Track 05 - My New Neighbour

"I came here to get away from it all. And I would have, if not for that meddling kid."

It was a quiet night at the house.

Huggy had returned for the next few days and was in the corner of the living room playing with some building blocks. You were watching TV with Tabi, noticing Tabi occasionally shooting dirty looks at Huggy. You thought of teasing him about it but didn't, not having the energy for it. You were having trouble staying up, energy waning. The day had taken a lot out of you and staying stationary wasn't helping. You needed either a second wind or to get up and do something to stay wake.

Tabi likewise was drifting off too, a particularly busy day of tree trimming having worn him out. Both of you leaned against each other about to fall asleep. An uncomfortable sleep it would have been, had Huggy not spilled all his building blocks waking the both of you up.

"I think I'm gonna check in for the night." You remark, stifling a yawn. "Aye. I'm done too." Tabi got up.

As you shut the television off, the doorbell rung. Tabi was on it first, drawing his knife. Huggy perked up as well, excited for who could be there.

Like a trio, you instinctively reached for your gun, wondering who it could be at this hour. You walk to the window, push aside the curtain and peer at ringer. It was slightly out of sight but you could tell it none other than Theo standing there, fidgeting with his coat. You remark to Tabi who just shakes his head and goes to his room. Huggy was still excited but you tell him to stay back.

Theo knew of Huggy but still hadn't figured him out yet. Not that there was a lot to figure out but having a giant gangly furry creature running around certainly wasn't normal.

You open the door. Indeed, standing there, Theodore, your newest neighbour.

He was a middle-aged man with a long-rounded face and neck. Tabi, upon first meeting him couldn't tell where his head started and ended, noting he 'looked like a thumb with hair'.

He had not revealed his age, but you could tell from the wrinkles and even the way he acted, must've been late 40s earliest. He had aged well as he still had a full head of brown hair, the front stylized and combed upwards like a schoolboy. Despite his age there were but a few grey-streaks in it, concentrated along the sides.

A large classically-style moustache hid the top part of his mouth, it having been groomed promiscuously. Tabi had joked that it made him look like a '1920s serial-killer'. His chin and lower head had faint scars on it that looked like there had been many accidents in shaving aeons ago.

Tabi did joke about him a bit, but Theo surprised him when he had no reaction to Tabi's appearance, greeting him as he would anyone else. It was shocking enough that Tabi remarked, to which Theo replied 'oh, we're all strange in our own ways. Nothing fazes me anymore.'

He wore a white golf shirt with the button around the neck left out. The cuffs were tucked nicely along the sleeveless, purple plaid sweater he wore atop it. It no doubt kept him warm in the cool early summer breeze.

The sleeves on his arms were rolled up revealed his scarred arms. It was unknown if they were self-inflicted or some side plot in his already mysterious past. You had asked a day ago and he remarked they were a result of his engineering. Of course, with how much he kept to himself there was no telling if that was the truth. On his hands he wore black rubber gloves.

It was the same gloves you had noticed him wear a few days back while he was working on the house. Hanging outside on the second floor, hammering at some sort of window with no suspicions, no regard for construction safety all.

He wore skinny red pants that made him appear as if he never exercised his legs and purple and white sneakers which just looked odd.

Everything from the way he dressed to the spoke was anachronistic. It was a far cry from the suburbs you lived. He was like he was from a different time, or a member of some long-forgotten era. Even sounded like it.

"Evening, (Y/N). Is this a bad time?" Theo inquired nonchalantly.

"Sort of? What is it?"

"Well I was wondering...if you could help me with the installation of the cameras."

You vaguely recall Theodore texting you that earlier today. Though when you agreed you figured he would come by around 5 or so. Not 10. It had slipped your mind.

"It's kinda late. I thought you were gonna come earlier."

Theo shook his head. "No. I couldn't do it, not why that child was awake. Now is the best time." He said.

Combined with a growing second wind and the curiosity and mystery of Theo had you were almost inclined to accept. "I mean, I guess. Gonna be kind of hard to see for the exterior ones, at least with a house like yours." There was no way you intended to climb atop the railroad he had going around the house.

"That shouldn't be a problem. I just need help with the interior ones and running wire. I'll install the exterior ones later."

You shrug. "Alright. Gonna need a coffee though."

"Excellent! I shall go put a pot on! Thank you. You are saving me a lot of work, I swear on it." Theo said proudly and ran off back to his house.

"You're going to go help him?" Tabi asked, bored. He had been listening from the door in his room.

"Yeah, figure it's better to have more allies in the area. Nobody here talks much to me anymore here."

"Well be careful. That guy's just weird. You should take S with you, to monitor." Tabi remarked.

"I'll think about it. Keep your phone close just in case."

"I will."

You don your classic detective's trench coat head off. You also double check your 9mm, ensuring the clip was loaded. Heaven forbid, you think. But you'd be lying if Theo didn't come off as an eccentric, completely unpredictable man.

As you take the few steps to his house the thought crosses your mind that if accepted he could make a good engineer for the team. Though you still needed to feel him out, figure out how he thinks of 'illegal activity'.

Looking at his house, he definitely had talent for it. It was four floors on paper but with the 'modifications' he had made there was no telling what even constituted a floor. It was like someone had taken several mcmansions and smashed them together. Easier to compare his house to a Dali painting than something an urban planner designed.

The house had different painted pieces. The front porch was painted a pale green, with the piece next to it (containing one room and a piece of 2F) painted a bright yellow. Just above the house was a smaller piece, painted blue with long windows. That piece had a red roof on it that looked to have been pre-emptively cut off, another much larger piece atop it. You recall hearing about a school with 30-something floors once upon a time. You wonder if Theo had any relation to that. Course, his house wasn't that big.

And looking up it became only more and more incomprehensible. There were chunks of housing that overhang across the property, balconies that looked completely inaccessible (except through window), not one but two rail tracks spiralling across the house going into various windows pieces, gutters blocked by pieces above rendering them useless. A giant HVAC pipe spiralled around, going out of one piece of the house into another and vanishing into the back.

From what you could see atop the house were a few satellite dishes, what appeared to be landing strip lights and chimneys.

Multiple chimneys actually.

How it didn't violate multiple zoning laws bewildered you, let alone safety issues and how fast Theo built the same thing. It was a miracle it still stood upright. You watched him build part of it the other day. It was particularly windy and you used it as a gage to see how well the house stood in weather. To your continued surprise it didn't move a centimetre. His house was structurally sound, somehow.

Even if it did appear horrid, it worked though, one piece hung off the right side of the building. It appeared to be a room suspended by a few ropes hanging off two large planks of wood, themselves hanging of the second floor. That looked to fall any second. One of the ropes had already snapped. It didn't look safe in the slightest, no doubt waiting for some spry wind to knock it loose. You didn't care though. It hung nowhere near your property.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

The thought occurred that it must have been a pleasure to play in. It would explain the kid’s actions. That coupled with Theodore's grandiose and strange appearance must've made children's imaginations go wild.

It all led to the question of why he even needed such space. Last he had told you it was just him and his son there. But like his eccentric personality you regulated it to some insatiable appetite to build.

And it was all surrounded by a laughable white picket fence, car parked right at entrance, directly on the grass. He had covered his driveway sometime ago. There was just a dirt path to the front porch. Despite its messiness his property at least appeared clean. There weren't wood shavings and nails all over his yard, nor did any of the wood look dilapidated. All the trash he accumulated from building had been stashed into several garbage bags, now waiting at the front for pickup.

Sure his grass was overgrown but you had seen him a few times trying to mow it. And though you weren't looking for it again you recall seeing one of the second floor rooms dripping, water seeping through the wood.

The front door was already open, Theodore expecting you. You step in, greeted by a typical lobby. Coat rack on the side, umbrella holder beside it, blue wallpaper, few doors here and there. Nothing out of the ordinary and much more subdued than outside.

"Theo, you in here?"

"Yes, yes. I'm in the kitchen. Please do come."

Following the sound of his voice you continue straight ahead.

His kitchen was also unexpectedly 'normal'. It and the dining room were one, very plain looking. Fridge, counter, dish sink, oven, dishwasher, few cabinets above those, dining table with no cloth, and gauche wallpaper of roses. Nothing to write home about.

Judging by the interior it looked as if his eccentricities were only outside.

"I realize now old sport that it may be a little late. My apologies."

"It's fine, really."

Theo turns to you. "Ah, it's just you? You think this'll be a 2-person job. I don't mind if you want to bring your boyfriend. It's totally 'cool'." Theo said, an attempt at sounding honest.

There were so many interpretations as to what exactly he meant by that you drop it entirely. "Ehn, he had a rough day. If we need him, I'll message."

"Fair enough."

Theo stood at the counter watching the coffee intently. A steady drip stream of dark brown liquid flown into the clear pot.

On top of the table was a large box, stock photo of a family and a camera. "Promising the best in PTP connections, local, no cloud connection required, built-in support for Unraid." Slogans were printed all over the box. It was a high end system.

"Good brand."

"Is it? Good. I spent a lot of time looking. Most of this stuff is foreign to me."

"Bit on the pricey side." You remark.

"I had a feeling. But the salesman was very adamant about it all."

There was another box on the table too. "NAS System, NextCloud and RAID supported. Make sure you have everything backed up with no worry!" Another high-price system.

He had really gone all out. Or at least, had gotten swindled to go all out.

You turn back as he pours the coffee into two cups. "Any sugar?"

"Few spoonfuls."

He does so, you watching carefully. He does the same for himself.

"Milk?"

"Little bit." He opens the fridge door. You get a glance at its inside. It was barren except for a bunch of apples and one bag of milk. What a weird guy.

Pouring enough into both he closes the fridge. Satisfied, he pounds back the coffee, not displaying any pain as the coffee burned down his throat.

He hands it and you take a few sip. It was coffee, again, nothing to write home about.

"Thanks. So where do you want it set up?"

Putting the cup in the sink he began. "Well. I was thinking it needs to be all over the interior. I want one in the lobby, one in the upside-room, one facing the stairs and 3 watching the basement door."

You weren't sure what the 'upside' room was or why he wanted three on the basement door. "Well, let's get started."

Using one of his knives he opens up the boxes and you two get to work. Untying all the wires, making sure the connections reached where he wanted, making sure the wires stayed out of sight, testing the cameras and more.

As the work got done, Theo began to speak about his life. He was a rollercoaster designer, architect and engineer. It explained the tracks around the house. He said he was currently retired, noting a long streak of bad luck with proprietors wanting him to skirt regulations, do things cheaper, and so on. It explained his scars at least, work-related incidents.

You two worked with minimal interruptions. The only thing that had occurred was Tabi texting you to check if you were still alive. You were, of course.

He also mentioned that he tried to contact S, knowing full

well you hadn't done it. 'I can't reach him. Nobody can.' Tabi had written in the message. You guess he must have reached out to the others as well.

'Ehn, it's not the first time S has gone awol. He'll appear again.' You send in a message to Tabi.

"What is the matter?" Theo asked, noticing your distraction. He had stopped his tangent on trains.

"Nothing." You put the phone away." Just a friend of ours has gone missing again."

"A wayward soul?" Theo said poetically.

You don't know if S even had a soul but chuckle at the comment. "Yeah, something like that."

Suddenly Theo got serious, his face darkening. "Your friend wasn't human right?"

"No? No. He's an anthro." You weren't going to try and explain S' existence.

"Ah, well cheerio then." Theo said, face lighting up again. "Let's get back to work shall we?"

“Why’s it matter if he’s human?” You ask, not letting Theo’s sudden shift slip by.

“I was wondering if your friend was related to that infernal child.”

“Oh, I see. Nah, don’t know any children like that.” You reply, unsure if Pomona counts or not.

As Theo reminisced about the past he spoke at length about his creations, affectionately referring to them as his offspring. "There aren't many left. Cruel men disassembled them all." He said sullenly.

He really did come off as a tortured artist, complaining that all he wanted was to make people happy.

You expected him to eventually talk about The Family or at least have some connection to them, having been wronged or whatever but he didn't even know them.

He was a complete stranger to this town.

"I came here to get away from it all. And I would have, if not for that meddling kid." He said as he plugged in the charger to the wall. "It's not even the same kid. Some new letch messing with me."

"I've been meaning to ask. What kid? Where does he live? I haven't seen anyone." Using a screwdriver you carefully screw in the camera facing the lobby.

"Kid across the street. Must be like 10 years old. You really haven't seen 'em old sport?"

"Not really. Haven't spent much time home lately though. Been busy with other things. Hey. You sure this house is, uh, you known, sound?"

"Elaborate?"

"Well, it's like misshapen and stuff. Like a buncha houses together. And there's that room that's dripping water-"

Theo laughed, letting out a large bellow. "Ah, old sport. Believe me. It is sound. And the water room. It's for my pet. It uses specially treated wood coated in a silicon rubber. Trust me. I am not new to this rodeo."

You nodded in agreement. "Hey, just checking."

Theo picked up a bundle of wires and began untangling them. "It's fine. I've already had the heave-ho from council. I may not be a legal expert but when it comes to zoning I know my rights. Though the neighbours have stopped speaking with me likely because of this, as they claim, ‘eyesore’." Theo said flatly.

With the wiring correct Theo got up and walked to the makeshift computer set up you had made in the kitchen. You followed. "Ehn, I don't really talk to many of the neighbours anymore."

"Well that part isn't surprising." Theo chuckled. "What did you do to anger them?"

"Nothing. What do you mean?" You ask.

You check your phone, it was on low battery, the day having drained it. It didn't help you had been using it a lot as a flashlight. You asked Theo if he had one but he didn't, instead having a flip phone charger. You make a note to head back and charge it.

"You know, when I first moved in I was warned not to speak with you. Few of the neighbours said not to."

This was the first you heard of this, though it didn't take long to figure out why. You knew Theo's answer before he said it.

"They said you were into some 'dark' stuff. Drug dealing, mafia ties, terrorism. Heard it all!" Theo said, clearly relishing the reveal. "I didn't believe it of course, at least, not in that way. I've been weary of these small communities. They haven't been kind to me. Far as I have seen; you're an alright bloke."

"Heh, thanks. No. As I said. I'm just a former detective, and I run security at a restaurant."

"Yes, quite. Where do you work again? I wouldn't mind paying it a visit. I haven't eaten out much lately."

"Displo's. Out on..."

Elsewhere Tabi had gone to sleep. He had sent one message, telling you to let you know when you got in. Huggy likewise did too, having managed to stack all the building blocks perfectly. They were much smaller than the ones at the factory but they provided all the more challenge.

You pause your conversation with Theo to drop off your phone. With most of the dark nooks covered you could let your phone get some charge. You send off one last message to S asking for an update but get no response. Plugging your phone in you leave the house, just barely stirring Huggy.

Learning more of your 'police history' he started to ask more specific questions. Things about the law, what to say and how to deal with restraining orders. He wanted to know how to set them up, proclaiming it another weapon on his front against this mysterious child.

Remembering he had a son you ask where he was anyways.

"He is staying at a friend’s." Theo said, moving the chair over.

"You don't think the kid's friends with your son, do you?"

Theo shook his head. He picked up the footrest and moved it back to the correct position. "My son does not know this child. I have asked. Back in my old city, he did but this child he has never met."

Above all, it slips your mind to ask about why his basement was so locked down. “It’s

Outside someone strolled along the street. They walked head up, eyes straight ahead. They were counting the door numbers on each house, looking expectantly for one.

They were a large, round individual, most features concealed by the darkness. They walked straight, not caring who may have saw them. As they stepped past a light it briefly revealed an appearance. Tall, large and heavy. Their wideness made up for in height, an all-around monstrous individual, much taller than the average individual. They wore a large red sweater that was more suited for cold autumns. The black jeans they wore looked more suited for a retail job than a night walk.

Stepping back into the darkness the only thing visibly seen was two large, almost cartoony eyes, white but practically glowing in the darkness. A wide toothy smile was seen as well, pearly whites glistening under the moon's light. They had a large smile, no doubt enjoying life.

The walker stopped to smell some flowers, giggling as they did. "All the best herbs can be foraged." They remarked with a deep, giddy voice to nobody in particular.

As the pedestrian stepped past another street light more features were visible. On this person's head was what appeared to be a simple red devils mask. Though it covered the whole head. Identity was not clearly seen. Whether they were human was up to interpretation. But as those eyes looked around and smile widened, so did the mask.

The walker's hands poked out of the warm sweater. Large, red hands with claws instead of fingers. Maybe at one point, gloves of a red devil Halloween costume. They were the walker's real hands now.

Seeing the correct number he pulled out a scrap of paper. Double checked it. "The full course is just behind that door." He said hungrily.

"Roast pig I think. Yeah, that sounds nice." He said barely above a whisper. Licking his lips he stepped to your front door.

The next chapter will be called Red Devil.