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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/02321 on 2024-10-22 18:02:54+00:00.

First

Over a year ago, a new neighbor moved into the apartment next to mine. I soon found out he wasn’t normal. Since then, I haven’t tried to figure out what sort of person he was. His past and origin are a complete mystery to me. Some people may find it odd that I not only decided to remain friends with a person I knew to be an inhuman killer but to not try and find answers. If Dimitri wanted me to know anything about him, he would tell me.   

Almost every night, I would cook for us. I went over food in hand to tell him about my day while we ate. There were times that Dimitri would go missing for a week or so, refusing to elaborate on what he was doing. He was the silent, silent type who didn’t speak often. He still had a thick accent, but I found his English had improved a lot since we met.   

Despite living near a man-eating monster, my life had never been so stable. I was getting enough hours at work to put away some money. I was eating decent meals and spending time with a friend. I swore to myself that once I got settled, I would adopt a pet. However, that didn’t seem like it would happen with my neighbor around.  

A few times Dimitri would come to the grocery store nearby. On one of those trips, we came across a stray cat that wanted nothing to do with him. It took one look in his direction and spat before racing down the street. Dogs with their owners avoided him as well. He was a stoic person. His stern expression rarely changed. And yet, I could tell he very much wanted to be able to pet some animals or at least be around one without it fleeing.   

I decided to get a fish. An easy pet to take care of. I picked up a bowl and supplies on the way home from work one day. Dimitri had just been walking into the apartment building when I arrived with the fish supplies. I had wanted it to be a surprise. He noticed the bags in my hands and silently offered to carry them upstairs to help. I didn’t know if he saw me as weak or just liked to carry things for people. He glanced inside the bags and then pulled out the fish bowl. His face changed slightly as if he was disgusted over what he saw.  

“I was thinking of asking you to come along to pick out a goldfish or two.” I admitted wondering why his expression changed.   

He sorted through the bags as if on a mission.  

“No. They are too much work. This bowl is not for fish. Follow, we’ll get the right home.”  

I nodded unaware I had bought all the wrong things for the new fish. We went to a small store that specialized in just aquariums. I was in awe over the thousands of different kinds of fish and the requirements for each one. I learned a lot that day. We brought home a five-gallon tank, some plants, and a lot of other equipment Dimitri paid for.  I felt bad that he spent so much on something that had been my idea. I offered to set up the tank in his apartment. He refused saying due to his job he may not be able to care for the future fish every day.  

I didn’t press and ask him what kind of work he did nowadays. I hadn’t seen any new blood stains in his apartment or saw him with anyone with him. I assumed if he was still killing people, he decided to not take work home.   

It took two weeks before he was comfortable enough to get a betta fish for the tank. We needed to wait for the water to cycle and stabilize as well as the plants to take root. I was impressed with the small tank we put so much work into. There were a lot of choices of the different colors of fish. I must have stood in front of the wall of small tanks for nearly an hour trying to decide. Finally, I picked out a somewhat plain red one that had been tucked into the very bottom corner of the row. Sure, he wasn’t as fancy as the others.  He had looked a bit lonely and we have a good home ready for him.  

“What should we name him?” I asked Dimitri after we got the small fish home and adjusted to the tank.  

He darted around excited to be in a new place with lots to see.  

“Fsh.” Dimitri said with a straight face.  

I thought I heard him wrong and raised an eyebrow.  

“Without the I. Like the joke.” He explained.  

I wasn’t expecting that from him. I laughed and saw a rare smile from my friend. He bent over, his grey eyes following our new pet’s movements. Fsh didn’t seem to care he was there which was nice.  

“You seem to know a lot about fish care. Have you had some before?” I asked him.  

I rarely asked anything about his interests feeling as if everything about him was off-limits. To my surprise, he answered.  

“No. Someone I knew enjoyed them. We could relate to being in a small place, always watched.”  

A chill ran through my stomach. He had never talked about where he had been before he moved here. I knew he wasn’t human, but I never would have figured out what kind of life he lived. Who else knew about him? Had he ever been caught before? The regular police couldn’t handle whatever he was. Did that mean he had been held by some sort of organization against his will? Or did he still work for one taking care of troublesome people before they caused problems? His words led to a thousand more questions.  

“Is that person still around?” I asked and then mentally kicked myself for it.  

He didn’t turn to answer. He kept his eyes on the planted tank. The sound of the water filter felt louder than normal.  

“He is gone. Only fragments left.” Dimitri spoke so softly that I barely heard him.  

“Are you…” I started and let my words trail off.  

He was looking over his shoulder his eyes so intense it threw me off for a second. I had a feeling that if I asked him about himself at that moment, he would answer. Was I ready for that? There would be no going back after I heard that information. In the end, I was too much of a coward.  

“Are you hungry? I can make something.” I finally offered regretting that I took the easy road out of the conversation.  

He nodded and stayed to help make dinner that night.  

I had been telling my co-workers a little bit about my next-door neighbor. The next day I mentioned the new fish, explaining how much Dimitri helped get the tank ready. One of the girls commented on how he sounded like boyfriend material and soon the day devolved into them all pressuring me to just start dating my strange neighbor.  

After that long horrible day at work, I arrived home to find out Dimitri was out for the day and I was on my own for dinner. I didn’t mind that. Sometimes it was nice to have take out.  

I couldn’t sleep that night. I kept thinking over the past few months. Had it already been over a year? How many meals had we shared? I felt my face starting to get hot as the questions came to mind. What kind of relationship did I actually have with Dimitri? For the first time in my life, I wanted to scream from embarrassment. I had been trying to avoid thinking about this for so long. Sure, for the first six months, I had been oblivious to the idea that I liked him in any way other than a friend. We were both guys and he didn’t give me any kind of impression he had any interest in me.  

I didn’t want to sleep with him, I was certain about that. Then again, I couldn’t think of a lot of girls I had wanted to sleep with over the years. Yes, I had a girlfriend in high school and we had done the deed. I just never had too much interest in that sort of thing afterward. Was there something wrong with me? Did I just not feel attraction the same way others did? I went in circles for hours that night trying to figure it out and getting nowhere. I firmly decided that even if whatever I felt towards my neighbor was little bit of a romantic interest, I didn’t want to cross that line. I knew if I ever talked to him about this, he would pull away and I would lose my only real friend.  

The next day was rough from not getting a lot of sleep that night. My co-workers kept on teasing me but I wasn’t too upset over it. At least someone was having fun. I was so tired I didn’t notice a dark car following me on the way home that day. It turned away when I pulled into the apartment parking lot so I assumed it was nothing.  

Dimitri wasn’t back yet. Normally he would give me a heads-up if he was going to be gone for more than a day. I sent him a text but didn’t call him. I wasn’t his partner. He didn’t need to make me aware of what was going on. I was a bit worried when he didn’t reply that night. That went on for two more days. He was missing without any answers to the few texts I sent. While glancing at the Fsh tank, I saw a black car outside. One with a small dent in the front bumper. I could have sworn it had been parked in front of my work when I left that day. And now it was in front of my apartment? Surely, I was just tired and overthinking things.  

My phone started to ring causing me to jump. I silently swore to myself glad no one saw my reaction. I smiled when I saw Dimitri’s number. I bet he could help me calm down and assure me I was just overreacting. Instead, his next statement made my body turn cold. He didn’t greet me but got right down to business.  

“You are followed. Answer the door.” His tone was even and calm which didn’t help me not freak out.  

A knock came to the door. I almost didn’t answer it. If Dimitri hadn’t called ahead I would have considered calling the police. A person was outside that I didn’t recogniz…

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