Page 1 of The Man Upstairs

Prologue

Rosie

It wasfive months ago that our block got a new resident upstairs in apartment number six. The new resident might have been beautiful, without the heaviness of the world on his shoulders.

He was tall, with dark hair stranded with silver, and a sculpted brow over bright green eyes. Well-dressed but unkempt, in tailored suits slightly too big for his lean frame. He looked gaunt, like he’d seen happier days. Much, much happier days…

A man like him shouldn’t be here in block four of Crenham Drive, with its faded green carpet hallways. He was out of place amongst the stale smell and the peeling paintwork.

No. The man in apartment six didn’t belong here, but he’d arrived with a barrage of whispers.Disgusting, seedy, nasty. Fucked up. Perverted. Arrogant, reclusive. Sinister.

They said he was a disgraced teacher, who’d preyed on his students. A sick man, who deserved prison. Someone on the run.

They said a lot of things, in fact.

Other residents would scowl at me with hissed voices, always the same morbid tune.

Rosie, don’t you ever, ever talk to the man upstairs.

You’d better stay the fuck away from the man upstairs, he’s trouble, Rosie.

So I, sweet little Rosie, heeded their advice. I’d shiver whenever I caught sight of him, eyes dropping whenever he passed by me in the hall. I did what I was told and I never, ever talked to the man upstairs.

Not until one night, in total desperation, when I had nowhere else to turn…

Chapter One

Rosie

Mum’s screamwas so loud, I heard it over my earphones, my audiobook drowned out by her terror. Fuck, how I ran.

Dinner plates were crashing from the draining board as I raced into the kitchen, smashing into jagged chunks over the floor. There was Scottie, slamming Mum into the oven as she lashed out and battled against him. She screamed obscenities in his face until the vicious, stumpy weasel clamped his hands around her throat.

“You’d better shut the fuck up now, Bev, you stupid, fucking bitch!”

I screamed before I charged, set to wrestle him to free my mum, but he elbowed me away like I was a scrawny wisp, knowing I wasn’t strong enough to stop him.

“FUCK OFF, ROSIE! KEEP OUT OF IT!”

Mum was choking, her eyes wide as she struggled, and I didn’t know what to do. Then he slapped her and shook her and slapped her some more before he was at it again, hands back crushing her windpipe. I was shaking too bad to try to put a knife into him, so I bolted out of the apartment and down the corridor to hammer at Martha’s door.

“MARTHA, IT’S ROSIE! HELP! HELP! IT’S SCOTTIE! HE’S GOT MUM!”

I could hear the roar of the TV from her living room as I hammered. Thank fuck she was in there.

“MARTHA, PLEASE! OPEN THE DOOR!!”

The TV went quiet, and I could hear Rolo barking. I heard her approach the other side, but she didn’t open up for me.

“Call the police!” she shouted, but I didn’t have time.

I slammed my fists against the wood.

“MARTHA, PLEASE! HE’S CHOKING HER!”

“CALL THE FUCKING POLICE!” she screamed back.

Fuck it, she wasn’t going to open the door.