The person pacing nervously in the hallway was not the one he had seen last time. Noha left his apartment to try and get some information. In front of the apartment next door stood a thin man with fair skin, dark hair, wearing glasses and a suit. He seemed to be talking on the phone, and his conversation seemed to make him nervous, so he waited patiently to approach him.
-"Hello! Hello... Are you the person who's coming to take care of the noises next door?" he said, leaning against his apartment door.
-"Yes, you could say so. Don't worry, there won't be any more noise. You can go back to your apartment," the man seemed nervous.
-"You don't look like a pest exterminator," he said, but the man didn't answer.
"It's not the first time people have come because of the noises, someone else came a few days ago..."
-"I don't know that person, I've never seen him," he said defensively.
-"Oh," Noha didn't expect that kind of reaction. What are these guys up to? he thought.
-"Well, I'll let you do your work, see you later," he said without another word as he returned to his apartment.
"Hey, wait a moment," the man said, as if hesitating.
"Yes?"
"The man who came before, did he do anything bad to you?" he said with a worried voice.
"Don't worry, we didn't even talk, have a good day, goodbye..."
"Ah... Goodbye."
Noha didn't understand how, if he didn't know this man, he asked if he had hurt him. Should I be worried? He didn't think so, it wasn't like he appeared frequently in front of him. After saying goodbye to that man, he heard some strange noises coming from the apartment next door, and then he heard the man walk down the hallway talking nervously on the phone. He thought it was in his nature to be nervous, so he didn't think there was an apparent reason. He was still curious to know why an exterminator was so worried.
That day he was able to sleep peacefully, he didn't hear any strange noises, only the noises that seemed distant coming from the city. As he went to sleep, he wondered if his little adventure had ended. He had to focus on his work; in the last few days, they had given him more responsibilities than he had before, he didn't need a distraction at that moment. He fell asleep thinking that it would be the last night he would think about that mystery...
Nothing interesting happened in the following days, he could only notice how the temperature began to drop, especially in his apartment. He thought there was something wrong with the heating, so he didn't delay in sending an email reporting his problem. They also didn't delay in telling him that the problem might take longer than expected to repair, perhaps months, so he could look for another place to live or move to the apartment next door.
"Great..." Noha said, resigned to his situation.
After not finding any available apartments within his budget, he had no choice but to move. The excitement he had felt at some point turned into terror. He knew perfectly well that the noises were not just rats, but he had no other option for the moment. He moved all his things to the apartment next door, which for some reason was quite a bit larger than his. It didn't have any strange smell, but he didn't feel good being alone in that place.
During the day, everything seemed quite calm; the light illuminated his room, the living room, and the kitchen. It was a dim light, which made him feel a bit depressed. The nights were more difficult because he could hear noises in the bathroom and the living room. He couldn't understand them, but they made him feel worse and worse.
In the first few weeks, he only managed to sleep for a couple of hours during the day and a few at night. In the following weeks, he was lucky if he managed to sleep for a few consecutive minutes at some point during the day. He did his work incompetently, so much so that his superiors began to notice him more and more. He felt watched and depressed. He felt nervous and depressed without even knowing why. One day, after a conversation with Kai, his best friend, he gathered the courage to go out and spend the night somewhere else.
He walked in the cold and dark streets near his building for a few minutes. It was 7 in the evening, people were coming and going in the streets, the lights were beginning to turn on, and all kinds of smells floated in the air: hot food, coffee, and car exhaust. He walked decisively through the busiest neighborhoods of the city until he found a ramen restaurant, where he ate a little and managed to warm up. The restaurant was full of people who seemed to have recently left their jobs; some laughter and conversations that he couldn't understand could be heard. His mind felt clouded, but eating something made him feel better.
Upon leaving the small ramen restaurant, he continued walking aimlessly for a few minutes. Noha knew the area very well, but due to his mental state, he couldn't remember the location of any hotels. The wind was even colder than before he entered the restaurant; there were far fewer people on the streets, and some drunk people were already starting to be seen. As the minutes passed, he felt his eyes begin to feel heavy. Being away from his apartment relaxed him, and therefore, sleep returned. So, he began to walk faster and faster, but he couldn't find a hotel anywhere. He felt like he could fall asleep at any moment, and no one would know where he was. With the little strength he had left, he began to run without stopping his search.
When he finally saw the sign of a familiar hotel, his exhaustion was unbearable, so he collided with something or someone. He didn't feel pain upon impact, only a strange sensation, but he felt terrible pain when he fell to the ground. He didn't have the strength to get up. Someone offered him their hand, but he didn't have enough strength to stay conscious...