I purchased my first home when I was twenty-one. It was a cute little three bedroom house with hedges in the front and windows all along …show more content…
I walked to the front door to look through the peep hole but, due to my five foot stature, all I could see was the top of my porch. I listened quietly through the door. I never answered the door when I was home alone, some habit I had gotten after being reminded by my mother a thousand times, and I had a system worked out with my friends that they would yell through the door if it was them.
I waited patiently but I heard nothing but flies buzzing and dogs parking from far away. I started to walk back to the office, chalking it up to the neighborhood kids when I heard my back gate open. The world stopped. I could hear nothing above my heart pounding. Why would anyone be trying to go into my backyard? I looked toward the backyard but could only see my reflection in the windows.
Realizing that I would not be able to see out but that they would be able to see in, I immediately dropped to the floor. My heart was pounding in my ears. I could hear someone walking along the perimeter of my house and could feel their menacing stare on me. My mind, still clouded from the cold medicine, was screaming at me to remember the location of my phone. I crawled across the floor of my house, staying behind the sofa, and reached up on the end table for my phone. Panic set in as I felt nothing. I could feel the sweat forming on the back of my neck. I had nowhere to go and no way to contact anyone. My thoughts were racing as I tried to push my brain to form a