A young man gradually started appearing at my 83-year-old neighbor’s house. One day, after I let myself in, I was shocked by what I discovered.
Being thirty, I live in a calm neighborhood along the town’s outskirts. My next-door neighbor, an eighty-three-year-old widow, has known me for as long as I can remember. In my childhood, she often helped my mother raise me, and as she grew older, my way of returning the favor was bringing groceries, cleaning, and making frequent visits.
A month ago, she abruptly told me she no longer needed company, as Alex was around now. When I asked who Alex was, she smiled, explaining that he was a deliveryman who once brought her a parcel, and they had fallen for each other. I thought it was a joke, until I actually saw him exiting her place. He looked about twenty, was plainly dressed, and seemed an ordinary young guy scraping by.
During the following two weeks, I didn’t see my neighbor out at all. Alex alone came and went, letting himself in with a key soon enough. Every phone call I made was ignored, and I only got terse replies: “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” Those words didn’t seem genuine.
That afternoon, a package meant for her landed on my porch. I carried it over and knocked repeatedly, no reply. Growing ever more uneasy, I retrieved the emergency key she’d given me years before and went inside.
The place was impeccably clean, but my neighbor and Alex were missing. Then I heard faint knocking coming from the direction of the basement.
A horrible feeling struck as I hurried down the stairs.⬇️