction I had today paired with the stress of the move had rendered me exhausted. I set down each of the cats.
Miso and Baby. Baby was aptly named he was a five-year-old maincoon with an orange pattern. He was a nervous cat that liked to be carried like a baby around the house. He was the reason I bought a cat carrier. Of course, it took the purchase of three cat carriers to find one that would hold a twenty-five-pound main coon. Miso was a very independent seven-year-old siamese cat who was leash trained and smarter than any dog I had ever seen. I could hold entire conversations with Miso and he would meow and mew in response. On opening the carriers, Miso ran out of the carrier and started looking around the room quickly jumping onto the window sill.
The window in the bedroom pointed out to the outdoor hallway. This was unsettling to me. Why would I want to look out at people going to their apartments? There was nothing to see out that way just a parking complex. Miso started purring and pushed against my arm as I looked out at the concrete sight. I met his head with my hand giving him some ear scratches. And Baby stayed in his crate. He would remain that way till everyone was gone and probably for a few hours after. How I envied the ability to hide in his carrier.
There was a polite knock on the door I heaved another heavy sigh and opened it a crack.
“Sorry to bother you mam, but you just wanted everything unloaded here in the living room, or did you want us to unload certain boxes in certain rooms?”
“Everything in the living room is fine. Thank you.”
I shut the door to the bedroom again positioning my back against the door I slid to the ground. Miso ran up to me and I lavished him with pets, sending a symphony of purrs against my hand. I took a closer look at the room I was in. The bedroom was very tiny not large enough for my bed but at least it had a larger closet. The floors were laminated with a fake hardwood pattern and the walls were beige. It was clean at least but you could tell the upgrades were hastily done. The paint covered previous drips and none of the screws on the switch plates matched. It was a landlord fix-up with ‘new floors and paint’ just like most overpriced units in any city.
Within an hour the movers were done. I had crept out of the bedroom about twenty minutes in. I had decided to have the bed and ‘bedroom’ be the living room. The apartment was in a bit of a spiral the entrance had a hallway that led into a large living room with a patio with a large screen door. There was a large window to the left of that, both the patio and windows facing west towards a park. Nestled in the far left corner to the northwest was a smaller kitchen. Full fridge, and stove and it had a dishwasher.
To the east of the hallway, the entrance was another hallway that led to the single bedroom on the left, and on the right was the bathroom. At the end of the hallway farthest to the north and in between the bedroom and bathroom was another closet with a standing washer and dryer duo. I finished planning out the rest of the apartment. The designated bedroom would be my office. And I had set up my internet while the movers finished up.
I tipped the movers a hundred dollars as I know that my stuff was difficult to move and only having two of them couldn’t have been easy. The mover gave me a big grin, said thank you, and went on his way taking his colleague with him. I followed them down the hallway to the entrance and closed the door behind them locking the deadbolt as I did so. Miso was following me the entire way. I looked back at the living room and started slowly moving the largest furniture into the proper spaces.
The goal for today getting the office set up and my bed on my bed frame. I moved in my desk and as many bookcases as I could. The bookcases lined every wall with my desk facing the window. My office chair’s back towards the door. The bookcases were empty and Miso took great delight in jumping on every piece of furniture that I moved. It was Saturday so I would have tomorrow to get ready before I had work Monday Morning. I set up my TV on my TV stand at the end of the living room opposite my bed, then I took a small break to order Thai food delivery and eat at my desk.
Before I knew it the app said delivered. Having too much to do has a way of passing the time. But what was odd was there was no knock. I looked out through the peephole to see a tied-up plastic bag with the familiar paper take-out boxes inside sitting right outside my door. It was dark outside at this point. Around eight pm. I cracked open my door taking a quick peek left and right and grabbed my food and retreated to the safety of my apartment.
I had achieved getting my bed frame set up and let my mattress fall on top of it from its sideways standing position. I set my food on the mattress and took a moment to set up my smart TV. Settling in to eat my Pineapple Curry and binge one of my comfort shows I had seen a million times. This time it was a cartoon that was about accepting everyone with kindness and defeating enemies by talking about their differences. Baby and Miso sat in front of me on the bed eagerly begging.
“None for you kitties this is bad for you.”
With a look of understanding, Miso settled in on the bed and quickly fell asleep with Baby still begging profusely. I sighed and lay down letting myself experience the feeling of laying down for the first time today. My body ached and I closed my eyes still listening to my comfort show in the background with the brightness set to zero.
The apartment groaned and creaked. I shuddered, grabbing my blanket a little tighter and pulling the comforter over my head. The walls were thin. I could hear my upstairs neighbor walking? No, it was more like swaying? The creek of the floor but without the pounding of the steps. Just a back-and-forth rocking of rhythmic squeaks. Then a knock. I looked at my phone and it was 2 am. I don’t invite people over. Maybe they were looking for who lived here before? Knock Knock Knock
I peeked out of my cover to see Baby had fled the room and Miso was staring at the door. I looked down the hallway following Miso’s gaze. I could see a shadow under the door. Definitely at my door then. I felt the blood leave my hands making them cold and clammy. I turned down my show maybe I had my show on too loud and it was a neighbor? Dread filled me. And I decided to ignore the disruption.
Another set of knocks came ringing down the hallway this time faster. And again at an even more rapid pace. The timing between the knocks became more frequent. Anxiety continued through my body causing me to start shaking. I looked at my phone again. 3 am. An entire hour of knocking. I called the cops.
“911 what’s your emergency”
“Yes there is someone outside my new apartment its been a little over an hour and he is still there.”
“Is the person doing anything suspicious?”
“I mean, he is knocking? Frantically.”
“Have they attempted to enter the home in any other way?”
“No.”
“Can you describe what they look like?
“Um yes give me just a moment. “
I tip-toed the bed as quietly as I could. I stayed to the left side of the hallway and let myself lean against the wall for support. I nervously looked out the peephole. There was a pale man at least 6 feet tall. He had on a hoody and baggy cargo pants on. He had on a baseball cap with the hood over the cap. His hands had winter gloves on and his face was shrouded in shadow.
He knocked again making me jump. I slid down the wall into a more comforting position and whispered the description to the dispatcher.
“And you do not know this man.”
“No”
“Have you attempted to talk to him?”
“No.”
“Okay, I have alerted officers in the area. They have to prioritize violent or emergency calls first. So they will be by as soon as they can.”
“I understand.”
Another string of knocks made me jump slightly. The dispatcher continued;
“Please call again if the situation escalates.”
And the dispatcher hung up. My heart was pounding. I slowly inched away from the door and went to the bathroom. I opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed my anti-anxiety pills and popped one. I do have some mental issues but they are diagnosed and I am getting help for them. You may have guessed that I have anxiety and you would be right. I also have several phobias. So for this being the first time calling the cops or really anything happening like this, I was mid panic attack.
These are a quick-release pill I am supposed to take if I feel an attack oncoming. And I take them as needed along with my other morning medication. I started the shower on hot water and just sat in my bathroom with the door closed breathing in the steam. Focusing on my breaths. In and out. In and out. The bathroom is in the middle of the apartment so no doors or windows to the outside world. In and out.
Scratch Scratch Scratch I heard a small meow and a black and white paw appeared from under the door. I cracked it and Miso came in quickly weaving in and out of my legs for pets. In and out. I could hear knocking from the front door this time it was more forceful. I checked my phone again at 4 am. I ended up sleeping sitting on the bathroom floor leaning against the wall. I woke with my head at an awkward tilt causing cramping in my neck. Miso had slept in my lap with me and he stretched still on me when I got up.
I got up slowly rubbing my neck and gently picking Miso up into my arms. I started walking to the bed putting Miso down and covering him with a bit of blanket. He settled immediately already content. I looked at my phone and it was 11 am. The memory of the night prior flooded me and I was surprised. Normally I can only sleep till 8 am regardless of how long I stay up. Let alone on a bathroom floor. I checked my calls and there were no calls. I cautiously looked out my peephole and nothing.