Wide eyed and startled, Ashley stared at the landlord in confusion for a moment, then shook his head. "No. I thought I heard something. A possum. A cat."

He was still carrying the bag of food, but the landlord didn't need to know what was inside it. Ashley shrugged and turned back up the stairs.

No sign of his pet in the stairwell. Ashley hesitated at his doorway and then opened it, surprised to find the creature waiting there for him.

"If there's somewhere you're trying to get to, I'll take you there," Ashley said, shutting the door and holding out the bag of food again, determined on this issue.