[Para Bellum]

...I woke up by a loud bang at 03:30 (am). My pulse was at 180 and I lay in bed still and listening. Then another smashing sound. I realized that there was a fight in the flat above mine. I opened the door and saw my neighbor (same floor) at his door. Both of us were frightened and torn out of deep sleep. We called the cops.

But they took some time and the fight, the booms and crashes went on. So I found I couldn't just wait and listen. My neighbor said he wouldn't go up since he had wife and kids in his flat (?).

So I took my heart in both hands and went upstairs alone to ring their doorbell. I didn't know these upper neighbours because I had just moved in. As I rang the door the fighting stopped. Nobody opened. Silence. I felt pretty naked, unarmed. All I had was (then) perfect fitness and 10yrs of martial arts (no I have a wife and kids, too). Didn't feel all too convincing. I expected a knife or at least someone at rage. Silence still. So I wend downstairs and kept on waiting for the cops. The fighting started again. I went up again. It stopped again.

Then, after 20 minutes or so the cops came. They banged at the door until it was opened. The situation was that the couple was fighting fiercely. Both were hurt, none of both wanted to file any charges. Furniture was borken, shattered etc. Cops said he was hurt more than she (little wildcat).

The next months I met both of them in the staircase occasionally. Both were extremely friendly.

I didn't hear a woman screaming that night. If I had, I might have felt forced to kick the door open and intervene. And as I said even with my fitness and my martial arts background I felt pretty naked. I went through this over and over again. Soon after that I bought my first handgun soon after. I can't just watch or listen.