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Original poster

Neighbour screaming for help (I’m scared)

101 replies

Scaredofthescreams · 16/04/2023 05:46

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.

OP posts:
Itcouldhappenabishop · 16/04/2023 07:30

Where in Canada is hot in April? Hmm

Pawtucketbrew · 16/04/2023 07:32

It's about 20 degrees in Montreal at the moment

Forgottenmypasswordagain · 16/04/2023 07:32

It is hot here in Ontario. Our ac has been on a couple of days.

Dibbydoos · 16/04/2023 07:33

Hope all's OK, OP but it doesn't sound good.

My DD called the police on a neighbour. He'd told my DD his partner was bipolar and that's what the commotion was after she complained. It was repeated.
But someone walking past saw him throwing her about and called the police who couldn't see injuries, she was lying about things, so they did nothing.
Afterwards as soon as my DD heard commotions again, she called the police, he had really injured her. The police removed him, he never came back.

RollingInTheAisles · 16/04/2023 07:36

Nicecow · 16/04/2023 06:40

Wtf have I just read. And you did nothing? I hope the person is ok. I would hope if I was screaming for help someone would care enough to do something 😪

Behave. They actually did more than some might. They called the police AND put themselves at risk checking.

RollingInTheAisles · 16/04/2023 07:37

Itcouldhappenabishop · 16/04/2023 07:30

Where in Canada is hot in April? Hmm

Canada is quite large 😆

Doris86 · 16/04/2023 07:39

Could just me a neighbour winding your up, because they were annoyed about your herding elephants comment?

If the police haven’t knocked on your door for a statement then nothing serious has happened.

Beseen22 · 16/04/2023 07:41

I used to live in a really rough area and one night my DH was away. It wasn't a flat in our building but next door which was strange as the walls were really thick so we never normally heard anything. I heard them arguing and ignored it, I guess some people argue loudly and then it changed in a matter of minutes. His voice became wild and aggressive and hers became pleading, shouting for help and to please stop. I called police and they arrived within 2 minutes thankfully and settled it. I've thankfully never been in a violent relationship but couldn't believe how quickly things turned so sour.

AutumnCrow · 16/04/2023 07:41

My DD once reported a violent ‘domestic’ assault she witnessed as she walked past a house window. She was only a teenager; rang the police on her mobile there and then.

She was so upset by what she’d seen. We rang the police non-emergency number later that night and they reassured us the woman was in a safe place now, and that the police had transported her out of the house.

I was grateful for the update, and not expecting it tbh, but I suppose they don’t want people ‘going round to check’.

So you could try that, OP.

KrasiTime · 16/04/2023 07:42

That must have been scary for you. Hopefully as you called police they got there in time.

andhmk · 16/04/2023 07:47

Sounds scary

MeinKraft · 16/04/2023 07:53

Hopefully she is ok. It was in all likelihood a violent partner rather than some random murderer breaking in so you can open your windows, the police would tell you if it wasn't safe to. Abusive men tend to do a lot of punching walls, throwing furniture and so on so the bangs could have been that.

MrsRobinsonsHandprints · 16/04/2023 08:02

Nicecow · 16/04/2023 06:40

Wtf have I just read. And you did nothing? I hope the person is ok. I would hope if I was screaming for help someone would care enough to do something 😪

I'm really interested to find out what you read because it wasn't the OP.

butterpuffed · 16/04/2023 08:05

By now, all the neighbours will be chattering and OP will know which neighbour it was , and give her some support .

Batbatbatty · 16/04/2023 08:06

@MrsRobinsonsHandprints and all the others jumping on @Nicecow , did you all bother to read his/her very next post stating that he/she missed a paragraph and apologized ????

Batbatbatty · 16/04/2023 08:07

@Scaredofthescreams frightening evening, hope all is well with you and the neighbours in the morning

LiliLil · 16/04/2023 08:09

How awful.

You did the right thing, I hope your neighbour is safe and well.

Nicecow · 16/04/2023 08:12

Batbatbatty · 16/04/2023 08:06

@MrsRobinsonsHandprints and all the others jumping on @Nicecow , did you all bother to read his/her very next post stating that he/she missed a paragraph and apologized ????

I know, I'm terrible. Literally posted starlight after to apologise, somehow missed the middle of the post! 😳😒

niugboo · 16/04/2023 08:12

I hope everyone is ok.

AncientToaster · 16/04/2023 08:15

When I was a student a woman across the road was screaming help me, get the police out of a very small window, it was a window that had a smaller one that opened up so she was stood on the window sill in her upstairs bedroom across the road. We did call the police but her screams will never be forgotten by me. Around 3 women per week are murdered by their partner or ex partner. I have been involved with survivors of domestic abuse, met women who have been put in intensive care. If you work within the dark side of humanity it changes you forever.

As a miserable aside domestic violence costs in monetary terms let alone the utter despair 66 billion per year.

Well done for calling op.

Emelene · 16/04/2023 08:18

You did the right thing - you called the police and tried to find her. Be kind to yourself, it sounds very scary xx

loobylou10 · 16/04/2023 08:18

Itcouldhappenabishop
Where in Canada is hot in April? 

What's your point @Itcouldhappenabishop

Cm078 · 16/04/2023 08:20

Oh this sounds horrible, I hope you are ok.

About 10 years ago, when I was early 20s I went on a night out with friends, got quite drunk and went home. My then boyfriend turned up at my front door, absolutely raging that he thought I had some one in my flat. I was scared, I didn't answer the door... he kicked it in so it opened anyway and came in and began shouting at me and started banging my head on the wall. I shouted "someone help me" it was about 3am by this point, I didn't expect any one to hear me.
I thank my lucky stars because within minutes the police arrived and arrested him. Turns out my upstairs neighbour had heard me and called the police, I posted a card through his door the next day thanking him as I dread to think how much worse it could have got.

So you definitely did the right thing! Give them a call today and see if you can chase up if the lady is ok. Try not to worry, you did the best thing you could of in that situation. I know if my neighbour had turned up at my flat, he probably would of got a punch or something so I'm glad that never happened.

MissMaple82 · 16/04/2023 08:22

Bit dramatic. Probably a domestic, not an attacker on the loose.

LindorDoubleChoc · 16/04/2023 08:27

What a lot of words to say you heard a domestic violence incident in your apartment block and rang the police.