Frank Kennedy here again, this time with a case that I think about often. I'm sure I'm far from the only person who in moments of stress or fatigue hears something strange. We all hear things from time to time, but what do we do when the things we hear wind up having grave consequences?
The following was a thread created on the advice section of a forum dedicated to DIY and home repair, it was titled, “How to deal with a screaming neighbor?”:
“Hey guys, I’ve been having a really annoying issue lately and I was wondering if you had any advice. You guys all helped me so much when I was moving into my new place and thanks to you guys it’s been great, except for one thing. Every night, starting at about 10 PM until 2 PM I can hear one of my neighbors screaming. It sounds like a woman, but there’s never any words, and there’s never any breaks, it’s like she just starts up at 10 and it keeps going for 4 hours. At first I tried to put it out of my mind but I just can’t sleep or focus on anything, it’s so loud. What should I do?”
First reply:
“OP, why haven’t you called the cops yet? A women is screaming every night and all you can think about is your sleep, wtf.” OP:
“Sorry, I forgot to mention that in my post. After the first couple of nights I phoned the police, they said they were busy but would come around when they could. About half an hour after the screaming stopped a squad car showed up and I told them what was going on. They drove around to all the neighbor’s houses and asked everyone about the screaming. Apparently nobody else had heard anything. But its gotta be one of my neighbors, how else would it happen every night at the exact same time.”
Another commenter:
“Are you sure its not a mountain lion? Those can make sounds that are like a woman screaming. Maybe that’s what you’re hearing?”
OP:
“Idk, a mountain lion right in suburban [Redacted]? That seems really weird to me. Either way, I think I just need to figure out a way to block out the sound so I can get some sleep.”
After that OP and the other commenters discussed various soundproofing methods in order to block the sound. The thread fell dormant for three days, until the OP returned with this:
“Hey guys, quick question. I installed all the stuff you recommended me but I was wondering if I did something wrong? I swear instead of blocking out the screaming its only getting louder. Its really starting to freak me out a bit.”
Commenter:
“What do you mean its getting louder? It shouldn’t, looking at all the stuff you decided to install it looks like your room should be dead silent.”
OP:
“Well it was silent for a couple days, and I slept easy. But last night it started up again. Before I would hear it and it would sound far off, like someone was screaming in the house next door, but last night was different. Starting at 10 PM it was like someone was screaming right into my ear. I looked around but I was all alone.”
Another commenter:
“Are you sure that it’s not something going wrong with your ear? Maybe you should see a doctor?”
OP:
“You might be right, I don’t think I’m going to sleep tonight anyway so I’ll call in to work tomorrow and see what’s up.”
Two days past and the thread was revived when someone posted in the thread:
“Hey OP, any update? I keep thinking about that story, it’s a little spooky haha.”
OP:
“Yeah, I went to the doctor and he checked out my ears and told me everything was fine. He suggested that instead of going home I check into a hotel and see if I can get a good nights sleep. I did just that and basically just passed out a little after 9. I woke up around 10:30 in tears. The voice was back, and it was louder then ever, like it was inside my ear. I felt like I was paralyzed. I stayed there, curled up in terror, for hours, waiting for 2 o’clock to come around and the screaming to stop. But it didn’t. This time it kept going all night and into the morning. It finally went away around 8:45 but I don’t know when it’ll come back.”
Commenter:
“That’s fucked OP. Maybe you should go back to the doctor, I wonder if it might be your mental health that’s causing it, considering that it followed you to the hotel room.”
OP:
“Idk man, I don’t think I’m crazy or anything. Besides, as weird as it might sound, I kind of want to hear it again. Last night the screaming started to sound different, and the more I focused in on it, the more it seemed almost like I could hear distinct words. It almost feels like someone is trying to tell me something. It scares the shit out of me but deep down I need to know what it is she’s saying.”
A few more days past with no word from the OP. People tried to summon him for an update but the thread died unanswered.
Now, finding and cataloging threads like this was only the first part of my job. After letting the thread run its course I then had to do my own research to ascertain the identity of the poster and what became of them after the incident. This case in particular took some time. I couldn’t find any other accounts with the same username, let alone any sort of early social media. I was only able to find a lead by searching through news archives from the city he mentioned, and even then I only found a single newspaper article. However, that articles headline still gives me chills to this day:
“Man Found Dead From Bloodloss After Both Ears Cut Off”
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