Meeting the neighbours

It had been a great night. Alone for the weekend, his wife visiting family out of town, Mark had spent the evening at a local bar with a few friends. They had downed countless beers as they watched the game and bantered about nothing in particular, even indulging in a few rounds of shots later in the night.

Eventually the lights came up and bar staff began putting chairs up on tables so they called it a night, each going their separate ways. Mark walked the short journey home in good spirits, it was Friday night, he was drunk and he had the whole weekend to himself. Sure he loved his wife but some alone time was always welcome. In fact this would be his first night alone in their new apartment, having only moved in a few weeks ago - a perfect opportunity to christen the place with a long night of gaming on the couch, maybe even a little porn. Life was good.

Soon Mark arrived at his apartment block, a large art-deco style building spread across four floors. Their apartment was on the top floor and without a lift, the climb could be a chore, especially in an **** state. He unlocked the security door and let himself into the stairwell, making more noise than he had hoped, the door banging shut loudly behind him. He glanced upward towards home, the twisting staircase above causing him to feel a slight wave of nausea which he quickly shook off and began the final leg of his journey.

In no time he was at his door, struggling to get the key in the lock. He fumbled at it for a few moments, cursing under his breath when suddenly the door swung open. Mark wore an expression of complete shock as he gaped at the stranger looking back at him.