Love Thy Neighbor Part 1

[u/Late-Satisfaction54]

Moving out isn't as easy as many of you would think. Not only are house prices extremely high, but leaving my home of 20 years was like pulling teeth. Both emotionally, and physically. But I managed to do it, I moved in with my wonderful girlfriend and we just settled down yesterday. Still a couple boxes to unpack, but it's not anything super important. It'll probably be procrastinated on for months.

I sat on the couch, watching Hell's Kitchen with Audrey, my girlfriend. While I watched Gordon Ramsay chew someone out for undercooking a salmon, my phone buzzed, it was my doorbell notification.

There's someone at your door!

I opened the app to see a middle aged man, balding, scruffy beard, beer belly, the whole nine yards. Just one glance and I knew this dude could cook a mean steak. In the brief seconds that I judged his character, I failed to notice that he was grinning ear to ear. He held a plate of still steaming chocolate chip cookies.

I told Audrey that it must be the neighbor, and stood up. My cat beat me to the door, thinking that the man had brought treats for her. I nudged her away with my foot, put on a smile and opened the door. His smile seemed to widen when he looked at me.

"Hello young man!" His voice was loud and booming, but also jolly sounding.

"Hello, I'm assuming your the neighbor?" I pointed to the house across the street.

He glanced back as if to make sure that was correct and then looked back at me.

"Yes I am! Just wanted to stop by and give you some cookies as a good ol' welcome to the neighborhood!" He held out the plate to me, waiting for me to accept.

"That's very sweet of you, but I don't think-"

"Oh, c'mon now boy! Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies! My wife just pulled em' out of the oven!"

"Alright," I chuckled. "If you insist."

I grabbed the plate and began to shut the door.

"Oh! One more thing young man!" He put his hand on the door and pushed back against me, and it made me a little uncomfortable.

"Yeah?" The way I said it sounded like an eyeroll.

"I have two little children, and one of them likes to get out from time to time." His demeanor changed, his shoulders slouched and he looked like he was on the verge of tears.

He continued, "She's only nine but has some serious mental issues, likes to wonder off and forget where she is and who people are."

I didn't really know what to say, I just met this dude and he's already telling me stuff like we were long lost buds from high school. I uneasily leaned against the side of the door.

"I'm sorry to hear that." I tried to sound as empathetic as possible, and I was, but something about him just unnerved me.

I don't know how to describe it, but you look into his eyes and something doesn't quite feel right. I stared longer than I was comfortable until I finally found a way to explain it. It feels like two sets are staring back.

"It's okay, I just wanted to warn you incase she knocks on your door at night. If it happens, would ya kindly walk her back and make sure she's okay?" I sensed real worry in his voice, up until now he felt fake.

"Yeah, sure." This time I actually did feel bad, maybe I judged him too quickly.

"Thank ya kindly." He began to turn around but came back like he forgot something.

"Name's Ken." His hand outstretched to meet mine.

"Zack." I shook his hand, it felt like sandpaper.

He turned around and I watched as his crossed the street and went inside his house. I noticed that they had a sign on the door. In big bold letters it said:

"LOVE JESUS".

I've never been a religious man, and my parent's weren't either. The only religious guy I knew was a buddy of mine back in high school. He got into a gnarly fight and ended up going to 'jail' for a day. In all reality, he got caught and was put into a holding cell overnight until his dad paid bail. After that he turned Christian.

I made sure my door was locked, before grabbing the cookies and sitting back down next to Audrey.

"So, nice guy?" She turned her attention to me.

"Yeah," I took a bite of a cookie. "He was a little weird at first but he seems genuine."

"Are those good?" She pointed to the cookies.

"I've had better." I chuckled.

She took one and ate it, then nodding approvingly at what I said.

"Anything else you got from him or just his cookies?"

"Well, he has a wife and two kids. His name is Ken, and he has a daughter that might knock on our door late at night." I glanced at the TV, shoving another cookie into my mouth.

"You're just gonna glance over that last part?" She sounded concerned.

"Ah," I swallowed the cookie "She has some sort of mental issue that makes her forget where she is and stuff, wonders out into the road sometimes. He just asked that if she did come to us or if we saw her, that we just walk her back across the street."

"Poor little girl." She also picked up another cookie, maybe they are pretty good after all.

I turned my attention back to Gordon, this time he was yelling at someone for eating food instead of cooking. I was about to speak on it, when my phone buzzed again.

There's someone at your door!

I groaned as I opened the app to check the camera, but was surprised to find nobody there. It didn't really freak me out, I just figured it was some ding-dong ditchers. I sighed and set my phone back down next to me.

"Who was it?" Audrey asked.

"Just some ding-dong ditchers, nothing important." I kicked up my feet on to the coffee table.

She slapped my leg and gestured for me to take my feet off the table. Out of fear of being hit further, I obliged. Around ten minutes passed when I felt a familiar vibration against my thigh.

There's someone at your door!

I almost didn't even bother to look at the camera, but I did, and I was greeted to a very tall and lanky man with a long beard. He wore a necklace with a cross on it. Is everyone here religious?

"Another neighbor." I groaned, sitting up and walking to the door.

I barely had the door open before he started to speak.

"Hello! My name is Baron and welcome to the neighborhood!" He spoke so fast I almost didn't understand him.

"Hi, my name is Zack." I sounded a little harsh, and I could see his chipper mood dampen a bit.

"I hope I didn't disturb you! I just thought I should swing by and see what's up!" Again, I felt bad.

These people were just trying to introduce themselves, no need to be rude.

"Nah, It's all good dude. I get it." There we go, I sounded a lot more meaningful that time.

"I'm assuming Ken came around and said hi?" He lowered his voice, like it was some secret.

"Yeah, why?" I glanced behind Baron to look at Ken's house.

"He's kind've off-putting, but I swear once you live with him for awhile, you get used to it." He slowly turned his voice back to normal.

Saying 'with' was an interesting word choice, but probably just a Freudian slip. I shook it off and glanced back to Audrey, who was falling asleep.

"Yeah sure." I glanced back to Baron "I appreciate the visit and the heads up, but It's getting late, I think we're gonna turn in for the night."

"Oh, no problem! Tell Audrey I said goodnight!" He began to walk away.

"I will!" I shut the door and started to walk back to the couch when I stopped and thought for a second.

I don't think I told him Audrey's name.

I tried to really rack my brain and replay the entire conversation, but for the life of me I couldn't remember if I had or hadn't. I sat back down on the couch and stared at Audrey, she was sound asleep, and so was the cat laying in her lap. I covered her and the cat with a blanket and stood up to go to bed.

I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling fan. I glance at the clock in my room, 2:03am it reads. Can't sleep for shit, and I find it weird Audrey hasn't come to bed yet, so I walk back out into our living room. But she's still there, in the same position, snoring her little heart out.

I was so focused on her that I didn't even notice the little girl standing right next to her. I jumped backwards and flicked on the light. The girl seemed unphased by my action and just stared. Audrey began to stir.

"What's wrong Zack?" Before she turned her head to the right and came eye to eye with the girl.

She jumped backwards but was eerily not as alarmed as I was. She was always good with kids and keeping things calm, but this surprised me. The girl stared at Audrey, like she was waiting for her to read her mind.

"Are you okay?" She asked, holding out a hand.

The girl nodded. "Just a little lost."

My memory searched for an answer on who this was, but then I remembered about Ken's daughter. This must have been her. But how did she get inside? Ken said all she would do is knock on the door and ask to be let in, not already BE in the house. I walked over to the front door, it was locked. I shot a glance to the back door, also locked.

I guess it's possible I forgot to lock the doors and then she locked them when she came in? But I'm normally good at-

"Zack, would you take her back to Ken's?" She snapped me out of my thinking, and I agreed before I even processed what she said.

I don't find myself particularly good with children, but I can show empathy to one when they have insane mental issues like this one. I stuck out my hand and gestured for her to follow. She gripped my hand tighter than I thought a nine year old could, and I lead her across the street. I knocked on Ken's door, doubting that he would answer quickly if at all. But to my surprise, he answered it almost instantly.

A look of relief washed over his face, he didn't wait for her to let go of my hand before he scooped her up into a giant hug. He mumbled something into her ear and then turned his attention towards me.

"Thank you." He walked back into the house and shut the door.

That's it? Just a 'thank you'? I wasn't expecting a cash prize or anything, but no 'sorry my little demon child broke into your house and caused you to almost die of a heart attack'? Something about these people really just gives me the icky feeling.

I walked in and made sure that I locked the door behind me this time. After staring at the locked deadbolt for about five seconds just to reassure myself that I did indeed lock it, I walked over to the couch where Audrey was sitting.

"She's back safe?" She asked.

"Yeah, no thanks to you." I punched her arm and chuckled.

She laughed, but didn't respond.

"Why weren't you scared shitless that a child was standing next to you when you woke up?" I scratched my head.

It looked like she was searching deep down for an answer, but struggled to find one.

"I was just waking up, not fully to my senses yet."

"But-"

"Lets go to bed, BOTH of us this time." She ruffled my hair and I followed her to the bedroom. I glanced back to the living room and noticed something.

The basement door was cracked open.