Neighbour screaming for help (I’m scared)

[Scaredofthescreams]

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.

But an attacker was on the loose. Wasn’t there, or was that not an attack being described.

It is absolutely disgusting to dismiss women being murdered/maimed/assaulted in short attacked because it takes place in their, I won’t say home, place of residence.

The way OP has written this has put me right off them - they’re typing like they’re writing it for a book or a soap 🫤 Horrible for the neighbour - but OP seems more concerned for themselves.

know it was on the 2nd floor either directly above or adjacent to our apartment for certain.

well that narrows it down to 3 apartments so I’m sure the police will have knocked on all of them.
You did all you could.

Sounds but awful but the

"My once loud and cheery daughter is clinging to me quiet as a mouse" was very dramatic, I am sure she will get back to being herself and not changed forever!

And you obviously haven't read the thread where that poster came back to apologise and say they hadn't read the OP properly. After several almost identical posts to yours 😊

Nope, don’t believe a word of it. More like a shitty US drama where they have to labour everything for the thicko’s to understand. 🤔

Might be real but the post was waaaay over the top.

"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."

Who communicates an incident like that? It's all very baited breath what's going to happen next?

Most people would say I heard someone shout help me and DH went to look and so did other neighbours. Not "I heard heeeeeelp meeee, my blood ran cold, the screams could be felt in my bones" and on and on with the drama.

Where in Canada is it "nearly 2am" when it's 5.45am in the UK?

Lol I read this and knew it was just the OP being silly

"Where in Canada is it "nearly 2am" when it's 5.45am in the UK? "

Halifax is 4 hours behind us, so 1.45 a.m. there = 5.45 a.m. here.

Im not saying whether or not I believe the OP, just stating that it's possible on parts of the east coast.

Oh really? 🥺 Yes absolutely fine thankyou. Took a while for me to trust a man again after that, but 10 years on I have a lovely DP who wouldn't hurt a fly, a 3 year old and a DC on the way. Thank you for asking ❤️

This is the bit that made me raise an eyebrow. You were getting her ready for bed (at 10pm?), how loud and cheery would she be? Surely a child old enough to know those were cries for help would be in bed already, and a very young baby who you were taking to bed with you would be totally none the wiser.

A bit overblown with the descriptors - and why the anonymous phone call?

And where in Canada is it so hot at 2am that you have to have the windows open?

Genuine question - what’s the motive behind posts like these if they’re inauthentic? Is it loneliness?

Practising their creative writing or plain old attention-seeking.

Just an update. I passed out finally. Called the non emergency number. They said they found the woman and she’s okay but for privacy purposes can’t give details. The perpetrator has been taken in.

Yes I know my writing style was dramatic. Sorry if it seemed insensitive. I do write fantasy as a hobby. And when I’m emotional I do it reflexively. No novels have been published to this day. lol. I promise I’m not making money off of this story. Quite frankly it really scared the shit out of me and left a big impression on me.

Yes I’m on the east coast. We do stay up late because of life circumstances out of our control that I will not go into detail about or try to justify.

To those who were supportive thank you for calming me down. ☺️

Perpetrator? You don’t know if any crime has been committed.

I was repeating what the non emergency number said.

I wondered if you were a writer - your style is very dramatic! I'm glad all seems to be okay.

Thank you and yes though I’m not a professional by any means. Looking back I can’t blame ppl for seeing my writing as insincere. I would have felt the same. I’ll have to be more self aware from now on especially when writing about sensitive events.

You have nothing to apologuise for. I remember an article from a Toronto murder about 30 some years ago. Downstairs neighbours heard thumping and bumping for I believe 30 minutes. The upstairs guy was kicking the life out of his girlfriend it was discovered a while later. He called emergency number and turned himself in. If only those neighbours had called 911 she may still be alive.

@mincedtart yes, loneliness and attention-seeking