Sometime around lunchtime on Thursday, there was a knock at the door. It made me jump. I wasn't used to sudden noises here. It was strange how quickly I had acclimated to the quiet in this apartment.

I hurried to look out the peephole. There was no one outside. It made me nervous, suspicious almost, but I couldn't resist opening the door to be sure. I could open and shut it quickly, hopefully faster than whoever was waiting to ambush me in the hall.

I opened a crack, ...