“I’ve sent the police, ma’am. They will be there shortly. It will be okay.”
Another forceful blow came, and this time the frame cracked under the pressure. He’s about to get in! ”You don’t understand! No one does! It will never be okay again!”
The 9-1-1 responder tried to talk to me, but I screamed as the door frame gave away. This time, the door was forced open, cracking down the middle, but the lock still held in place. I watched in horror as the door was practically broken down, and someone inched his way into my room. I had no escape. All I could do was watch and wait for either him to break in or the police to show up.
What felt like a lifetime to me ended in only ten minutes. There were no lights, no sirens, but the attempts to break down my door stopped seconds before the police showed up. I heard the police officers call for me downstairs and sprinted toward them without hesitating. I cried to them, begging them to look through the house and find out where the person went. They split up, one staying with me and the other slowly clearing his way through the house. I was practically wrapped around a young officer’s arm for protection.
When his partner finally returned, I realized just how alone in this fight I was.
“No one is here, ma’am. We’ll have a patrol sit outside your house for the night and another looking for the person who did this, but unfortunately, that’s about all we can do unless you know what he looks like.”
I shook my head, as both an answer and in pure disbelief. They were going to leave me here. Alone. With a broken door and a clear security issue. How could they do that to me?
“Can’t you please stay?” I asked, knowing they couldn't but praying they would.
“No, ma’am. Like I said, there will be a patrol car around the neighborhood, and we’ll put out a report of what happened. Until we find this guy, lock the doors and double check the windows. There wasn’t any sign of forced entry except for the bedroom door, but the back door was unlocked. Please double check everything and call again if he comes back. We’ll do everything we can.”
They turned to leave. “Please stay safe,” one said before they left me alone again in a house where I swore I could hear someone breathing and every creak had me on edge. Where I had almost been attacked, or worse…
My thoughts drifted to Melody and made sure that I didn't sleep. This wouldn’t stop. I’d always have this fear. No matter what, he’d find me. He would never let me go, just like he did to Melody. My gaze drifted around the house. I knew I couldn’t live like this forever. No matter what I had to do, I was getting rid of this phone. One way or another, I’d get out of this alive. I wasn’t staying here to figure out what he had planned for me.
Chapter Five
In a last-ditch effort to escape, I decided what to do with the phone and already had everything in my apartment packed up to leave tonight. I didn't want to pass this phone onto someone else, so I had the perfect solution. I just hoped it worked.
I glanced around the metro platform. I didn’t see anyone lurking, but with him, I could never be sure. I just needed a day...then I'd be home free. Since I couldn’t bring myself to give it to someone else, I had even gotten a coworker to return it to lost and found for me on their way home. They wouldn’t leave until after I did, and he seemed to follow the phone, so theoretically I could lose him.
I had the plan all set. I was even taking Melody and leaving my job. I'd given them my two weeks’ notice yesterday, claiming I accepted another job and would finish the job by telecommuting. Today had been my last day of in-office work, and that's because they told me I had to. Otherwise, I'd already be gone. The car was ready to go, and I didn’t leave a forwarding address. I left my BlackBerry at the office and planned to sell my car when I got to a new place. I’d vanish, and I’d finally be free. Even knowing that, however, this train ride home wasn't relaxing.
There was a ton of people on the train, but I couldn't shake the feeling that he was nearby. He shouldn’t be if he was following the phone. He should still be somewhere near my office, waiting for me to leave. Especially since I took the back exit and had someone drive me to a different metro stop than I usually took. But he still felt close by. I trembled at the thought as I glanced around the train. Every time I looked around, my gaze fell onto a man in the back of the car. He was deep into reading his paper, on the completely opposite end of the car, but I couldn’t stop staring at him.
I forced myself to look away, berating myself for being so paranoid.
There's no way he traced me without the phone. I'm home free. I'll be out of this soon. Different state, different name if needed. Soon, it will all be over. Then I can move on and forget about this. There’s no way he’d be able to follow me.
With that thought, I forced myself to return to my book, Rescue Me. The romantic feeling of this novella had replaced the horror novel I had been reading earlier this week. Strange how so much could change in a week. With any luck, one would give me the escape I so desperately needed. Because there was no way in hell I was returning to the horror novels lining the bookshelf at home. I had lived a horror book; I didn’t need to read more.
The train pulled in at the next stop. After everyone cleared off, I noticed the man who was reading his paper had taken a different seat. The train pulled away from the station, and trying to be as discreet as possible, I looked him over. It looked like the man had moved two seats over, but I couldn't be sure. I forced myself to look away, avoiding the gazes of the few people who remained, and went back to Rescue Me. I was getting close to the end of the book and the metro ride. I hoped that meant I would get out of here before he had the chance to realize I ditched him. Then when he showed up, I'd be gone. Maybe that was the mistake Melody made...she gave him too much time to catch up. I wouldn't make the same mistake. I’d get out before he killed me. Just like the characters in my book, I’d finally escape.
The mechanical voice chimed overhead, announcing the last stop. Quickly, I collected my things and put my book back into my bag. That’s when I noticed the pink phone next to me.
“What the…?” I reached for the phone, but when I did, a hand grabbed my arm and held me tightly in place.
“I warned you, Lindsey…” was all I heard before something hit the side of my head. Everything faded to black, my vision slowly closing in on the phone. I really thought I had figured it out…I should have made it home at least. “You should have listened to my warning. Now I have to find someone else...”
I couldn’t speak as everything drifted away. I could barely see as I fell onto the floor. I struggled to see the face of the man who plagued my life. My last thought was for the person who came next. The one who may or may not get away…
If you’ve made it this far, you don’t understand. You’re next. He’s coming for you. This is your last warning. When your phone goes off, don’t answer it. Especially if it’s a number you don't recognize...
Good luck. You'll need it.
About the Author
Sara Schoen holds a degree in Biology from James Madison University. Although she was born in Northern Virginia, she has spent summers traveling for study abroad and internships, writing and exploring everything possible. Now, she is helping to create the small town of Escape, Colorado for a multi-author/genre series called the “Escape From Reality Series”. She hopes readers can find solace in her novels, and in some cases provide a cautionary tale to readers. Sara plans to continue writing and will explore various genres in the future.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/authorsaraschoen
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/SaraNSchoen
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9790618.Sara_Schoen
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Acknowledgements
Limitless Publishing would like to thank all the authors who shared their stories with us to make this Night Terrors Anthology.
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13 Night Terrors Page 39