For weeks, the neighbors had been hearing strange noises 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 manWalterstood out. He barely spoke to a soul, rarely left his flat, and no one had the faintest idea how he made ends meet.
But one thing was certain: odd sounds kept drifting from his home. Sometimes a low growling, as if something was clawing at the walls. Other times, a shriek that almost sounded humanbut not quite. Nights were the worst: whining, relentless barking, night after night. Occasionally, it sounded like a frantic struggle was happening inside.
At first, the neighbors endured it. Then they started knocking, pleading for quiet. One even left a note:
*”Kindly sort out the noise. We havent slept in days.”*
No reply. Walter didnt always answer the door, and when he did step out, hed just nod, mutter something indistinct, and vanish behind his door again.
As time passed, unease grew. Some neighbors were convinced hed lost the plot. Others suspected he wasnt living alone. One even whispered about shady dealings. But the truth? Nobody knew.
Then, one day, everything changed.
For nearly a week, no one saw old Walter. His door stayed locked, curtains drawn as usual. But the noises didnt stop.
If anythingthey got worse. Nights were filled with frantic howls, teeth chattering, claws scraping the floor. It sounded like somethingor someonewas desperate to escape.
By the seventh day, the street had had enough. Two men marched upstairs and hammered on his door. No answer. They called the police, who finally broke the lock and swung the door open.
Inside, the air was thick with a stale, suffocating stench. Walter lay lifeless on the bed. The coroner reckoned hed been gone about a week. But that wasnt the worst of it.
Nearly twenty dogsskinny, exhausted, some barely aliveroamed the flat. Some wandered aimlessly; others lay beside Walters body, refusing to leave.
The floor was covered in paw prints, mess, shredded furniture, and signs of scuffles between the animals.
Turned out, old Walter had been collecting strayshiding them, feeding them, sleeping beside them. They were his only friends. He never told a soul, terrified theyd be taken from him.
For seven days, those dogs had been trapped without food or water.
The neighbors never forgot it, always speaking of that night in hushed, shaky voices. And the house? It stood empty after thatas if it, too, couldnt shake off the horror of what had happened inside.
