Ever since moving into my apartment on the fourth floor two years ago, I’ve felt pretty comfortable here. It’s a cozy place, and I’ve gotten to know most of the folks who live on my floor.
We’re not exactly best friends, but there’s a sense of community. That particular evening, a Tuesday around 11:00 PM, I was just hanging out after a long day at work.
I work at Best Buy, and days can get pretty hectic. So, evenings are my unwind time – usually just me, some leftover pizza, and whatever’s playing on the TV.
That night was quiet, almost too quiet, which is weird for my building. I remember thinking maybe everyone was out or something.
I was halfway through an episode of some crime show when I heard this knock at my door.
Now, it’s not like people never knock on my door, but at that time of night, it’s unusual.
I paused the show, feeling a bit curious and slightly uneasy. Walking over to the door, I remember telling myself it was probably just a neighbor or something.
Peering through the peephole, I saw this little girl standing there. It struck me as odd right away. She was just staring off to the side, not even looking at the door.
When I asked what she wanted, her voice was timid, almost rehearsed, saying she was hungry and wanted some food.
The whole thing felt off, especially when she hesitated after I asked about her parents.
She said they were working, but the way she kept glancing off to the side made me think she wasn’t alone.
I remember feeling sick to my stomach, thinking how this could be some kind of setup. So, I apologized, telling her I couldn’t help.
But I didn’t move away from the door. Something told me to keep watching.
I stayed glued to that peephole, my heart pounding in my chest.
A minute or so passed, and that’s when I saw him – a man emerging from the shadows. He was big, kind of looming over the little girl.
He didn’t say anything, just picked her up and walked away. The hallway was silent again, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling of dread.
I kept wondering, what if I had opened the door? What was their plan? My mind was racing with all these scenarios, none of them good.
For the rest of the night, I couldn’t sleep. I kept replaying the whole thing over and over in my head.
After the incident with the little girl, I couldn’t just brush it off and go back to normal.
The next day, I talked to my neighbors about it, especially Dave, who lives a couple of doors down from me.
Dave’s a big guy, about six and a half feet tall, and he’s the kind of neighbor you’d want on your side in a sketchy situation. We came up with a plan.
If anything like this happened again, I’d text Dave, and we’d both open our doors at the same time to confront whoever was out there.
Fast forward to a week later, another knock came, this time around 9 PM. My heart was in my throat as I approached the door.
Peeking through the peephole, there she was again, the little girl, standing and looking off to the side. I quickly sent a text to Dave and waited, my hand hovering over the doorknob.
A few seconds later, our doors swung open simultaneously.
The sight of Dave must have been intimidating because the man who was hiding in the shadows, holding the girl’s hand, suddenly picked her up and bolted down the hall.
Dave shouted something, but they were already turning the corner. I remember standing there, frozen for a moment, before I snapped out of it and grabbed my phone to call 911.
The police arrived quickly, and I explained everything to them. They took it seriously, especially with Dave backing up my story.
The officers said they’d investigate and keep an eye on the building. The whole experience left me shaken, but I was also relieved that we had confronted them.
It felt like, at least for that moment, we’d prevented something bad, from happening.
