I’m in canada for context.
We live in an apartment. We were doing our nightly routine at roughly 10pm getting into PJs, brushing teeth and playing soft music to relax our little one when we heard ridiculously loud bangs. Sometimes the people in the hallways (especially the teenagers) can be a bit inconsiderate on the weekends so we thought nothing of it.
But this was much louder than usual. It sounded like a large grown man jumping up and down on the floor above us as hard as he could. We tried to ignore it but it went on for nearly 20 minutes. It was so loud it was echoing into the hallways and through the elevator shaft.
I finally said loudly “What they actual fuck is going on up there?! What the hell are they doing? Herding elephants?!!” I think they heard me through the floor because they stopped suddenly. It finally got quiet for about ten minutes. We thought it was over and then suddenly a woman’s voice rang through the halls.
“HEEEEEEEELLLLPPP MEEEEEE!!!!”
”HEEEEEEELLLLPPP MEEEE.”
M blood ran cold. The screams could be felt in my bones. Husband passed me daughter. He ran out into the hallways looking for the source trying to figure out which door it came from. Several neighbours are now nervously checking outside trying to figure out what is happening.
I made an anonymous call to the police while he checked. (We never did find out which apartment) My once loud and cheery daughter is clinging to me quiet as a mouse.
Dead and very ominous silence for an hour. Then some loud bumps again calm man’s voice arguing with…. someone…? Police radios and finally nothing. We decided to try and go to sleep. But I’m not sleeping. Those screams are haunting me. The terrifying realization that that banging might have been a person being brutally beaten.
It’s a hot night. We normally sleep with the windows cracked when it’s warm but now we are all sleeping in the same bed overheating with the windows firmly locked because we are terrified that some violent person could try to sneak in and do the same to us.
I know I am probably being dramatic but that was horror movie level stuff. I hope the attacker was caught I hope the police found the right apartment. I hope… I hope everything is okay. I never thought silence could be scary. I hope that woman is okay and not dead. It’s nearly 2am and I’m still shaking.