Nathan lived in his apartment complex for a month without saying hello to any of his neighbors. At first, he didn’t notice the phenomenon, since most of his attention was focused on organizing and writing lists of things that he needed for his new residence. But after he had settled down, he wondered more and more about the neighbors and where they were. After all, despite the complex being one of the largest in the area, he rarely saw anyone other than the same team of groundskeepers and the management team who had handled his rental paperwork. He shrugged it off as the result of his early morning, late night class schedules and tendency to stay indoors most of the time. 

	But at the beginning of the hot summer season in the Cupules Valley, Nathan encountered one of his neighbors on his way back from grocery shopping. 

        The man stood along the outdoor walkway’s railing. He was tall enough that Nathan was certain he had to slightly crouch in order to get into the apartment doors. The man’s arms also hung well below his hips, drooping more than resting on to the top of the railings. Nathan was startled, thinking that he was witnessing a monster from a horror film in real life. But when the man turned to him, Nathan saw that he was a normal looking man. If anything, he had a forlorn look on his face that made Nathan feel sympathetic. After a few seconds of staring at one another, the man methodically crouched into the apartment behind him as if he wasn’t used to moving. Nathan stood there, the uneasiness replacing the sympathy. He was unsure if what he had seen was real or if his sleep deprivation from his studies was catching up with him.

        When he finally convinced himself that it was simply his imagination stretching the man out, he walked past the door and realized that he lived right next door. The uneasiness grew and he hurriedly unlocked the door, rushed inside, and immediately locked the door behind him.

        After putting away his groceries, he went to his bedroom and try to take a nap. But the summer heat still creeped into his room, despite having installed blackout curtains. He laid there, shutting his eyes tight and trying to get comfortable. But the vision of the long man crept in his mind. He suddenly became more aware of the sounds from the wall he shared with his neighbor. A thump and a tap every once in a while. Based on what he had seen of the man, he thought that perhaps he was learning how to clumsily cook or trying to get used to moving around still.

        The thoughts made him shiver. But soon, he fell into a dreamless sleep of black. He was awakened only by the chime of his doorbell. He groggily walked to the door, his body feeling notably fatigued and he cracked the door open to peek outside. It was the tall man, crouched right in front of the space that Nathan looked out of. He didn’t blink and seemed to be examining Nathan’s features. Again, Nathan was startled. His grogginess was replaced with the fight or flight response. But before he could react the neighbor opened his mouth.

        “Do you have a box that I can use?” He asked Nathan. The question was flat and barely had an intonation of a question and was spoken quickly. The man raised his head up a little bit in an attempt to get a better look inside Nathan’s apartment. Nathan gently shut the door and looked to where the man might have seen. There were a few of the boxes he used in his move were still there, though they were small. He grabbed one and walked back to the door.

        “Is this okay?” He asked. The man looked down at the box and slowly extended his arms out to grab it. He flipped it over, rotated it, and put it to his nose. Then, he walked away, nodding his head. Nathan watched him as he walked away, his tall frame bent over the box, until he crouched into the apartment and disappeared.

        Nathan slowly retreated his head back into his apartment before closing the door, as if any sudden movements might cause the man to come back and induce another visit from the man.

        Later that evening, when cool winds replaced the harsh heat, Nathan began cooking his dinner. Because of the apartment’s poor ventilation, he kept the window open whenever he prepared his meals due to their potent smells. But tonight, a different smell permeated, something lingeringly offensive to him. Nathan raised his frying pan close to his nose, sure that it was the different brand of fish sauce he’d bought. But it smelled like how it usually did. He investigated his fridge, then his bedroom, then found that it was coming from outside. He turned the stove off and followed the smell.

        It emanated from his neighbor’s apartment and became more and more potent and as he got closer he recognized the smell as rotting meat that had been fermenting in its own blood in the sun. He clasped his hand over his nose and mouth, walking back to his own apartment and planning to simply close the window. But, a crash came from the apartment and Nathan felt compelled to at least go and make sure the man was there. After all, he hadn’t necessarily hurt Nathan, but was simply creepy. He tiptoed to the apartment and found that the door was unlocked. The smell smacked him and Nathan was forced to let out a series of coughs to prevent from vomiting.

        He called out into the darkness, but no response. He tried peeking in, but could only make out vague shapes of furniture inside. His examination was interrupted by another loud crash that was followed by a series of clattering sounds. Nathan rushed inside, his hand still clasped over his nose and mouth. He rushed to the bedroom, where the sound was coming from and swung the door open.

        In the middle of the room was the long man, sitting down and holding the box that Nathan had given him. It emitted an eerie, green glow as everything else in the room spun around in a whirlwind around the man as he gazed into the box, his face illuminated to show a delightful, tearful face. The furniture and trinkets violently whirled around them and Nathan rushed to the man, trying to pull him out of his trance. As he did, Nathan caught a glimpse of what was inside the box - a grotesque form of a child, no eyeballs or teeth, its skin flayed, and its mouth curled into a struggling smile. The sight made Nathan’s heart race and he shook the man harder.

        “No!” The man exclaimed as he lost grip of the box and it fell to the floor. The glow of it flickered and the whirlwind grew stronger. Instead of trying to snap the man out of it, Nathan simply pulled the man toward the door. He was surprisingly light for his size. As he dragged the man out of the room, the whirlwind stopped and all of the furniture dropped to the floor with a bang. The eerie glow faded and the room turned black.

        “Why did you do that?” The man asked, his voice unnaturally shaky.

        “What the hell was that thing?” Nathan asked in between his panting. The man sobbed and fell onto his back on the floor. Nathan could see him staring and struggling to bring his hands to his face to wipe away tears.

        “That was my son, Percy,” he said in between his sobs. “They didn’t even give him the decency of a proper physical form.”