Pete still couldn't believe it, it could only be a nightmare, but he still tasted the blood in his mouth.Now the rain was falling, he believed he was alone in that cemetery, all the people had already left, but he couldn't, he didn't know how to do that. The memory of that day was still in his memory, he relived it again and again.He stayed there for a few minutes crying for his beloved who had been ripped from his arms. He felt like someone was watching him, so he got up quickly and looked around, there was no one, the funeral had ended a few hours ago, but he couldn't get rid of that feeling, so he decided that it would be time to leave , when he was on his way to the exit he saw a man who was wearing black clothes, mask and cap get on the motorcycle and leave, for a second he thought he made eye contact with that man, his dark eyes had looked straight into Pete's.Pete put his hand on the gun he carried in his shorts, he didn't know how to use it yet, but he was sure he would learn and that he would seek revenge for Zach's death.Two days ago.- I hate it when you have to leave. Pete had his arms wrapped around his boyfriend Zach's neck.- I promise I'll be back first thing in the morning to wake you up.
The boyfriend replied, giving him a few kisses to calm a very upset Pete.
He hated when his boyfriend left in the middle of the night, he said it was work, but Pete never knew exactly what he did.They were standing outside Pete's condo when a car slowly approached with an open window and gunshots were heard; Zach pushed Pete away with the intention of protecting him and drew his gun to return the shots, when a motorcycle passed at high speed and shot at him, this time hitting him with several shots.Pete was hiding behind a bush and saw everything that had happened, as soon as the vehicles left, he ran to meet his boyfriend, who was lying on the ground, almost without strength he put the gun in Pete's hand and spoke for him to get out of there and hide. Pete was crying uncontrollably, he refused to leave and leave him there alone, but he was afraid the men would come back. Zach was covered in blood and Pete kissed him several times before leaving, those lips that had once tasted sweet now carried the heavy iron taste that came with blood.Pete takes off running, looking back a few times. On the way to his best friend's house, he called the ambulance, but he knew there was nothing they could do for his boyfriend, he had died and Pete was feeling an emptiness in his chest that would be able to swallow him.A few days had passed since everything had happened, already back at his apartment Pete was trying to get the footage from the security cameras in the building. The excuse is always the same. "We already gave it to the police, let them sort it out" Pete was tired of waiting and he knew the police weren't going to get there any way, so he decided he was going to hack his building's monitoring system. He was proud to be a nerd who loved messing with computers and now he was going to use what he knew for his revenge. On the way back to his apartment Pete saw a man standing in front of the elevator door. He found it strange because he had never seen it before, but decided to ignore it. He stopped beside him to wait for the elevator and when it arrived the two got on.
- What's your floor? the man asked politely.
- 6, please.
The man then pressed the number 6 and no other, Pete tried to look to see if he recognized him, but he was wearing a mask and his long hair covered some of his face. He decided then that he had too much on his mind to be thinking about an unknown man he would probably never see again. The elevator opened and the man waited until Pete was out of the way before leaving. The apartments were only 4 apartments per floor in that building and when the man went in the same direction as Pete he was surprised, but again he didn't want to give too much importance. His apartment was 602 right down the hall. The man kept following him, that was getting weird, he hurried the steps and with his hand in his pocket he took the card and passed it in the lock opening the door and entering quickly. He stood behind the door looking through the peephole to see what the man's next move would be.
- I'm your new neighbor.
The man said laughing. Pete was still looking through the peephole when he saw him take out the card and touch the lock causing the door to open instantly."He wanted me to guess?" He thought to himself. Pete then noticed that even after the neighbor's door closed he was still staring at the closed door through the peephole. Days passed and Pete's obsession with finding out any information about his boyfriend's death was consuming him, he almost didn't leave the house unless it was essential. Pete was sitting at the big desk where his computer sat in the corner of his apartment's living room when he heard a knock on the door, "maybe it's the food I ordered" he got up looking for his credit card in the middle of the mountain of papers that there was on his desk, he couldn't find it, another knock. - I'm coming, just a moment. He continued to search hurriedly. One more knock and he screamed impatiently - I already said I'm fucking coming! When he finally found the card, he swore a little and opened the door, only to find his new neighbor holding a bag. He looked confused- He was in a hurry so I paid for you. Said the neighbor pushing the bag towards Pete. Pete was still confused.
- I'll get the money wait here for a while.
He spoke giving the indication that he was going to enter the house only to be interrupted by the man.
- No need, it's a welcome gift.
- Shouldn't it be the other way around?
Every day that passed Pete found that man stranger still, and why every time they met he was all in black?
- I'm just trying to be kind.
- Well thanks.
Pete finally picked up the bag of food and without another word the man walked into his apartment.Pete entered his apartment, placed food on top of the marble countertop that separated the kitchen from the living room and picked up his cell phone, which was ringing desperately
- I thought you were dead, why didn't you answer right away?
Tan, his best friend was always so dramatic.
- I was busy, and anyway where are you? It's already half an hour late.
- I'm parking the car, I'm starving.
As soon as he ended the call Pete went to the kitchen to pack the food he had ordered, he had already taken almost everything out of the bag when he noticed a note inside.
"Stop looking for what happened to your boyfriend, or you'll have the same fate as him."
Pete was in shock, who had sent that note? How had it gotten inside his delivery? The first thing Pete thought of was his neighbor, but why the hell would he send me a message like that? And how would he know the story? Pete held the paper angrily, he crumpled it up and decided he was going to confront the neighbor, if it wasn't him, at least he could tell who had delivered the food to him. Pete was in front of his door knocking repeatedly, a few knocks later the door opened and the vision was of a man with a towel on his head drying his wet hair, just wearing only a pair of sweatpants, leaving his entire abdomen toned out. It took Pete a second to assimilate what he was seeing, it was the first time he had seen him without a mask and he didn't expect to see him almost without clothes either.
- How can I help?
The man's voice snapped him out of his trance, Pete blinked a few times and then realized that he didn't even know the neighbor's name, but that would have to wait.
- Why did you put that in my food?
He pushed the paper towards the man in front of him and with the proximity they were in his hand hit the man's chest. Vegas took the paper and after reading it made a confused face.
- Why do you think it was me?
- Of course it was you, why would you pay for my food? What do you want? What do you know about this? Pete was screaming.
- I paid for your food out of politeness, which you don't seem to know.
- You're an idiot. Who handed you this food?
- I don't know him, it was a teenager from the delivery service who was in a hurry because he had parked his bicycle on the street.
He seemed to be telling the truth, but Pete was suspicious, everything about him was suspicious.
- Next time don't do me any favors.
- Why would I do favors for someone as rude as you? My name is Vegas, by the way.
The neighbor was being sarcastic Pete pulled the paper out of the man's hand.
- Go fuck yourself, Vegas.
Vegas was openly laughing now, the sound of his laughter echoing throughout the hallway filling it with sound. As he turned to enter the house, Pete found his friend looking at Vegas as if he could count every inch of his body with his eyes, he had probably witnessed some part of that situation.
- Do not say a word.
Pete warned his friend that before entering the apartment he took one last look at the shirtless neighbor who was now leaning against the door, Vegas did not miss the opportunity to give a malicious smile, before Pete closed the door in his face.
- I think I should move to this building, much more inhabited than mine. Tan was already drooling over his friend's new neighbor.
- He's a big idiot.
Pete told the story of the food and, handing over the note, he also explained the story of the fight in the hallway.
- Why do you think he did it? I didn't understand how he could be connected to all this?
- You have to admit that paying for my food was very suspicious of him.
- I think you're getting paranoid and should take this note to the police.
- As if the police would do anything.
A few hours earlier.
- Is this food for 602?
Vegas asked the delivery man in the elevator. He knew it was for Pete because he'd heard him announce it to the doorman.
- Yes.
- It's in my apartment, what a coincidence, I think my boyfriend ordered food for us. I can pay right now and save you time.
.- It would help me a lot, I still have a lot of deliveries.
And so Vegas paid for the food and went to deliver it to Pete.