Chapter 7
I was watching one of the neighbors leave for the weekend. I promised to watch out for thieves and will inform the authorities if I see anything funny. They were pleased to hear that. A few hours later a couple drove by and tried to break in. I used the walkie-talkie to call a squad car. They showed up before they managed to break the safe. They tried to pretend they lived there but the policeman knew the original residence so they were arrested without further incident. I sat down to watch movies when I heard a knock. I check the hidden camera and found old man Wilson. I let him in and we played chess for a few hours and he reminisced on days gone by. He told me the days he served in the army. How he met his wife and the trouble he went to stop her from marrying the wrong guy. He explained that they hid in the woods for a few days till the search dogs disappeared. We ate pizza and jokes then he went home. As I closed the door I saw the screamer watching me with intense jealousy.
He sat down on the steps and tried to contemplate how he can get in. But each one ended with a laughable expression. I closed the door before I did something that would compromise my safety. The next day I picked up the newspaper and fell to the floor. The maid had arrived with dad to check the place for any sort of upkeep. He picked me up and carried me to the car. The maid called the doctor. I arrived at the emergency room where they did a million tests and concluded that I had an anxiety attack. When I was discharged I came home to see the screamer was there as well. I ignored him and got home.
He arrived a few hours later asking me if I was stalking him. I told him I was there for a check up. He clearly didn't believe me. He asked me what went wrong and I limped to the living room. I sat down and read the newspaper. The man that killed my friend was released after someone confessed to their murders. He was going to be loose in the streets. Which means I can't go out. I felt like my mind was already sending signals to my legs to stop moving because they were limp as a boned fish.
Thankfully my wheelchair wasn't donated. It was kept in the storage closet. I was able to crawl towards it. It was a nightmare being in that chair again. But in some ways my body was being overtaken by fear that was beyond my control. The room started to swirl. So I tried breathing exercises. The room settled again. So I ordered pizza. The screamer was waiting outside when the delivery guy arrived. The pizza was placed in the slot and I paid him in cash the moment I was sure it was my order. The screamer was feeling suspicious so he asked me if I was in witness protection. I told him I wasn't. He started asking me pointed questions and I zoned out. I pushed the wheelchair towards the elevator. It was a manual elevator so I had to hand crank it. When I reached the top floor I sat next to the telescope. I picked up my notebook and wrote about everybody's daily activities and entertainment.
Turns out that Mitch has decided to take a new exercise routine and had lost weight. He was eating from all food groups in small meals and focusing on certain parts of his body depending on the day. For example today he worked his biceps and thighs. If my lipreading is correct he will be focusing on his abdomen and back tomorrow. His wife was back to cheating on him with one of the neighbors. This time it was the mechanic that lived a block away.