The Neighbor

Rose had always enjoyed her quiet suburban life. Her neighborhood was the epitome of peaceful living: tree-lined streets, manicured lawns, and friendly neighbors. That all changed when the house next door was sold, and a man named Mr. Hale moved in.

From the moment he arrived, something about Mr. Hale unsettled Rose. He was polite enough, with a charming smile and a pleasant demeanor, but there was an underlying coldness in his eyes that sent chills down her spine. Unlike the other neighbors, Mr. Hale kept to himself, rarely seen during the day and only venturing out at night.

One evening, as Rose was watering her garden, she noticed Mr. Hale digging in his backyard. The sight seemed innocent at first, but the hole he was digging was unusually large. Curiosity piqued, Rose continued to watch as he worked under the cover of darkness. When he finished, he covered the hole with a tarp and retreated into his house.

Over the next few weeks, strange things began to happen. Rose often heard odd noises coming from Mr. Hale’s house late at night — scraping sounds, muffled cries, and sometimes a low, rhythmic chanting. She tried to dismiss these as products of her imagination, but the uneasy feeling in her gut persisted.

One night, Rose was awoken by a loud thud. She sat up in bed, straining to hear. The noises were coming from Mr. Hale’s house again, louder and more urgent this time. Summoning her courage, Rose decided to investigate.

She crept out of her house and into the backyard, moving as silently as possible. Peering through the slats of the fence, she saw Mr. Hale dragging what looked like a heavy, wrapped bundle across his yard. Her heart pounded as he reached the tarp-covered hole and began to lower the bundle into it.

Rose’s breath caught in her throat. She had to know what was going on. The next morning, while Mr. Hale was away, she snuck into his backyard and lifted the tarp. To her horror, she found a partially covered pit filled with bones — human bones.

Terrified, Rose rushed back to her house and called the police. She frantically explained what she had seen, urging them to come quickly. When the officers arrived, they searched Mr. Hale’s property and confirmed Rose’s worst fears. The bones were indeed human, and there were signs of more recent burials.

Mr. Hale was arrested later that day. As the investigation unfolded, it was revealed that he was a serial killer who had been operating for years, moving from town to town, burying his victims in the yards of the houses he bought. Rose’s neighborhood was just his latest hunting ground.

The news shocked the entire community. Neighbors who had once waved cheerfully at Mr. Hale from their driveways now shuddered at the thought of how close they had come to such evil. Rose couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that lingered, even after Mr. Hale was taken away.

In the weeks that followed, Rose tried to return to her normal life, but the memories of that night haunted her. Every creak of her house, every rustle of leaves outside, sent her heart racing. She had been living next to a monster, and the sense of safety she once felt in her home was shattered forever.

To this day, Rose is vigilant, always wary of new neighbors. The peaceful facade of her suburban life has been forever tainted by the horrors that once lurked next door.