episode 1 – intrusiveness
An evicted tenant returns, terrorizing neighbors with whispers and chaos. Jerry and Karen feel trapped under his disturbing presence.
An evicted tenant returns, terrorizing neighbors with whispers and chaos. Jerry and Karen feel trapped under his disturbing presence.
The Relentless Roommate
CHAIN smoking and physical inactivity have taken their toll on the formerly active realtor. At 83 years old, Joanna Nevrette, unable to care for herself, relents to persistent requests from her only son, Spencer.
It seems like an act of kindness, but with a history of drug abuse and a prison stench, he manifests unpredictable behavior. Since his occupancy, he has wrecked two of Joanna’s cars, so her meals arrive from food delivery services.
When under the influence, Spencer disturbs neighbors by shouting on the phone all night while sitting on the porch. This sometimes leads to vitriolic exchanges.
One morning, cries of help and loud thuds emanate from her apartment unit. A neighbor phones the police, and officers arrest Spencer for elderly abuse.
Joanna and her neighboring tenants breathe a sigh of relief from the tormentor. After several months, the prison sentence ends, and Spencer is homeless. Motherly compassion and decreasing ability to care for herself cause Joanna to invite her son back into her home. To everyone’s dismay, verbal abuse resumes.
The Untimely Eviction
With failing health, the frequency of paramedic visits to tend to Joanna increases. During one pickup, the hospital transfers her to a hospice care facility. Spencer, not an official lessee, remains in the apartment. Lack of payments results in an eviction.
With nowhere to go, he remains a lurking presence, taking up residence in the garage. When the landlord seals that off, Spencer breaks into the empty apartment window. The whack-a-mole behavior continues for several months as the landlord attempts to sell the property.
The late-night shouting discontinues, but the closest neighbors, Jerry and Karen Walls, awaken to disturbing whispers outside their windows. Whenever Karen peeks through the window blinds, Spencer’s eyes stare back in her direction. During the warm summer evening, their bedroom windows are open, which makes the inside voices audible to Spencer.
Karen expresses concern to her husband, “According to Spencer’s mother, he has a criminal record. I don’t like him outside our window.”
“She said the same to me. If he doesn’t move somewhere else, we may have to.”
When the voice disturbances persist and the triplex apartment enters escrow, Jerry and Karen make plans to relocate to another state. While discussing their itinerary each evening, ears beyond the window are listening.
“We need to get out of this place,” Jerry says. “The landlord doesn’t care about our safety.”
Karen asks, “Do you think the new owners will be any better?”
With a look of disappointment, Jerry responds, “I’ve said it before. As a remote worker, I can go anywhere. We should fly to where my cousins live. Rent is cheaper there.”
“But flying bothers your ears.”
“That’s only for about ten minutes during ascent and descent. I can take an antihistamine for some relief, but it makes me drowsy.”
“When do you want to leave?”
“Let’s check it out next week.”
The Habitat Search
After an agonizing early-morning departure, Jerry collects the suitcases and inquires about the rental car’s location. An airline employee with a lisp responds, “There’s a shuttle downthairs. Thall the rental car thumpanies are then one buildthing.”
While Jerry pauses to distill what he thinks he heard, Karen asks, “Where did he say the car is?”
“I think they’re downstairs.”
The Walls have optimism for a peaceful new future. Their realtor shows several properties that brighten their hopes.
“This one has an extra room for an office,” Jerry says. “What do you think, Karen?”
Hesitant to leave family and friends, she replies, “It seems nice, but it’s a big change.”
“Let’s view a few more places to make sure. My cousins have invited us for dinner later.”
Karen enjoys the family atmosphere and proximity to relatives. They leave a deposit and return home to begin the relocation phase. Upon arrival, an unwanted guest has taken up residence in their apartment.
The Nightmare Begins
The couple enters the apartment with jet lag. Jerry falls on the bed while Karen takes a shower. She exits, wearing a negligee, to find the drowsy effects of the antihistamine have overtaken her husband. So she heads to the kitchen for a cool drink, noticing some missing beverages.
Perhaps Jerry was thirsty, she thinks. Karen turns off the lights, walking down the dark hallway before slipping beneath the covers. She sends a few text messages before putting her phone away and turning off the nightstand lamp.
Disturbing whispers disrupt her slumber in the darkness, though Jerry remains asleep. But these whispers do not emanate from the window. She heads down the hallway to verify the front door lock. When Karen turns around, the acrid smell of cigarettes burns her nostrils.
A shrill cry cuts through the dim house when she sees Spencer stretched out on their sofa. Jerry rouses himself, running to his scantily clothed wife’s rescue.
“Spencer? What the… el? Get out of my apartment!”
“I ain’t got no place to go, Man.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s not my problem,” Jerry says sternly, “and this isn’t your solution.”
“How did he get in here?” Karen asks while standing behind Jerry.
“Yeah, how did you get in here?”
A vibrating phone interrupts the conversation. “I gotta take this call,” Spencer says. “Dim the lights on your way out.”
Jerry, puzzled by Spencer’s nonchalant attitude, checks the apartment and finds a window pried open. Karen phones the police from the bedroom. When the officers arrive, Jerry says he has a trespasser.
Spencer claims he lives there. The officers take Jerry outside at a distance to admit, “Unless there’s any violence, we can’t make Spencer leave. A marshal with a court order must evict him.”
After the police drive away, Jerry is fuming. He stands in the doorway, watching the flashing red and blue lights of the patrol car fade into the night. Spencer, still lounging on the sofa, smirks as he lights another cigarette.
“You need to leave, now!” Jerry, his voice tightening, steps closer. “This is my home, and I’m not letting you stay another night.”
Spencer rises from the sofa slowly, his smirk drooping. He towers over Jerry, though unsteady, the stench of cigarettes and sweat lingering in the air. “The law’s on my side for now. I ain’t going nowhere till they drag me out.”
Jerry clenches his fists, his heart racing, but knows a fight won’t help. “This won’t end well for you.”
Spencer exhales smoke in Jerry’s direction. “Don’t do anything you won’t regret.”
Without another word, Jerry storms back to the bedroom, slamming the door behind him. He hears Spencer laugh, a low, mocking sound that echoes in his ears.
The Whispers Resume
Later, as the apartment falls into an uneasy silence, Jerry lies in bed, losing the battle with the medication, summoning his sleep. Karen stirs beside him, her mind racing with frustration and helplessness.
She can’t stop thinking about Spencer, how nothing is stopping him from slipping into their room while they sleep.
Suddenly, Karen hears it—whispers.
Faint at first, like a breeze, but growing louder. It’s coming from the living room. Karen holds her breath, trying to make out the words. But it’s just a low murmur, incomprehensible and unnerving.
She glances at the bedroom door, half expecting it to creak open. The whispers seem to draw closer, yet the door remains shut.
After what feels like hours, the sound fades. Karen listens intently, hearing nothing but her heartbeat. Finally, the toll of jet lag and anxiety drags her into a restless sleep.
Continued…
Scope: These terms apply across the platform, not per-story. Viewing and evaluation are allowed. Express agreement required for downloading, redistribution, adaptation, or production. Use of this material for generative training or republication in any format without authorization is prohibited. Any relation to actual persons or events is coincidental. About 2800 total words.
Return twice weekly for new episodes. Login provides the most immersive experience.
