The intruder

“Please keep yourself hidden, we’ll be there in about three minutes,” the
dispatcher on the call assured her.

Rae swore her heart cracked, hopefully not too loudly. Tears ran down her face,
but she didn’t seem to care. With adrenaline rushing through her veins, she tried
to calm her breathing.

“3:15,” her phone read.

Clutching her phone tightly, she panicked at the sound of footsteps stomping
aggressively in her living room. Wiping away her tears, she silently opened her
closets’ door, hoping it wouldn’t creek. It creaked… Like a deer caught in
headlight, Rae quickly grabbed a baseball that was catching dust near her
bedside table. Before she could find a hiding place, a bottle of water caught her
eye. Without hesitation, she grasped it.

Stalking over to hide behind her bedrooms’ door, Rae swiftly opened her water
bottle with her shaky hands and silently splashed its’ contents on the floor. With
that being done, she held onto the bat as if holding on to her dear life.

“3:16”

Her mind was all over the place as she felt any courage left in her wash down
the drain. It wasn’t easy being in this situation for her. Humans are one thing
that scare her to the core. The evil capacity one being holds when given the
trigger of fear is beyond her imagination. The anecdotes her grandma told Rae
stuck to her like glue, making her avoid all human interaction as much as she
could.

To her consternation, her rooms door opened with a bang. She barely held in the
scream. Dread built up at the bit of her stomach as the intruder slipped as soon
as they attempted to enter the room.

Screeching with tears in her eyes, Rae lifted her bat out of instinct and smashed
it against the intruders’ abdomen making them groan in pain.

Eyes wide, Rae dropped her weapon with a breath of shakiness. Guilt
swallowed her up as she looked at the grunting man. Without second thoughts,
she made the run for her front door.
Bumping into furniture in the darkness, Rae felt her heartbeat increase at the
rumbling steps following her own. He was following her…

A game of cat and mouse. That’s what it was, and she was unfortunate enough
to be the mouse. Trapped in her own house, every furniture seemed like a
barrier to her freedom. The door stood far away, grinning at Rae mischievously,
daring her to reach it. A voice in her head begged her, pleaded with desperation
for her to run faster and she knew it was right.

Ignoring her complaining muscles, Rae attempted to move faster than the cat
chasing her. In a blink, Rae pulled the door towards her and flung herself out.
Nearly stumbling, she kept running to the best of her ability, not paying
attention to her burning throat.

Her movement came to sudden halt as she slammed into a wall. To her surprise,
the wall had a heartbeat. She jolted back to reality as she heard the sirens
blaring and the cops surrounding her. She let out a breath of relief before letting
herself drop to the floor out of exhaustion.

“3:18,” was what her watch read clearly as Rae let out a loud sob, bursting the
bubble of feelings.