...and then my neighbours started screaming.

I had no idea what they were screaming about, but I heard it from three apartments over. I could only imagine what it was like for the people next door.

They were having a party over there, I suppose. Or rough sex.

Or a fight.

Or somebody’d broken in, was doing God knows what, and they were begging someone, anyone, for help. And we were ignoring their pleas because in this neighbourhood screaming’s no longer a surprising thing.

I hoped it wasn’t the latter.

I put my earbuds back in, cranked the volume, and returned to what I was doing…