For weeks, the neighbors had been hearing strange noises coming from an elderly mans house, and when they broke down the door and stepped inside, they were horrified by what they saw.
On a quiet street where everyone knew each other by name, one elderly man, William Harper, stood out. He barely spoke to anyone, seldom left his flat, and no one knew exactly what he did or how he made ends meet.
But one thing was certainodd sounds constantly came from his home. Sometimes a low growling, as if something was scratching at the walls. Other times, a shriek that sounded almost human, but not quite. Nights were the worst: whining, relentless barking that echoed night after night. At times, it seemed as though something inside was thrashing about in a frenzy.
At first, the neighbors endured it. Then they began knocking on his door, pleading for quiet. Someone even left a note:
*”Please, sort out the noise. We cant sleep at night.”*
But there was no reply. William rarely answered the door, and if he stepped out, hed just nod, mumble something inaudible, and vanish behind his door again.
As time passed, unease grew. Some neighbors were convinced he was losing his mind. Others suspected someone else lived there. A few even muttered about illegal activities. But no one knew the truth.
Then, one day, everything changed.
For nearly a week, no one saw the old man. His door remained locked, his curtains drawn as usual. But the noises didnt stopthey grew louder. Nights were filled with frantic howls, gnashing teeth, claws scraping the floor, as if something was desperately trying to escape.
By the seventh day, the neighbors had had enough. Two men went up to his floor and pounded on the door. No answer. They called the police, who finally broke the lock and forced their way in.
When they stepped inside, the blood drained from their faces. The flat reeked of stale air and decay. William lay dead on the bedaccording to the coroner, hed been gone for about a week. But that wasnt the worst of it.
Inside the flat were nearly twenty dogsemaciated, exhausted, some barely alive. They wandered the rooms, some curled beside his body, refusing to leave. The floor was covered in paw prints, filth, shredded furniture, and signs of fights between the animals.
It turned out the old man had been collecting stray dogshiding them, feeding them, sleeping among them. They were his only companions. Hed told no one, terrified theyd be taken from him.
For seven days, those dogs had been trapped without food or water.
The neighbors would speak of this in hushed, trembling voices for years. And the house stood empty after thatas if it refused to forget its grim secret.
