Night walk to the unknown (Romina)

After leaving the ER it always seemed like the fatigue fell down from the sky over Romina's shoulders. She was very tire, per haps more than usual. There were many things in her head, among them the upcoming rent payment among other finantial problems.

As she was reaching the Salvador's home her mind drifted to the unusual aspects of this case, it wasn't usual for her to go to her patients houses but there was nothing normal about this case in particular anyway. She couldn't believe that a monster could exists, she had to look at it with her own eyes or figure the scientific explaination for this strange situation.

The old building was five floors high, very old and overpopulated, in particular the four floor where the Salvador family lived. The buzz opener door was damage and she easily entered to meet the stairs, the elevator was long gone many years ago. On the way up it was common to hear several TV and music devices loud enough to be clearly heard in the corridors.

Eventually she got to the top of the old concrete stairs, it had many fractures and missing parts, it was very easy to fall down in this place. At least that part of the story checked. She identified what side of the building corresponded to the to letter G.

The loud noises around came from this floor and the floor below. Still one more floor before the rooftop. The barrier of the stairs were in concrete as well, a relic from times in NYC where buildings had less prefabricated materials and more armoured concrete.

The walls were very deteriorated, not to the point where you have graffities everyone but definetely time has worn the once bright paint of the walls. Most of the lights were those yellowish incandecent bulbs, nothing as sofisticated as flourecent white light in the entire building.

Other than that just old wooden closed doors.

The outside of the building was wary and old as expected, the once shining bricks were now painted over with a mixture of red paint and may be oxide to renew its visage but without glory. The humidity was quite disguised and fractures here and there were almost invisible.

Turning around the structure Romina found the windows related to the appartment 4G, three old ones in one face of the building and two in the other. All lights except one were off, she remembered that the father had went home and may be she could have knocked to ask him a few questions.

As expected the there were many ways to get into the appartment or out in case of emergency, the first was an emergency ladder, the other a balcony too close to a one similar in the appartment from where an agile person could jump from and last the contiguous building in front was also very close.

The alley is still waiting for the disposal service to appear, the trash dump is close, wide open and full of stuff. Also several boxes were left by the neighbors, along with some newspaper left by the nightcrawlers usually sleeping close here. The lower level of the ladder was closer to the first floor about two yards in the air, making almost imposible to reach unless you're a parkur master.

The system is quite simple, to escape anyone can step on the ladder or push it down to make it descend. While from the base level the ladder will only come down by pulling it down.

The trash container was the only object stiff enough to resist her weight but sadly was too heavy to move. Of course there were other options, like pileing wooden boards to attempt of climbing and it took her a while to figure out that there was no way for her to climb to that ladder.

Half frustrated and half curious about the situation of little Brian, she had more than enough reasons to retreat and go home for a nice box and can meal and watch TV, when suddenly one of the windows she had identified to be corresponded to the appartament opened, allowing out a nightcrawler in a hood, easily climbing out to the roof, leaving a closed window behind it.

Romina could not believe own her eyes...

The alley was very dark, specially with the post lights shining against the person in the lowest position. Nothing but a shade of someone in a hooded sweater going on the roof was everything Romina could see until the nightcrawler went out of her sight.

She hurried again to enter the building almost running upstairs, there was something strange in the way that the nightcrawler went out that window, something animalistic, something un-human. Half way in the second floor her mind was already racing to conclussions, feeling a little lost for what he had just seen.

Romina was gasping in front of the apartment 4G where the family lives. Will the father be home?

Still unbelieving the strange nature of that event and worried about the family Romina tries the door knob. The door was closed.

The medic knocks the door a couple of times and eventually it opens. At the other side of it was a baffed father of family, his eyes go wide thinking the worst about his family, turning pale for a minute.

The man was still in disbelieve, baffed by Romina's presence.

-I was just passing by I remembered the address. Your kid is with your wife back at the hospital..I was just curious about his fall, but I guess it was the stairs, huh?-

He blinks heavily, assesting the commitment of the doctor to come to investigate the stairs that caused his boy to be hurted earlier. He says.
"Mmmm... yes doctor. He tried to run down stairs and fell.."

The man looked genuinely confused by the situation.

just imagine he got lucky he only hurt his knee and I know your wife mentioned something

The guy looks sincerely worried that something worth could happend. He says nothing but shows concern.

is there a possibility some creep is stalking your kid? There are a lot of weirdoes out there

Again the father seems slow about getting the point of all these but trusting that Romina is a good person, trying to do the right thing he goes against the logic of any newyorker about stranger in their doorsteps.
"Listen doc, my home is safe. I'm trying really hard to keep ma' boy from harm, ok? What can I do to prevent this from happening? He tells me someone is there I go to check out but the truth is... THERE'S NO ONE!"

Well...you know kids are more sensitive than adults

He crumpled up his face and said.
"Sensitive? ... To what exactly? Are you going to talk to me about ghosts? really doctor?"

The man closes up his arms and then continues.
"I'm sorry doc, you mean well but I don't have time for this B.S... kids made up things, period. When you have a rational theory let me know, in the mean time good night." and he slams the door closed.

Romina went upstaris looking for an access to the roof top, the old door wasn't effectively closed, just pushing it was enough to open it. The night was very cold and this high the breeze makes even harder to stay still without shivering. There was Romina a good nice medical technician breaking in private property, holding an edge weapon to defend against a children abuser she was chasing.