Was I imagining things or dreaming? Not wanting to chance it, I went to my room and peeked out the window to double check the front yard. I didn't see anything, so maybe it was a dream.
Just as that thought popped into my head, the knob of the back door jiggled and then I heard faint footsteps.
I froze, then dialed 911.
“Oak River County 911, what is the address of your emergency?” The woman's voice was calm, and I wished she could pass that feeling through the phone.
“521 Meadow Lane. I saw a shadow at my front window and then heard the back doorknob move—heard footsteps on both sides of the house.”
“Okay, what's your name?”
My voice and hands were shaking now.“Rae.”
I heard the dispatcher telling officers the needed information as I looked down at my hand that wasn’t holding the phone. I was shaking so bad, so I shoved it under my other arm, trying to steady it somehow.
“Hi Rae, we have officers on their way to you right now. Is there somewhere you can hide to be safe in case the person does get inside?”
“Behind the clothes in my closet maybe?” My voice was shaking noticeably, too.
“Okay, dear. Go hide and officers will let you know it's them when they arrive. Stay on the phone with me.”
A sound of agreement was all I could manage now. I crawled in the closet, shifting things aside as much as possible. I thought I heard the front doorknob jiggle again, but I did not know if it was my imagination or not. Either way, I was moving faster than before. After I hid in the closet, I heard footsteps at the front side of the house again. This time, I knew I wasn’t imagining things.
“I think the person is right outside the window of my room again.” The pure terror in my voice sent shivers up my own spine.
“Alright, Rae, let me know if that changes but try and be really quiet so they don't possibly hear you, okay?”
Within seconds that felt like hours, I heard sirens approaching the house.
“Rae, officers are on scene. Are you still hiding?”
“Yes.” My voice was barely above a whisper—so low I almost couldn’t hear myself.
“Okay. Deputy Walker will let you know when it's safe to come out. I'm going to end the call now since they're there.”
“Th-thank you.” I breathed a sigh of relief knowing Caleb was out there, then glanced at the time on the screen as I tapped it to end the call.
I looked at the clock on my phone which read 5:30 a.m. I then checked the call history—5:21. Resting my head against the closet wall, I closed my eyes and breathed. It had been only nine minutes, but I was already feeling exhausted, even though I had just woken up.
Thank goodness Caleb was at work today. A few minutes passed and I heard movement outside the house. I froze as I heard footsteps on my porch, but then a calming voice broke the silence.
“Hey, Rae? It's Caleb. You can come out. It's safe.” His voice was the most comforting thing I'd heard in a long time. Like a breath of fresh air.
Crawling out of the closet, I got to my feet and went to the front door where I found Caleb waiting for me.
A sense of relief and heat went through me as I saw him standing in front of my door in his gear.
“Hey, Rae.”
