there, you idiot! I can see she’s got you duped along with these other idiots. I, for one, am not going to stick around and give her the satisfaction. I have better things to do.”
“Go then! I’m staying! I’m not giving up.”
Oh my god! They aren’t going to give up! I’m being stalked! What the hell did I do to deserve this? Go away! Just go away!
I wondered if I should call the police and report the intruders. Then it occurred to me that the intruders might be the police.
What have I done?
I scrolled through my memory, looking for things I might have done to make the police want me.
I owned my house, paid my taxes and all of my bills were paid up to date. I was quiet as a mime; my neighbors barely knew I existed. I didn’t do drugs other than my prescriptions and didn’t associate with unsavory people. Hell, I didn’t associate with any people.
Colin, where are you when I need you?
Colin would make everything ok. I just needed to get back to my bedroom, where my laptop was.
Afraid to breathe, I crept backward a tiny step at a time. When I reached the bedroom, I ducked inside and pushed the door shut. I leaned against the door frame, listening.
In the living room, the phone started to ring again. It rang once, twice, three times. Four times. Maybe the answering machine had gotten unplugged somehow.
I had better check – wait – what?
Midway through the fifth ring, a woman answered my phone.
“A mitten,” she said.
What? A mitten?
Someone had answered my phone. Which meant that someone was in my house!
Why, oh why didn’t I put a lock on my bedroom door?
I’d never considered putting a lock on my bedroom door. Up until that moment, I’d felt secure enough in my own home that I didn’t feel the need to install additional locks inside the house.
I listened for footsteps but heard nothing.
Colin! Help me! I didn’t know what he could have done to help besides talk to me, but I would have given anything to feel the comfort of his arms around me.
I needed to get out of the house. Too much freaky shit was going on. I needed to get outside and get some fresh air; get a change of scenery.
I needed to find Colin.
I didn’t dare boot up my computer to talk to Colin because the trespasser would hear me. I tiptoed to my bed and burrowed under the duvet, curled into the too-familiar fetal position and waited for the intruder to find me.
At some point, I must have fallen asleep.
* * *
It was dark when I woke.
Darker than usual.
I didn’t remember turning off the lights, but perhaps I had done so to hide from the intruders.
The intruders!
Were the intruders still in the house? Had they stolen anything? Why hadn’t they found me?
I had no answers to any of those questions. I got out of bed, groped my way to the doorway and fumbled for the light switch.
Nothing.
The power was out.
“Shit!” I shouted, momentarily forgetting about the intruders. I clapped a hand over my mouth.
Shut up stupid!
I stood statue-still and listened, hand still covering my mouth. The house was as silent as it was dark. I heard no voices, and no sounds to indicate a storm outside. Then why was the power out?
Maybe the intruders had cut the power. Which meant that they might still be in the house… waiting.
Darkness frightened me. I never allowed my house to become completely dark; I slept with the TV on, and every room contained an LED night-light with a rechargeable battery. Even in a power outage, the house would be dimly lit.
It should not be this dark!
Why was it so dark?
There was only one of two logical answers:
The intruders were still in the house and they had cut the power and taken the batteries out of the night lights.
Or, I had gone blind.
I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them as wide as possible. Was I blind?
I waved my hand in front of my face. I felt a slight breeze from the movement, but saw nothing. I touched my eyes with shaking fingers to confirm that they were in fact open,
“Go then! I’m staying! I’m not giving up.”
Oh my god! They aren’t going to give up! I’m being stalked! What the hell did I do to deserve this? Go away! Just go away!
I wondered if I should call the police and report the intruders. Then it occurred to me that the intruders might be the police.
What have I done?
I scrolled through my memory, looking for things I might have done to make the police want me.
I owned my house, paid my taxes and all of my bills were paid up to date. I was quiet as a mime; my neighbors barely knew I existed. I didn’t do drugs other than my prescriptions and didn’t associate with unsavory people. Hell, I didn’t associate with any people.
Colin, where are you when I need you?
Colin would make everything ok. I just needed to get back to my bedroom, where my laptop was.
Afraid to breathe, I crept backward a tiny step at a time. When I reached the bedroom, I ducked inside and pushed the door shut. I leaned against the door frame, listening.
In the living room, the phone started to ring again. It rang once, twice, three times. Four times. Maybe the answering machine had gotten unplugged somehow.
I had better check – wait – what?
Midway through the fifth ring, a woman answered my phone.
“A mitten,” she said.
What? A mitten?
Someone had answered my phone. Which meant that someone was in my house!
Why, oh why didn’t I put a lock on my bedroom door?
I’d never considered putting a lock on my bedroom door. Up until that moment, I’d felt secure enough in my own home that I didn’t feel the need to install additional locks inside the house.
I listened for footsteps but heard nothing.
Colin! Help me! I didn’t know what he could have done to help besides talk to me, but I would have given anything to feel the comfort of his arms around me.
I needed to get out of the house. Too much freaky shit was going on. I needed to get outside and get some fresh air; get a change of scenery.
I needed to find Colin.
I didn’t dare boot up my computer to talk to Colin because the trespasser would hear me. I tiptoed to my bed and burrowed under the duvet, curled into the too-familiar fetal position and waited for the intruder to find me.
At some point, I must have fallen asleep.
* * *
It was dark when I woke.
Darker than usual.
I didn’t remember turning off the lights, but perhaps I had done so to hide from the intruders.
The intruders!
Were the intruders still in the house? Had they stolen anything? Why hadn’t they found me?
I had no answers to any of those questions. I got out of bed, groped my way to the doorway and fumbled for the light switch.
Nothing.
The power was out.
“Shit!” I shouted, momentarily forgetting about the intruders. I clapped a hand over my mouth.
Shut up stupid!
I stood statue-still and listened, hand still covering my mouth. The house was as silent as it was dark. I heard no voices, and no sounds to indicate a storm outside. Then why was the power out?
Maybe the intruders had cut the power. Which meant that they might still be in the house… waiting.
Darkness frightened me. I never allowed my house to become completely dark; I slept with the TV on, and every room contained an LED night-light with a rechargeable battery. Even in a power outage, the house would be dimly lit.
It should not be this dark!
Why was it so dark?
There was only one of two logical answers:
The intruders were still in the house and they had cut the power and taken the batteries out of the night lights.
Or, I had gone blind.
I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them as wide as possible. Was I blind?
I waved my hand in front of my face. I felt a slight breeze from the movement, but saw nothing. I touched my eyes with shaking fingers to confirm that they were in fact open,
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