MATTHEW TRUCCO - NEXT DOOR PARANOIA

Matthew Trucco is a 20-year-old guy originally from New Jersey, Living in Florida for Creative writing, He likes to read and write short stories in his spare time and loves to hang out with friends and loves to listen to music! Hes very open and loves talking to people and getting to know them!

​Next Door Paranoia

​Jason’s phone bleeps, Reminder: Date at 7:45 With Jenny


But just as Jason goes to pick up his phone, a low tone electrical click is heard from inside a vent in Jason’s apartment. Ever since Dimitri moved next door, Jason has not known peace. Many sleepless nights and theories running through his head as to what is going on in the next room. It's time he did something.
Jason starts a war path towards his closet, puts on his Harvard sweatshirt and sweatpants that are practically falling off due to the elastic band being worn out to all hell. Jason doesn't have a clear head right now, he has had to endure this paranoia for months and months as to what was going on and if he was safe in his own apartment. As Jason puts on his shoes and ties the laces, he hears a muffled cry from the vent. He stops for a second. That didn't happen, it's just sleep deprivation getting the better of you Jason. The muffled cry is then followed up by a loud thud.
“What the hell? No, no this is some sick dream, Jason. Y-You’re dreaming,” he stammers, trying to collect his thoughts. Then the click is back, but this time it seems as though it may have been the last.
 
Jason takes a deep breath, grabs a kitchen stool, climbs up to the air duct above his TV, and opens it up. Jason is in awe. He feels the cold crisp air, it pushes into his eyes and he looks up, noticing something staring him in the face. It’s a small blinking light from a CCTV style camera. Jason feels his entire body go numb. He can barely collect any words to think, let alone say anything out loud.
 
“All this time i-it was true?” Jason quietly mutters to himself, sounding almost as if he is about to cry in sheer disbelief.
 
Jason shakes his head and snaps out of it. The anger is back in his veins, and he dashes out the door to Dimitri’s. As Jason goes to grab the handle, his hand slips. What? Jason looks at the handle, a slick red coat covers itand now, part of Jason's hand. I-is this blood? Jason feels goosebumps start to run through his body, but as he looks at the floor beneath the handle, he notices there aresmall blood splotches leading from Jenny’s apartment.
“Jenny...” He feels the heat in his body turn up higher and higher, tears streaming down his face.
“That's it, I’ve had enough of this shit,” he stammers through his uncontrollably shaky voice.
 
Jason runs back to his apartment, gabbing the bat from his foyer closet and rushes back outside to Dimitri’s door. He takes a deep breath, shuts his eyes for just one second and whispers, “One, two…” On three, he kicks the door in. With a loud bang it flies open. As he enters the apartment he notices something particularly unsettling. There are notices from the complex on the kitchen counter, alongside a pack of adhesive spray. Upon closing the gap between himself and the counter, he looks up and sees sound suppression boards on the wall. The hairs on his skin raise once more at the mere sight of this, though he’s unsure why, exactly. He walks into the center of the living room and notices the nice white vintage rug, but it’s covered up by plastic wrap, almost all of the furniture is
“Why is everything covered in plastic wra-”
Before he can finish his sentence, the stereo system starts to blare, “Don't you want me baby, don't you want me oh?”  He cups his ears and drops the bat, the music is so loud that Jason cant even hear himself try to think. The door is slammed shut and from the other end of the room,Dimitri runs at Jason and before jason has time to grab his bat, we hear a loud metallic thud.
“Yeah, yeah I got him. No, he doesn't seem to be a threat anymore. Yeah I'll wait outside in the hall for you to get here” Dimitri calmly says
 
“You know, I never did like you.”
 
A door slams, Jason jolts awake but his hand is cuffed to the table. He is in strong panic and can barely sit still.
“Mr Miller, I’m Detective Harris and this is Officer Morrison,” He says as hes now gripping tightly onto his suspenders
“We wanted to inform you again, now that you seem more conscious and in at least a somewhat better state of mind that we have uh, charged you with one count of Breaking and entering of Mr Volkov’s apartment. Would you like to tell me what you were doing in his apartment?”

“With a bat nonetheless” Chimes in Officer Morrison
Jason is sweating  and is stammering to get words out. Dimitri must have these guys in his pocket “But… but the blood on the handle… It led from Jenny’s room, h-he killed Jenny Why isn't he here!”

“Sir that was red paint from the door, the maintenance guys were there doing work on your floor, H-he must've just not been careful and it dripped from the bucket door and retouching up the walls. Which in turn, would also explain why you saw most the furniture covered up with plastic protective wrap.”
 
“And we also heard you muttering something about a camera and a vent?” interjects Officer Morrison.
 
“Yeah..yeah my apartment! He put a camera in my apartment vent, i saw the flashing light,” Jason mummers in a cold sweat
 
“Sir what you had grabbed was a rat… the only thing in the vent was a rat. There's no possible way circuitry could have been fed through the vent,” detective morrison says,
He pauses, “Jason do you have any family history of mental illnesses?”
“Listen I’m not fucking insane you should be out there looking for him, He got Jenny”
“I'm not saying you are. However, just to be sure, would it be okay if I made you an appointment with one of our doctors?”
It starts coming back in flashes now to him, he looks down at his hands, and sure enough, it's just paint.

​Jason slowly picks his head up and looks at the detective in the eyes. He slightly nods his head yes and waits in the room for the Psychiatrists to come in.