Elian heard the shriek emanating from above and was petrified in his place for a moment of shock

  ?' This cry belongs to our neighbor from the upper floor '

  ?Directly upon his realization of this and his sense of urgency—stemming from the notion that someone was in distress—he ascended the stairs, impelled by pure gallantry or innate kindness

  ?Elian knew not what had spurred him to ascend the stairs, for he did not consider himself the valiant type of man, nor one of those hot-blooded individuals who relish tribulations

  Yet, in the end, he soon found himself upon the fourth floor

  ?The floor was dark, as was any other floor in this building, with that carbonaceous blackness shrouding the walls

  It was not merely that the place was dark; Elian felt for a moment that the floor was charred in a manner more pronounced than the remaining stories

  ?As if this were not sufficient to instill suspicion within him, during his ascent, he could for an instant perceive the scent of something scorched; thus, he could surmise that a conflagration was present

  ?Upon that floor, which you would have for a moment believed to be entirely dark and charred, he was able to discern the fundamental divergence between this story and the rest

  ?The distinction was the presence of some light emanating from the door of the residence belonging to the lady from the upper floor; in that moment, when he re-examined the walls, he found no traces of the excessive charring he had previously beheld; indeed, the olfactory trace of the fire had vanished

  ?But he was not afforded much time for contemplation

  ?" Hah.. hah.. hah... hah "

  ?Soon, Elian could hear a loud intake of breath, the owner of which seemed terrified

  ?He gazed toward the source of the sound and could perceive his neighbor seated upon the floor, her physique trembling while she panted in a desperate quest for oxygen

  He had not beheld her at the first glance, as the place was dark

  ?Yet that did not deter him from inquiring while feeling anxious for her sake

  ?" Madam, what has transpired? Why did you shriek? "

  ?" Elian ?!

  ?You must deliver me "

  When the lady beheld the youth, Elian, she appeared like one who was drowning in the ocean and had encountered a lifebuoy, hastening to seize it

  ?And this was not truly a metaphorical expression; for in that moment, the lady clung to Elian’s legs as though she feared he might abandon her

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  ?Elian attempted to withdraw or maintain a distance between them, yet he was startled by the magnitude of the strength with which she held him, or perhaps he is merely feeble

  He could not discern which, but he sensed that this lady was disoriented and not truly within her conscious mind; thus, he questioned her in the hope of comprehending what was amiss

  ?" Very well, Madam, I shall assist you, fret not; but what has occurred that you should shriek? From what must I deliver you? "

  ?" Ahh "

  ?The lady’s eyes appeared somewhat bewildered as she peered around her

  As though she had grasped the unseemly act she was just committing, the lady established a distance between herself and Elian to withdraw slightly and peer around again, as if ensuring the peril had subsided

  ?Finally, after gazing for a while behind Elian to ensure he was solitary, clarity manifested in her eyes and she cried out with a modicum of the audacity she had gathered

  ?" A brigand! That is correct, there is a brigand present in this building !! "

  ?" A brigand, Madam? Very well, whither has he fled? "

  Elian inquired, but soon he felt perplexed by the lady’s response

  ?" He ran downward via the stairs "

  ?How could anyone traverse the stairs and bypass him while the path barely sufficed for two?

  With simple cogitation, Elian responded instinctively

  " Hah? But I have just ascended from below and encountered no soul "

  ?The lady appeared aghast and spoke swiftly, as though she feared he might deem her demented

  ?" No, he is present; you must credit me, I have just beheld him, I swear "

  ?Elian felt a certain strangeness regarding what his neighbor uttered

  ?Regardless of his being truly exhausted today, it was not to the extent that a brigand could descend via the narrow stairs without him taking notice

  ?But since the lady from the upper floor was somewhat eccentric, he decided to indulge her out of kindness

  ?" Very well, Madam, can you inform me how the brigand appeared or what he was clad in, so that we may inquire in the street about him? "

  ?" I- I know not; I did not perceive his countenance clearly due to the darkness

  ?His form was dark, and he was clad in a black mantle, and he is of a tall stature, loftier than you by about this much "

  The lady, who had regained some of her composure to a certain extent, approached Elian and raised her hand above his head by a distance of about half a head

  ?It must be noted that Elian himself is not short; rather, he is considered somewhat tall

  ?For his stature is 1.89

  ?' To this height? That is close to two meters! '

  By her speech just now, he became certain that this lady was delirious

  ?Thus, he responded, feigning solidarity in his tone

  " Very well, Madam, with attributes such as his, it will be facile to question the people if they have beheld him

  ?After all, regardless of his height, it would be difficult for people not to perceive a man clad in a mantle "

  ?" Yes "

  ?The lady still appeared anxious

  ?True, she was in the mid-forties, but the conspiratorial paranoia that afflicted her throughout the time truly made her not appear as though she possessed any wisdom or serenity that one might acquire with the longevity of life

  ?But who was he to judge her while the members of his own family appeared more mad?

  ?But then again, that lady is mad

  ?' Especially since it is impossible for a person of two meters to pass via the stairs while I am within them; she must be delirious! '

  ?Out of goodwill to reassure her, Elian proposed an idea to pacify her

  ?" But Madam, perhaps he is not a brigand; perhaps he is someone who entered the wrong building because he was inebriated or the like "

  ?" No! I am certain he was a brigand "

  ?" And why is that? "

  ?Elian questioned her, but soon he felt regret for his curiosity

  ?" I was watching the television in the living room while I could hear the sound of the house doorbell chiming

  ?So I surmised it was my daughter who had come to visit me

  ?You know she comes to the house every Tuesday

  ?But soon I sensed that something was amiss

  ?The time was late, while my daughter always returns by day and not after sunset

  ?Thus, when I reflected upon the matter, I soon recollected that my daughter had called in the morning to inform me she was ill !"

  ?Elian interrupted her

  ?" Very well, Madam, but what is the relation of this to the brigand? As I said, perhaps he is merely a person who lost his way "

  ?The lady continued, agitated, her face betraying the anxiety that she might be misunderstood; thus, she spoke somewhat rapidly

  ?" That is what I surmised as well; I thought perhaps there was something

  ?So I cast a glance at the recording of the surveillance camera situated outside the door and I beheld no one.

  ?Of course, I surmised it was a prank from one of the children or something; so I was already returning to the television, but I was interrupted again by the sound of the bell chiming

  ?This time, because the phone was already in my hand, I could cast a swift glance, but again I encountered no one.....

  ?So I proceeded to open the house door, and when I did, I beheld a massive man whose features were not clear standing before me!

  ?No sooner had I opened the door than he shoved the door with his hand, and with the other hand, he raised his hammer and was poised to strike me with it !!!

  ?Here, I shrieked from fear, and when he heard me shriek, he ran via the stairs downward "