Movement in his peripheral vision caused Jack to look up from the monotony of his work emails, it looked like someone was moving in next door. Outside a forty-something man was unloading a set of kitchen chairs from the back of a truck. Behind it a larger delivery van was parking up and two men in overalls has jumped out. Distraction over, Jack looked back down to his monthly expense reports, inwardly sighing.

Later that day Jack rang the doorbell, a four pack of beer in one hand. He hated being sociable, but found from pst experience it was better to get things like this done as quickly as possible. He stared vacantly at the porch ceiling, curls of old white paint peeing off the lawyered wooden frame. Inside he heard the scuffling and bumping of boxes, he rang again. A minute or two later, still without anyone coming to the door, Jack struggled, places the beers on the porch and headed back home.

Finishing up his work for the day he shit the lord of his laptop and turned off the lamp, leaving the room dark. It was early November and the nights were getting darker earlier. Jack rubbed his eyes to ease the grittiness and considered his dinner options. As he pondered he happened to glance up, noticing a light on in his new neighbours side room. Curiosity got the better of him and he moved closer to the window, careful to keep to the shadows.

The man he’d seen earlier was moving back and forth through the room, wearing a hooded black robe. At various points throughout the room he placed a small candle down, lighting it with a match from a box he carried. As he did this he bent his head a moment as if in prayer, before carrying on to the next.

Eventually the man disappeared into another room and Jack stared blankly into the candlelit room, before the man returns carrying a small kitten. Holding it by the scruff of the neck, he held it up above his head for a few moments, appearing again to be in prayer. He lowered the kitten down to the floor, disappearing from Jacks view from the window. Moments later he appeared with a large knife, holding it up to his palm and slicing across it. The man squeezed his fist and held it out in front of him, dripping blood over something below.

Jack panicked convinced the man was about to murder the kitten. He ran to the next room to grab his phone so he could film the event. Darting back into his office he arrived at the window, but the Holden man was nowhere to be seen. He waited for a few minutes, eyes focused on the flickering light from the candles as it played against the walls of the room, but he didn’t see any more movement.