Friday, October 28, 2011

A Bump In The Night

Man, I'm jumpy tonight. 

I locked the door and all the windows.  I closed the curtains.  I'm safe now. 

I bet if I lived on the second floor I would never be this freaked out.  These gigantic windows don't help.  It's like having sliding doors all over my apartment.  You could practically walk through the freaking things.  But they're locked now.  I'm safe. 

I've already checked the only hiding spots my miniscule apartment has, the closets, behind the shower curtain, and under my bed.  Still, my eyes keep darting around my tiny bedroom.  Searching, searching.  I pull my blanket up to my ears and continue my vigil.

It's not like he's dangerous.  Maybe he is just going through a midlife crisis or something, I don't know.  But, he's not crazy.  Well, he is acting like he is, but he can't be.  He was so nice.  So normal.  But the letters have gotten increasingly worrisome.  I mean, they always freaked me out, but this last one was downright disgusting. 

I thought I was so clear.  I told him I wasn't interested.  Not only is he twice my age, but my God, he is married.  I would never, ever, allow a man to cheat on his wife with me.  I told him that.  Many times.    

At first I didn't want to hurt his feelings.  Maybe I should have been tougher right away. Clearly he didn't hear me.  He doesn't take hints well.  I had to be brutal.  Look, guy, I don't like you.   The end.   Still, it hasn't seemed to help.

Oh shit!  Oh God, that made me jump.  The phone again.  What is that, the sixth time?  No message.  Again.

I can't even answer the damn phone anymore.  I heard that just answering the phone is enough to keep someone calling, even if you are answering to tell them to stop calling.  I heard you should just stop taking their calls.  So I did. 

And then yesterday he shows up at my work.  Standing by my car holding flowers and chocolates.  How does he even know where I work?  Oh God, it gives me shivers.  I have to stop thinking about this. 

I did lock all the windows, right?

Yes.  I did.

I wonder who that was calling tonight.  Why didn't they just leave me a message so I could call back?  My friends and family know to leave messages.  Maybe I should get that caller ID thing. 

What was that? What was that noise?  Was that from one of the other apartments?  My body breaks out in hot prickles.

Okay, calm down.  It was probably just a car door or something.  A neighbor. I am getting myself all worked up for nothing. 

He is just obsessing.  He isn't crazy.  Well, obsessing kind of is crazy.  But, he isn't violent or anything.  Right?  Right.

I gotta get to sleep.  I have to be up so early tomorrow.  Think about something else. 

Think happy thoughts.  Okay.  *sigh*  Better.

I roll over onto my stomach and force myself to relax.  Calm.  Calm. Deep breaths.

Finally, exhaustion takes over.  Drifting.  Deeper, deeper I fall into sleep.

Suddenly I am jolted awake.  A noise.  My eyes fly open. 

Someone is here. 

In my room?  A shadow passes over my body. 

Oh God.

My eyes frantically search my bedroom.  I am alone.

Slowly, slowly I tilt my head to look behind my headboard at the window.  A scream catches in my throat.  It's him.

The light from the parking lot shines brightly behind him boldly outlining his shape against the other side of my window.  My curtains are so thin I can see his hair standing up in the breeze.  Can he see me? 

Oh God, Oh God, Oh God. 

Don't move.  Don't breath.  Don't make a sound.

Do I run for the phone?  Would they even get here in time? 

Sweat drips from the back of my neck, my eyes are watering.  I am frozen in my bed. 

I quickly list off possible weapons I have in my tiny apartment.  Baseball bat, knife, ... oh God is that it? 

He's still there.  What do I do?  If he hears me move maybe he'll try to get in.  What do I do? 

Minutes pass.  It feels like hours.  I look up again, and he's gone. 

I slither out of bed onto the floor, grab my baseball bat from under my bed, and crawl to the phone.  I grab the receiver off the wall and sit on the floor, my eyes darting from window to window to window searching for his shadow again.

An hour passes and I am still sitting on the floor clutching the receiver to my chest with my left hand, the baseball bat in my right.  He's gone.  He's got to be.  But I'm too scared to get up and peek out the curtains.  Terrified I'll be seen.  I'll just wait a little longer.




In honor of Halloween weekend I thought I'd post the whole story to my text post from earlier in the week.  If you want to read some scary GHOST stories you can read my personal experiences here, here, and here.  They are all true stories as is today's post.  Have a spooooookey weekend!

12 comments:

Karen Deborah said...

GAH tell me this is fiction. Your a good writer for this scary stuff, who'd a thunk it?

Kat said...

Nope. It is not fiction. It happened to me when I was about 21 or 22.

Anonymous said...

How horrible for you. I still have goosebumps now.

Tabor said...

I am so glad this is not true. I was really getting worried!

Tonya said...

yipes that is really creepy.

Kat said...

Tabor- Ha! IT IS TRUE!!! It REALLY happened!

Riahli said...

Okay you've totally freaked me out...so much worse that they are true and that they are coming from you because I totally believe them! Ack!! Some times you do wonder when people tell stuff like this and say that it's true, you'd rather not believe yah know! I do not like creepy spirit stuff, and stalkers, egads!!! You really need to tell the end of that story though, please tell me the man got in trouble!?!

Kat said...

Riahli- Nope. He didn't get in trouble. Shortly after all of this the letters and phone calls stopped. I think he finally got the idea. Thankfully, he wasn't TOO crazy. ;)

Mom24 said...

Wow! GREAT job Kat. So spooky!! *shiver*

rosecreekcottage-carol.blogspot.com said...

Wow Kat! I had no idea all these things were happening to you! I have not been able to write about it...but last year, I had Mary Ann Winkowski, the lady who was the consultant to The Ghost Whisperer to my studio to get rid of the two children and old woman who had been with me for years! I just had had enough. You're giving me the courage to try to write about it!! Maybe later in the week!

lime said...

this sort of thing is just so distressing! so glad you are ok.

painted maypole said...

eek.

Words To Live By

Be grateful for each new day.
A new day that you have never lived before.
Twenty-four new, fresh, unexplored hours to use usefully and profitably.
We can squander, neglect, or use them.
Life will be richer or poorer by the way we use today.
Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could;
some blunders and absurdities crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day.
You shall begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be
encumbered with your old nonsense.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson