The Man Upstairs

A Fictional Series

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JACK ROGERS, UNIT 104

I can’t say that I know much about the new guy upstairs, but I can tell you I don’t trust him. Stan said he’s already made the moves on Carla – which is ridiculous because he’s too damn old. Carla’s only a few years older than me… and she’s f-ing beautiful. What could she possibly see in him?

Maybe he has money. Yeah, I bet that’s it. He’s probably loaded. So why in the hell is he living here? A guy like that could live anywhere. Not that 4th and Main is so terrible. Like I said, I’m hoping to buy it someday, but I sure as hell won’t be living in it once I do!

What’s even weirder is that I ran into Larry this morning, when I was getting my mail, and he went on and on saying that he saw the old man go into Stan’s place the other day. I haven’t seen Stan in a couple of days, but I’m dying to get the scoop. Larry thinks he was buying pot, but he thinks that about everybody.

Stan wouldn’t sell pot to him anyway. He got busted years ago, selling to a cop. That was back when it was illegal to smoke. It was entrapment, no doubt, but he lost everything – his job, his girlfriend, and even his house. He lived on the streets for a couple of years after that!

He told me that once he got into 4th and Main he swore to himself that he’d never take a chance like that again. Ever. No matter what. Not even if it was totally legal.

Hey, maybe the old guy knew that Stan was telling everyone about him and Carla. Maybe he went in there to warn him – to shut him up, you know?

Oh hell, it’s all speculation right now. But if I don’t see Stan by tomorrow morning I’m having Larry get the key from the owner. We need to make sure he’s not still inside, lying in a pool of his own blood.

TO BE CONTINUED

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So, I think I’m done feeling off kilter. I decided that the main thing that was getting me down was the fact that I’m spending too much time on illustrations that I don’t really like. It’s getting hard for me lately, and it could just be that I need a break from trying to create images. Maybe my heart’s not in it. I don’t know but I feel better knowing I can ease up on that end.

That being said, I found an image of a corner street sign and edited it just a little (it actually read 5th and Main), then converted it to a somewhat eerie black and white. What a time saver. But now the building is known as 4th and Main rather than Fourth and Main – if there’s a difference. Haha!

I also decided to make each segment shorter so they don’t need to go into as much detail and they’re quicker reads. Each time a tenant talks we not only learn a little more about them, but we also learn about the others – or at least their thoughts about the others.

I think it’s at an interesting point right now as it’s giving the reader a little glimpse into how rumors start or spread, and how people’s imaginations can paint some really strange pictures when they try to jump to their own conclusions.

Anyway, that’s about all for now. Thanks for reading… I hope you enjoyed!