We’ve almost unpacked everything. I think we always “forget” a few boxes every time we move because it’s the worst part of it. The new apartment is great, we wanted more privacy and quiet after living on the main floor of a duplex with a drummer living above our bedroom for a couple of years. Single family homes were just too expensive, so we ended up in a complex. But we’re on the top floor, have a dishwasher, in-unit washer and dryer, and a balcony. And the neighbors are really quiet, I think a lot of the people here are older. Just based on the neighbors I’ve met. And it’s pet friendly! We have three cats so that’s a must.
I’d say the only thing that’s been hard to handle is the constant barking. I work fully remote, so I know how long it goes on for. Today, the poor baby has been barking and howling since 7 am. It’s 11:30 pm now. I can’t tell where it’s coming from. Sometimes it sounds like it’s underneath me, then the apartment next door. At one point it sounded like a human wailing. It’s breaking my heart. I emailed the property manager again today.
It’s 12 am and the poor thing is still barking. My partner is asleep, so I’m just sitting here, listening.
It’s 12:30 am now. I can’t just sit here. I think I’m going to knock and see if anyone is home.
I’ve been walking around the complex for 20 minutes. They said they just remodeled so everything looks really nice, but exactly the same. I can’t figure out where the barking is coming from.
It’s been about an hour. I’m not sure which building I’m in now. They’re all connected so it’s hard to tell. I think I’ll just walk until this hallway becomes a dead end. I can still hear it.
I’ve been walking around the 1st floor for 20 minutes. I’m trying to find the main office, maybe by some insane luck they decided to work late, really late. At the very least I can try to leave a note about the dog. Where is the barking coming from anyway?
I’m really tired. I think it might be morning. I really don’t know. I haven’t seen a window in hours. I haven’t found the door for the stairs to get back to our apartment either. I wish I had thought to bring a water bottle. I wish I could also find this damn dog. I can still hear it.
I’ve been sitting here for a while now. At this point I’m waiting for someone to leave their apartment to head to work so I can ask them for help. I did try knocking earlier but no one came to their doors. I probably wouldn’t either in the middle of the night.
Finally, I hear a door unlock down the hall. I stand up. The door opens and a man exits. I say man, but that’s not quite right. This is what the mean when they say “shell of a man”. I’ve never seen someone so…..wrong. The amount of effort it took for him to take a few steps was excruciating to watch. He had patches of hair, the bald spots looked more like the hair was ripped off his head. I didn’t want to look him in the eye, but I couldn’t help myself. They were opened so wide I thought they might pop. I thought I could even see the pink underneath his eyelids. No, it’s not that. He doesn’t have any. I tried to tell myself it had to be a dream. I pinched myself. No such luck.
It took him a moment to register me, and for a second we just stared at each other. He looked as though he could crumble at any given moment. I started to approach him, then he spoke.
“Did you hear it too?”
I did.
Did you?