I stopped in the hallway, confused. A new couple had moved in next door and they had seemed nice enough but now I heard them yelling. Embarrassed at listening in, I hurried away and left the building.

Upon returning from work I heard the couple talking in rather…. Threatening tones.

“ If you don’t tell me who the others are this instant, I’m going to paint the walls with your blood,” the man, Roy said in a menacingly calm tone.

“I swear I don’t know! Everyone used aliases so we wouldn’t be able to give anything away,” the new voice seemed to belong to a young man who was clearly going slightly loopy.

I heard a slice, instantly followed by a shriek of pain. Swallowing hard,I quietly slipped past the door as another scream echoed through the building. As I locked myself into my room, I heard the woman purr,” Don’t worry, it’ll only hurt for a moment. But trust me, that moment will drag out as long as possible so that you can feel your lungs filling with your own blood as we tear your stomach out of your chest and smear your organs across the floor,”

I froze, then softly started retching. In the other room, I heard a pathetic whimper as the man begged them for mercy that never came. Another whizz of the knife and a drawn out shriek, then silence. After a moment, the man said gruffly,” We should go,”

“Wait,” the woman said, so softly I had to strain to hear. “I do believe we have an unwanted listener.” I felt terror bubble up inside of me as the couple’s door opened, then my own was shoved of its hinges. “Hello there my dear,” the woman said with a bloodstained smile. Her husband shoved me against the wall and the last thing I saw was the glint of a barbed knife before I fell away to sea of agony.