On a quiet street where everyone knew each other by name, there was one elderly man who stood out — Viktor. He barely spoke to anyone, rarely left his apartment, and nobody really knew what he did or how he earned a living.
But one thing everyone knew for sure — strange sounds constantly came from his home. Sometimes a low growl, like something scratching the walls. Sometimes a high-pitched screech, resembling a scream, but not quite human. Nights were especially hard: whining, exhausting barking, echoing day after day. At times, it seemed like someone inside was having a full-blown breakdown.
At first, the neighbors put up with it. Then they started going to his door, knocking, asking him to keep it down. Someone even left a note:
“Please solve the noise problem. None of us are sleeping at night.”
But the response was silence. Viktor didn’t always answer the door, and if he did come out, he would nod, mumble something unintelligible, and disappear behind his door again.
Over time, the worry grew. Some neighbors were sure he was going mad. Others thought there were other people secretly living with him. A few even suspected illegal activity. But no one knew the truth.
One day, everything changed.
For nearly a week, no one had seen the old man. His door was locked, the windows covered as usual. But the sounds hadn’t stopped.
On the contrary — they got even louder. At night, there were distressed howls, teeth gnashing, scratching on the floor, scraping. As if someone or something was desperately trying to escape.
On the seventh day, the residents couldn’t take it anymore. Two men went up to his floor and knocked hard on the door. No one answered. They called the police, who finally broke the lock and opened the door.
In the room, heavy with a musty, oppressive smell, Viktor lay dead on the bed. According to the investigator, he had been dead for about a week. But that wasn’t the worst part.
There were nearly twenty dogs in the apartment — thin, emaciated, some barely alive. They roamed through the rooms, some lying beside the body and refusing to leave it.
The floor was covered in claw marks, feces, torn furniture, and signs of fights among the animals.
Apparently, the old man had been taking in stray dogs — hiding them, feeding them, sleeping beside them. They were his only friends. He had told no one because he was afraid they’d be taken from him.
For seven days, the dogs had been trapped without food or water.
The neighbors recalled the event for a long time, voices shaking. And the house stood empty ever since — as if it refused to forget its terrifying secret.
