I Think I Killed the Old Lady Upstairs!

OH HELLS NO!  Of course this happens the day after my parents (namely my dad) left and on the day Max is in Rome for a class.  I went outside to take the garbage to the curb (at this new place, each house takes out the garbage from his/her own general garbage can and puts it on the  curb and it must be in large transparent bags.   That's so that the garbage people can see whats inside and fine you if you don't separate your garbage.  Inside the bag can been opaque bags (like shopping bags), but the exterior bag must be transparent.  Weird and contradictory.  The other garbage (cans, glass, plastic, food) go into separate bins and we haven't quite figured out who takes those out yet.  In any case it's a nasty mess over there.  But I digress).  I as I picked up the bags, I noticed that some peanut shells were falling out and I was muttering begrudgingly under my breath about which idiot member of my family just through the shells into the bin and not put them in a bag (and they were in the wrong bin too). Then I noticed that the bags had holes and PLOOF, as I pulled one of the bags towards me a little black scurrying ball fell out... and so of course I screamed bloody murder.  I scared the people walking down the street and the old lady upstairs, god I hope I didn't induce a heart attack.  And I still had to walk the stupid bags to the curb!  I walked in the most awkward position keeping the bag as far away from me as possible in case another one of those things fell out!  As revenge, the people across the street were falling over with laughter as the realized from my stance what I was screaming about. I the proceeded to run back to the bin, slam the top shot and run upstairs, slam and lock the door-you know just in case he came back a knockin.
side note:  I have now seen a mouse scurry across the whole court and dart into a whole under our garage.  Max just bought packets of poison and shoved them in the holes and bin, but what if one of those stupid things dies outside the hole and I have to see it or walk over it....thank god we are LEAVING soon!