Somebody was coming up the stairs.
My body jerked upright as adrenaline surged through me. Anyone I knew would just come up the stairs without trying to be quiet.
Another creak.
Closer.
An icy tingle flooded me like a tsunami wave. Quickly, I stumbled out of bed.
Another creak. Halfway up the stairs now.
Reality hit hard. Where could I go? The stairs were the only way down. I looked at the window for a second. But it was too dangerous to jump.
My eyes snapped to the closet. It had no lock.
The bathroom.
I rushed in and locked the door behind me, the click sounding too loud.
Shit.
My phone was downstairs on the hallway sideboard. Left there like an idiot. But what good would it do anyway? The police would never make it in time.
I stood in the dark bathroom. Motionless, I stared at the door.
The creaking stopped.
Right at the top of the stairs.
Then there was only quiet.
Had I imagined it all? Maybe it was just a nightmare? But just as I started to calm down, the bathroom doorknob slowly turned.
Just enough to meet the resistance of the lock.
I watched in horror as the knob eased back into place.
Then silence again.
I didn’t breathe. Didn’t blink. Didn’t move an inch.
This wasn’t a dream. Somebody was in my house. Coming after me.
SLAM!
Someone threw their body full force against the locked bathroom door. The white door rattled.
“Help!”
The scream exploded out of me. Raw and full of horror.
The person hurled himself at the door again. Harder this time. The impact shook the wood and my bones. I pushed against the door as hard as I could. But each blow came faster now. Stronger. Again and again. The door shuddered violently, and with every hit, it felt less like a barrier.
It would break and fall on top of me.
My eyes scanned the room for anything sharp to fight with. But there was nothing.
Then my eyes locked onto the window. As insane as it was, it was my only chance.
