My Neighbors Love Stealing

My neighbors across the hall had a nasty habit of stealing. This included my food deliveries, my shoes from the cabinet, and even my clothes drying on the rooftop. Nothing was safe from them. I had enough. One day, I placed a pair of shoes borrowed from my friend, who was battling an extreme case of athlete’s foot, outside my door. Not long after they stole them, they came banging on my door in the middle of the night, furious about the outbreak on their feet. They even filed a complaint at the hospital where I work. I was so furious that I invited a few homeless patients to move in. A muscular man with HIV, an elderly woman with syphilis, and a young man with severe mental health issues became their new neighbors. The thieves could not handle it and begged the landlord to evict them. However, the joke was on them. My family owned the entire building. If anyone was leaving, it certainly was not me.

My Neighbors Love Stealing

My neighbors across the hall had a nasty habit of stealing. This included my food deliveries, my shoes from the cabinet, and even my clothes drying on the rooftop. Nothing was safe from them. I had enough. One day, I placed a pair of shoes borrowed from my friend, who was battling an extreme case of athlete’s foot, outside my door. Not long after they stole them, they came banging on my door in the middle of the night, furious about the outbreak on their feet. They even filed a complaint at the hospital where I work. I was so furious that I invited a few homeless patients to move in. A muscular man with HIV, an elderly woman with syphilis, and a young man with severe mental health issues became their new neighbors. The thieves could not handle it and begged the landlord to evict them. However, the joke was on them. My family owned the entire building. If anyone was leaving, it certainly was not me.

Chapter 1 Chapter 1

It was midnight. I was sound asleep when loud, aggressive pounding on my front door rudely woke me. Groggy and annoyed, I barely cracked the door open before a bucket of foul-smelling water splashed all over me. The icy shock jolted me awake. The stench made me gag before I looked up in fury. Standing in front of me were my neighbors from across the hall. The face of Vera Morri, an old woman, twisted into a horrifying scowl as she planted her hands on her hips and shrieked. “You wretched girl! How dare you try to kill my precious grandson! Let me tell you something, if anything happens to him, I’ll kill you!” Next to her, her son, Gregg Morri, a beer-bellied man holding the empty bucket, glared at me with rage. “You left those shoes that were infected with athlete’s foot at your door on purpose, didn’t you? You’re trying to make my wife lose the baby! You better compensate us!” Behind them stood a woman, Kerry Morri, whose face flushed and contorted as she desperately tried to bend down to scratch her feet. However, with her swollen belly in the way, she could not do so. In the end, she simply glared at me with resentment. I gasped for air. I was trying desperately to suppress the urge to throw up. My chest heaved as I pointed a trembling finger at them. My voice was shaking with rage. “You… How dare you throw filthy water at me! You thieves got what you deserve, and you have the nerve to blame me for it? Do you have any idea…” Before I could finish telling them to leave my property, Vera suddenly took out a toilet plunger and lunged at me with it. Her eyes bulged with fury as she dropped into an exaggerated fighting stance. She shook the plunger wildly and jabbed it toward me like a weapon while yelling, “Back! Back! Back! You wretched girl, how dare you insult us! I’ll teach you what real manners look like!” For a moment, terror overtook my anger. Shaking all over, I slammed the door shut and locked it as fast as I could. Behind the door, I could hear the plunger thudding against the wood and their deranged voices hurling insults. “Get out here and pay us, you little witch!”“Just you wait! We’ll make your life hell! I know you work at Riverstone Hospital!”“You’re a venomous woman who’ll never have kids, and if you do, they’ll be deformed little idiots!” … I leaned against the door. My whole body was trembling with rage. A surge of fiery anger burned through me.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Ever since I moved in, that family across the hall had been stealing anything they could get their hands on. No wonder I found it odd when I first moved in. No one in the entire building kept shoes or umbrellas outside their doors. It turned out that everyone was just trying to protect themselves from this bizarre family. They really loved stealing. It even included my doormat or any food deliveries I did not pick up immediately. They did not even spare my bras, panties, and socks that were hanging out to dry on the rooftop! When the police paid them a visit after receiving surveillance footage from me, Vera dramatically threw herself to the floor and started convulsing. She really deserved a Best Actress Award for that. The officer just sighed like he had seen it all before and advised me to move out if I could. I was speechless. One day, the trash I had left by my door had been scattered everywhere. That was the last straw. I borrowed a pair of shoes from my friend, who was suffering from a severe athlete’s foot, and left them outside. Just as I expected, the shoes were stolen that very night. But I did not expect the whole rotten family to show up at my door in the middle of the night to throw filthy water at me and hurl insults. Did they really think they owned the building? They had pushed me too far. I was going to drive them out!

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

The next morning, I dragged myself to Riverstone Hospital. My face was sporting two massive pimples. Claire Gavin, one of my coworkers, immediately noticed and looked over. “Maddie, what’s wrong? You look awful.” I sighed. “Don’t even ask. I was furious all night.” Before she could press for more details, Dr. Thompson, the director, stormed in. His expression was dark with anger as he stared at me. “Dr. Young, get downstairs and take care of this immediately! Do you have any idea how bad this has gotten?” I had a bad feeling. I hurried down to the outpatient area and saw a massive crowd gathering there. Above them was an enormous banner with bold, eye-catching letters. [Maddie Young Lacks Medical Ethics! Unfit to Practice Medicine!] My eyes widened in shock. Before I could react, Vera, my eccentric neighbor, appeared right in front of me. Her trembling hand pointed straight at me as the sagging flesh on her face quivered with each word. She spat out her accusations with venomous hatred. “Last night, my daughter-in-law’s stomach hurt for hours! This is all your fault! You deliberately left us those infected shoes! You tried to kill my unborn grandson! You’re a disgrace to the medical profession!” The crowd around us erupted in murmurs. Their eyes filled with suspicion as they turned to look at me. The whole situation was simply absurd. My scalp tingled as if it were about to explode. “You must compensate us for our emotional distress! Otherwise, someone devoid of morals like you shouldn’t even think about continuing to practice medicine! You’ll harm countless others!” Her eyes gleamed with such malice that it sent shivers down my spine. At that moment, I was angrier than I had ever been. I shouted incredulously, “Are you kidding me? She only ended up getting athlete’s foot because you guys stole my shoes! Are you seriously blaming me for it?” Before I could say more, Vera dramatically dropped to her knees and wailed, “Listen to her, everyone! It’s not an athlete’s foot, it’s a virus! How could anyone trust a doctor like her? She doesn’t care about your safety at all! She’s completely unethical!” The crowd erupted into louder murmurs. Some even shouted that my medical license needed to be checked. I stood there, unable to defend myself. I could only glare at Vera with terror. I saw her sneak a triumphant smirk. My rage completely overwhelmed me at that moment. I fixed my eyes on her and enunciated every word through gritted teeth. “Stop this nonsense right now! One thousand dollars, take it or leave it. Or we’ll go to the police station.” Her eyes lit up at the mention of money. A greedy grin spread across her face. “I’ll bring the money to you later.” I lowered my voice and clenched my teeth. “Smart move!” She smugly said before rolling up the banner. With the air of someone who had just won a war, she strutted away leisurely. Watching her retreating figure, which was radiating smugness, I felt my blood boil even hotter. My entire body felt like it was about to burst. Noticing my state, Claire offered me a few sympathetic words before hurrying off to calm the crowd. I exhaled deeply, patted my chest to cool myself down. Then, I turned to Dr. Thompson. “Dr. Thompson, I need to take an extended leave.” His expression was grim as he gave a nod. “Sort out your personal issues. Don’t let this affect the hospital.” I clenched my fists and lowered my head to hide the frustration swirling within me. A wicked idea began to form in my mind. After a brief moment of thought, I strode quickly toward the wards and sought out a few homeless patients I had grown close to. I invited them to move to my place! Victor Connor, a man betrayed by his ex-wife and left with HIV, looked at me in shock. “Dr. Young, I may be homeless, but I can’t stay at your place. After all, I’m…” Mrs. Warren, an elderly woman infected with syphilis by her late husband, waved her hands anxiously. “Oh no, no, no! Dr. Young, you’re such a kind person. You’ve already done so much for me. You bring me food every day because I’ve got no one to care for me. I couldn’t possibly trouble you further!” Behind them, Danny Haigh, a young man with mental health issues, hummed a tune as he grinned. “Dr. Young is the best doctor in the world. I can’t do anything to make her life bad.” I quickly interrupted them. My face was flushing red as I explained the situation. For a moment, there was silence in the air. Then, they all erupted at once. “Unbelievable!”“She likes stealing underwear, huh? Steal mine then!”“Dirty thieves… Let’s taint them for real!”