(all good to me, accepted !)

In the few weaks that followed, nothing else even similar happen. During that time, a few rumours came and went tho nothing consistant enough to be linked the the deer incident, leading you to eventualy stop thinking about what may just have been a sleep induced alucination at this point. During that time, you had encountered a few of the others inabithants of the fifth floor, exchanging a few bland words on the weather with them as you entered or leaved your home.

So far the evening had been rather uneventfull, until the sound of somthing crawling in the walls broke the relative silence. It was of course quickly followed by the sound of somthing crashing to the floor and of someone screeming in the hallway.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99758&page=3#21 Author: Cian Time Posted: 10/8/2021 at 10:22 PM (all good to me, accepted !) In the few weaks that followed, nothing else even similar happen. During that time, a few rumours came and went tho nothing consistant enough to be linked the the deer incident, leading you to eventualy stop thinking about what may just have been a sleep induced alucination at this point. During that time, you had encountered a few of the others inabithants of the fifth floor, exchanging a few bland words on the weather with them as you entered or leaved your home. So far the evening had been rather uneventfull, until the sound of somthing crawling in the walls broke the relative silence. It was of course quickly followed by the sound of somthing crashing to the floor and of someone screeming in the hallway.

<sup>(Cool, thank you!)

Emilie had been lounging in a long-sleeved shirt on the couch, watching an episode of a TV show, when she heard something coming from the wall. Turning down the volume, she walked over to the wall, trying to determine where the sound was coming from. Did her apartment have mice?

But the loud crash followed by the sound of screaming told her that there was a much better way to find out what was going on. Noting down the general location of where the sound had been coming from--a little to the left of a patch of paint that looked like a bird--she turned around and jogged over to the hallway.

She stepped outside and closed the door behind her before asking, "Are you okay? What happened?"</sup>

( my bad i hadn't see your post, dont forget to ping me to get quicker responces ^-^')

The hallway was bathed in the yellowish glow of the neons above and the wall opposite to your door harbored proudly various scratches and scuffs accumulated over the years, tho lately it seemed to have a bit more. The flooring was covered by a thick layer of dark red carpet decorated with yellow rectangles to muffle the sound of footsteps for the lower floor, a kindness that didnt apply to all appartements of the building unfortunately. On your right was the elevator as well as a small staircase very few peoples bothered to use.

An old woman was staring at you in a mix of shock and confusion, a re-usable grocery bag at he feets leaking various products on the old carpet. She made a sound similar to a strangled laugh and shook her head, as if to wake herself up a bit better. "Oh dear, i am so sory for the mess, i- i though i saw a ghost just there for a moment." She seemed flustered as she went to pick up her bag. " Your boyfriend look just like Victor, they even have the same cloathing style. The tatoo was a bit too grim for my taste but dont tell him that's just my age talking."

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99758&page=3#23 Author: Cian Time Posted: 10/11/2021 at 9:23 PM ( my bad i hadn't see your post, dont forget to ping me to get quicker responces ^-^') The hallway was bathed in the yellowish glow of the neons above and the wall opposite to your door harbored proudly various scratches and scuffs accumulated over the years, tho lately it seemed to have a bit more. The flooring was covered by a thick layer of dark red carpet decorated with yellow rectangles to muffle the sound of footsteps for the lower floor, a kindness that didnt apply to all appartements of the building unfortunately. On your right was the elevator as well as a small staircase very few peoples bothered to use. An old woman was staring at you in a mix of shock and confusion, a re-usable grocery bag at he feets leaking various products on the old carpet. She made a sound similar to a strangled laugh and shook her head, as if to wake herself up a bit better. "Oh dear, i am so sory for the mess, i- i though i saw a ghost just there for a moment." She seemed flustered as she went to pick up her bag. " Your boyfriend look just like Victor, they even have the same cloathing style. The tatoo was a bit too grim for my taste but dont tell him that's just my age talking."

<sup>(Oops. Rip I forgot to ping.)

Hearing the older woman, a slightly confused look worked its way onto Emilie's face, her eyebrows creased slightly. Turning back to her grocery bag on the floor, she hesitantly asked , "Don't worry. How I help you with your groceries? I can help you get some replacements for the stuff's that's broken." Her salary as an investigator wasn't a lot, but she wasn't going to let that stop her.

Still, hearing her talk about her boyfriend, she couldn't help but say, very carefully, "I don't know if he was coming over today. Are you sure you have the right guy? If he was bothering you, I'll make sure he stops." She shrugged her shoulders before adding, "Unless it is someone I know. Don't have a boyfriend though." She chuckled slightly and gave the woman small smile.</sup>

The old lady let you help with her bag but shook her head at your offer of replacing anything waving her hand dismissively. "It's quite alright dear, you dont have to wory about doing that, i will be fine you focus on taking care of yourself. Worst that can happen is that i wont bake five pies every weaks for a little bit, that could be good tho the kids next door have started to be a bit to spoiled." She shuckle at the last part, clearly remembering somthing that had happen there.

She seemed to be a bit surprised by your last statement. "Oh, i assumed since he had a key to your appartment... well your friend look just like the previous tenant that lived here, Tom i belive it was his name, who lived where you are now. A bit strange, very reserved and didnt realy talked to anyone, the only raison he ever left his room was to go to the bathroom or to work. He was found dead a few months ago so seeing an almost identical guy entering that place was a bit of a surprise to say the least."

It have been a few weaks since the incident and you had all but forgotten it. Instead, you had fallen back into a routine, sometime broken for a few minutes by a polite exchange of banality with one of your neighbours as you were leaving or entering your home. As for usual, the couple living above you had started their own morning routine by screeming at each others, somthing you could clearly ear through the non-insonorised separation that one's could loosely describe as your seiling.

An unwanted routine that was stopt before it's climax by somthing hitting your seiling from inside, multiple times. The silence that followed was only broken by the sound of skittering across it, almost like a wave that was interupted with the sound of somthing shattering in the communal hallway.

I had gotten used to life in my little apartment, it wasn't perfect but it was enough. I had what I needed and could be proud of something that I can call as mine.

I opened my eyes, feeling a slight migraine make its way to my temple. Why, of all the possible hours of the day, the neighbors decide to shout their truths to each other so early in the morning? You can hate each other a little later, kind of like when I'm at work, if it's not too much to ask. I kicked off the blanket as I complained and got to my feet grunting. The scandal above me would not allow me to sleep any longer, again. Trying to clear my mind and let the new lover's information flow out of my brain, I headed to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water.

I was starting to side with him this time when the sound of something hitting the ceiling made me jump and scream in fright. My God, what was that?! I stared at where the sound went, listening to something crawl. Then something breaking outside my apartment, in the communal hall, make me jump again. For a couple of seconds - which felt like forever - I froze in place, thousands of thoughts spinning in my head, my heart pounding like crazy. Maybe it's a raccoon - a really big one! - who sneaked into the building. Yes, yes, that must be... But what if it was a thief? It was over my apartment, how scary! Filling myself with courage, I decided to stick my head a little to make sure everything was okay, unsure of what happened.

The hallway was a mess once you peaked into it. A decorative pot had been smashed to pieces by somthing large, the plant that was once inhabiting it now layed partialy crushed on the floor. Dirt, alongside drips of a clear oil like substance had been smeered on the old red carpet that was covering the floor in dark patches clearly leading to the right, toward the comunal bathroom. Tho the most notable was two long scratches running across the wall right above where the pot had been sitting before it's demise.

From your door, you coudnt realy see if anyone else had been present on the scene of the accident until someone came into your vew with both a garbage bag and the attitude of someone clearly anoyed at life. The man leaned down to start the task he had apparently been saddled with while muttering angrily about 'that damn cat'.

I couldn't believe what I was watching. The first thing my eyes focused on was the shattered pot, all around it the earth and the plant that once happily decorated the hallway. Then I noticed the trail of something similar to oil heading towards a path that I already know by heart. I gripped the wall with one hand and held the doorknob with the other tightly, ready to close in case the thief - because it definitely must be a thief and not something with claws. Come on Annie, you are old enough to believe in monsters - appeared wanting to enter my apartment.

I looked around for a neighbor who had witnessed whatever happened in the hallway. I didn't want to go out and find out what happened by myself, not alone. Finally a man I vaguely recognized was on his way to throw out the trash. I just then left my house, closing the door behind me, and walked slowly towards the man.
It seemed that he was not happy, so insecurely I began to speak. "Um, good morning... Excuse me ... I, what I mean ..." I stopped at a considerable distance. Annie, focus! With renewed motivation I let go, with more confidence. "Do you happen to know what happened here?" I pointed out the area where everything was a mess.

He turn around, an eyebrow raised in a mildly anoyed expression but still gave you the time to finish before saying anything with an exasperated sigh. " I wasnt there when that happen." He gestured vaguely to the mess on the floor. "But i did saw a cat running across the wallway, that damn thing must have found a way to get into the ventilation and fell on the thing while leaving it or somthing." He pointed at a small opening on the upper part of the wall, near the sealing. It was bearly big enough for someone to wiggle an hand in it but a small cat could surely crawl in if the gap had been anywhere close to a piece of furniture, witch wasnt the case and didnt realy explained anything else.

With a dismissive shrug to the whole thing, showing that he didnt realy care mutch about the incident, the guy added. " Normaly i woudnt bother with that, it's not my job after all, but my kids like to walk around bare foots in the morning and i am not about to let them get hurt because of a stupid cat."