Falling Into Words

Complain

Nagging.

Nagging.

When will that crazy neighbor give it a break?
All she talks about is political stuff that doesn't matter to me.
It makes me mad. Not the politic speaking, oh no.
The fact that she fakes that stupid smile. No one besides myself and her know that her smile isn't real. She doesn't even know I know.

How do I know?

Every night I hear her scream in pain. I hear her sobbing and begging for someone to stop.
This goes on for a while. It goes on until I finally hear the sickly sound of a slimy object hitting the floor.

You see, here in West Virginia, most of the houses are linked together. You can easily press your ear to a wall and hear the conversation next door. I am her only neighbor. All the others moved out.
At least, that's what I heard.

I come from a loud family. I've slept through earthquakes. It's easy for me to ignore her noisy behavior.

Last night was different. Instead of hearing pleads to stop, I heard moans of pleasure.
It made my stomach twist and my cheeks to redden. I shouldn't have been listening but it was so loud it was hard not to.

Tonight I waited on my bed for the usual noises. Listening to them intrigued me, I couldn't help it.

Suddenly an ear piercing screech filled the air around me. I immediately jumped up from my spot and ran out the door. The cold air hit me like an icy blast but I fought through it.

I decided to not knock and opened her door, which was surprisingly unlocked.
I was met with a truly horrifying sight.

As expected, her house was identical to mine. But the walls were painted red with crimson blood. Her bed was stained as well, and a naked man's body lay atop it.
His eyes were shrouded with pain and fading quickly. I rushed over to him and lifted his head. A gurgling sound emerged from his throat; he was trying to speak.

"B-behind...you," he muttered right before falling limp in my hands. I dropped his head and spun around.

Then the horrible realization hit me. It wasn't her screams I heard every night.
But I realized this too late and before I knew it, an axe swung down and met my tear-streaked face.