Beast in the Night

Chapter 3: Next-door Neighbor

Rhys Weylen had been working a couple of extra hours and barely had an eight-hour sleep for a week, and he was just exhausted now. It was only nine, but he was more than ready for bed and skip dinner. He reckoned he’d just do that while he was driving on his way home.

When he arrived, he let out a yawn for the twelfth time. He counted. He had never yawned this much for a long time.

As he climbed the stairs to his place and reached the top, he saw two boxes and a duffle bag outside the apartment next to his. He blinked a few times.

New next-door neighbor? Who would move in this late? Rhys thought.

He walked over to the stack of boxes and heard a female voice mumbling in various curses.

“…you know you got this. Nobody gives a flying f**k about you. You f*****g got this…”

“Excuse me. Do-do you need help?” Rhys asked.

“Oh, someone actually gives a shit.” The boxes move back a bit. “I think the door’s jammed or something,” said a young woman who suddenly came into view, nervously rubbing her hands together.

She was about the height of Rhys’ shoulder. Her brown hair was sloppily tied back in a ponytail that reached just below her shoulders. Rhys wondered how long had she been trying to open the door, looking at how much she was sweating through her bright yellow long-sleeved shirt.

“Let me try…”

The young woman stepped aside, giving him a room to get to the door. He gave it a light shove with his shoulder, and the door immediately swung open.

“Why didn’t I try that? I thought it was the knob or something.” The woman rolled her bright brown eyes. Her lips pulled into pursed.

Rhys held the door for her. “No worries. Linda had the same trouble.”

“Linda? Oh, you mean the person who lived here before me?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“I see. Well, I better speak to Mr. Shaw tomorrow about this door then. I don’t really have the patience for uncooperative doors.”

“He’s usually up by eleven in the morning.”

“Gotcha. Thanks! And thank you…”

“You can call me Rhys…”

“Gotcha. Thanks, Rhys.”

The woman picked up her duffle bag and went inside.

“And your name?”

“Um…why?”

Rhys’ mouth opened and then closed. “What-what do you mean, why?”

Lines formed between the woman’s eyebrows, looking just as confused as he was. “Why are you asking for my name?”

His head tilted to the side, confused and completely taken aback by the question. But perhaps the woman was right. Why would he ask for her name? It wasn’t like they’d be friends now that he had opened her door for her. Or because they lived right next to each other. But it was the same with Linda. He helped her with the door thing, and Linda thanked him, asked for his name, and then offered hers. They didn’t become best friends after that, but knowing each other’s names made every encounter they had in the hall or on the street seemed less awkward.

“Um…”

Think Rhys. Don’t be weird and think quickly.

“Yes, Rhys?”

“Well, you know my name, and you live next door. You are my next-door neighbor. I just…well, I knew Linda’s name.” He knew his answers weren’t exactly making any sense. But this could probably be due to the fact that he was exhausted, and his brain couldn’t just hold up any conversation right now without being weird.

And he knew he was being weird, and this young woman was making the whole thing even weirder.

The woman took a deep breath and then said, “You look tired.” Like she just suddenly changed her mind and decided not to make the whole thing difficult for Rhys.

“Okay. I’m Emily.” She offered her hand out for an obvious handshake, and Rhys grabbed it. “And thanks again for your help.”

He let go of Emily’s hand and shrugged. “You’re welcome.” He glanced at the two boxes. “Do you need help with those?”

Emily shook her head. “I can manage. Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay! Well, just let me know if you need anything. Or Mr. Shaw.” He sent her a quick smile.

“Roger that, Rhys .” Emily nodded.

Rhys wished her goodnight and unlocked the door to his apartment and closed it behind him. He changed into his PJs and hopped on his bed, not bothering about dinner. He was too tired for that or even to think about the slightly odd feeling he suddenly felt at the pit of his stomach after his first encounter with his new next-door neighbor.

*          *          *

 “Wow, is this like the standard size of every apartment in this building?” Ydith Martin exclaimed when she came to bring breakfast for Emily that morning. “Don’t tell me that all these things are already here when you arrived?”

The living room was dimly lit with vintage wallpaper, a grey couch, and two brown single sofa chairs stood the opposite sides of each on the hand-woven rug on the floor; and an old TV. It wasn’t that much, but it was Emily’s new home now.

 ”Yes. Mr. Shaw said that the couch and the chairs had been passed on from tenant to tenant. And yes, this is the smallest and the cheapest in the building. And this is the only place I can afford right now with what little money I’ve saved up.”

Ydith’s nose wrinkled. “And why am I smelling bleach? Is that what I am smelling right now?”

“I spent the entire night cleaning the living room and kitchen.”

“Oh! I don’t want to think about what had happened in here that you had to bleach the entire place. Geez!”

“Just the living room and the kitchen. My room didn’t smell rotten meat.”

Her eyes widened. “This place smelled rotten meat? What the hell, Emily? Are you sure you want to stay here? What if people had been murdered here? Did you actually research this place before moving in?”

“I don’t really have much of a choice, do I?” Emily stated as they entered the kitchen with a couple of brown bags that Ydith brought with her. 

“You could have just stayed with me, you know.”

“And live with you and Jimmy? You guys have s*x all the time.” Emily shook her head. “No, thank you.”

“Hey, we don’t do that s**t all the time anymore,” Ydith said, taking out two plastic containers from the brown bag and placing it on the small table in Emily’s tiny kitchen. “We’ve been busy lately. He’s been busy with his band thing, and I’ve been busy at the store. We don’t really share the same schedule now.”

“Thank you, but I’m sorry, I still think I want to pass on that very tempting offer.” 

 “Fine.” Ydith made a face. “Hey, did your mom call you again?”

Emily sighed. It’s been almost a week now since she stole her mother’s car and took off. Her mother did call her more than a couple of times, but it was really because of the car she took and not for the fact that she had run away.

“She did the other day. She was still so pissed that I took her car and Winston’s bunny and she’s demanding that I pay for it or she’ll go to the cops and have the car and Bunny reported as stolen.” She sulked in the chair.

“Oh s**t. I am so sorry that you have such as shitty mom, Ems.”

“Me too.”

“And what did you say to her?”

“That I will pay for the car.”

Ydith frowned, suddenly becoming upset. “f*****g Fran. I am so sorry. I know she’s your mom and all, but you know me and my honest mouth.”

“Well, she’s a dick.”

She gasped then laughed. “It just bothers me at times that your mom acts the way that she does, you know. My mother isn’t really what you’d call Mother Of the Year, but at least she lets me call her mom. I was a freeloader for a year after college, yes she nagged at me almost every day, but she never forced me to pay her s**t when I accidentally dented her car. It sometimes makes me wonder what really happened to her that made her such a cold-hearted b***h to you. I know that your asshole of a dad left you two alone to elope with some waitress. But I just can’t understand why she has to take it all out on you. It wasn’t your fault that your dad fell in love with another woman and left her. It wasn’t your doing.”

Emily’s face was still. She rubbed her hands and pursed her lips, avoiding eye contact. “I do wish I have all the answers to that. But I don’t. I guess Fran is just…” She sighed. “I don’t know, honestly. It makes me wonder too. Why she is the way that she is.”

Ydith frowned. “I know, and I’m so sorry you have to go all through this s**t, Ems. But I am here for you, okay? And if Jimmy and I ever broke up, you come live with me, okay?”

They’d been friends since college, and since day one, Ydith saw how Emily’s life was so much different from hers and she’d made it her responsibility to be always there for her friend no matter how difficult it was for her sometimes as Emily was quick-tempered and impatient.

But Ydith knew that Emily, like everyone else in the world, needed a friend. 

Emily sighed. “Maybe. But right now, I really need to find a job.” 

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll find a job. Everfall might not be Boston, but you’ll find a decent job here. I know you will. If you aren’t picky.”

“I can’t be picky now.”

“Great!” Ydith smiled. “And I’m glad you agreed to move into this town, though.”

“You talked me into it.”

She laughed. “I know, and I’m extremely glad you let me talk you into it. I mean, moving into a different place and not knowing anyone could be darn unnerving, too. And I think it helps if you, at least, know someone.”

Emily smiled, appreciating Ydith’s concern. “Thanks. Let’s eat.”

Ydith laughed and shook her head. “You’re weird.”

“How am I weird?”

“Never mind. Let’s eat.”

*          *          *

 “I can’t believe Peach has given Toby the senior technical program manager position. Great. Now we’ll all have to deal with his high and mighty attitude and cater to his every whim.”

Rhys wasn’t really sure how to react to his friend’s reaction to their other friend’s promotion.

“I think he deserves the promotion, Ryan,” he replied.

Ryan adjusted his glasses. His curly black hair was distracting as usual. “Well, I think he doesn’t belong there. He belongs with us. He’s a programmer. Not a manager. Just like you and I and Yohan, he was born to program, not manage.” 

Rhys wanted to understand and share Ryan’s perspective, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t help but notice his friend’s distracting curls instead. “Don’t you ever consider getting a new haircut, buddy? You know, cutting your hair short?” he asked.

“I already told you, dude. Girls dig big guys with big hair. It leads them to believe that everything about me is big. Do you know what I mean? Everything…as in everything. Get it?” Ryan smirked, trying so hard to be cool.

While Ryan may look like a younger version of the actor Anthony Anderson and usually got more action between the two of them, Rhys never did envy him; in fact, he genuinely found his friend’s obsession with girls and mermaids, along with his lack of hygiene, to be somewhat comical yet tragic. 

“Ugh, today’s coffee sucked.” Yohan, another friend that Rhys made when he started working in Showplace LLC, joined them in the break room where they usually meet for their breaks. And Where Yohan would usually air out his complaints.

He was complaining about coffee again that day. Just like the day before.

“Were you out drinking again last night, Ryan?” Yohan asked, pouring his cup of coffee down the sink.

“What made you say that?” Ryan asked.

“You look like s**t,” Yohan casually responded. His eyes squinted. “Do you ever comb your hair?”

 “You come here complaining about bad coffee and say the dumbest things, Yohan.” Ryan snapped.

 “Whatever.” Yohan rolled his eyes. “Listen, I heard that Sean and Peach broke up yesterday.”

Peach was their department head’s on-and-off girlfriend. And for some reason, Yohan couldn’t just help but be sucked into the little drama between Peach and Sean. 

“That’s old news, and who cares? Sean is old enough to be Peach’s dad, anyway. It’s about time that they break up,” Ryan remarked.

Rhys finished his coffee and got up. “I have to go.” 

“Where are you going?” Yohan asked. 

“Another stroll outside, all by yourself, during lunch hour, Rhys?” A young woman in a pencil skirt and a crisp white shirt walked into the break room.

Rhys smiled. “Hello, Peach.”

“And what are you three musketeers buzzing about?” Peach tucked her wavy blond hair behind her ear and returned his smile while Ryan and Yohan stared at her, hanging onto every word that came out of her red, plump lips. 

“Yohan said that coffee sucks today,” Rhys answered for them.

“Hi, Peach,” Yohan and Ryan greeted her in unison.

“Stop drooling, idiots,” Peach said to both of them, but her eyes were fixed on Rhys.

Rhys grinned and took a step back. “I have to go. Be back in an hour.”

“You always go out for a stroll, Rhys. Where do you really―”

“Just a quick stroll for some fresh air, buddy. I told you that already.” Rhys didn’t let Yohan finish and poured himself another cup of coffee. “I’ll be back.”

He only had less than forty minutes to take his usual walk outside, so he quickly left and went for that stroll.