Debating whether or not to continue surfing channels, or if the aching in your bladder is to the point where getting up is merited, you suddenly pause-- and press "Mute" on the remote. There it is again-- the sound of a hinge creaking somewhere above you in the house.
The house is old-- much older than you-- built in the early years of the 20th century as a farm house, for a farm which disappeared into suburban cityscape at least fifty (75 seems more likely) years ago. Since that long ago date it has been remodeled many times over-- divided into apartments, apartments transformed into condos, condos torn out and turned into a single family house. At the present, you and a number of friends have rented it as a way to save money, making it some sort of semi-single-family dwelling. Of course, all of them are out for the night-- out at bars, parties, or work-- the typical young adult life for the U.S.A.
Standing, you decide it is probably a good idea to find out where the noise came from. In all likelihood someone left a window open and a breeze pushed a door open. It is probably nothing. So why does the fairly average young man in the mirror look so nervous?
Mounting the stairs to the second floor, you notice that the creaking sound is still continuing, covered somewhat by the creaking of the stairs, your own footfalls, and the wind. Late afternoon summer sunlight filters down from an upstairs window through a haze of dust.
Arriving on the second floor, you trace the noise to a bedroom door standing open about halfway down the hall. Swinging on dark brown, iron hinges, the panel door with its cracked white paint swings slowly back and forth in a breeze smelling of fresh air-- sun drenched grass, clean water, open fields. Not at all the baked blacktop and broken concrete of the city surrounding you. Looking into the room, instead of an open window, you see a door, formerly painted shut, standing open just past the headboard of the queen-sized bed in the room. Feeling compelled to investigate, you move closer to the door, noting the broken paint and wood indicating it was forced open from the inside. A lot of force seems to have been used.
Peeking through the door you see--