the man next door

As I pulled into the driveway Ted is stood in the street being handcuffed by officers and being pressed up against a cop car. When I get out of my car, I start to stare at the scene happening in the street. The other residents gasp at the sight of Ted being arrested. They start to chatter about he was "such a nice man" and how they "couldn't understand why this was happening" The officers shove Ted into the car and all of a sudden, he catches my eyes, and he is staring back at me. He flashes a smile at me, and I immediately feel uneasy. I bolted into my house and locked the door. I feel anxious and terrified. So, I decided to go to sleep.

The next day I go to the store to buy some groceries and while I’m waiting in line to pay for my goods the ladies begin talking amongst themselves. "Did you hear about ted" the blonde lady says.

"Gosh, yes" the auburn-haired woman says.

"Do you know why he was arrested" she asks.

"Not sure, maybe he was the guy who robbed the mini mart" the other one replies.

"Ah yes, that must be it.”

I'm frozen in place and all I can think about is the screams I heard from his house during the middle of the night. None of the other neighbors seemed to hear because they had lived farther down the street due to the park. Therefore, only me and ted were left at the end of the block. I remember seeing ted dragging bags into the woods one particular day. He always had a creepy grin on his face. He was terrifying. then when I watched a girl run desperately out of his house one-night screaming, I knew something was wrong. So, I did it. I called the cops. I think ted knew somehow. I think I may be next.