The Stranger - PART I

The water is bright blue, nearly transparent, highlighting the shells and rocks atop the bed of sand underneath. The blue goes on for miles until it blends with the blue of the sky, as if the ocean curves upward and wraps around. I sit at the shoreline with my toes submerged, waves crashing against my thighs. The waves are a bit too harsh for such a nice day. I hear a thud and turn around, the beach is completely empty. Another thud. I open my eyes slightly and see the book vase holding plastic blue hydrangeas by the window. I’m back in my bedroom. The thud is louder this time, it’s coming from the upstairs neighbors. I swear they move furniture around on a daily basis. The sun is setting and the remnants of the light sneak through the cracked blinds. Time to get up. I feel like I only slept 20 minutes, but it seems I took an almost two hour nap. I wish I could lie here for days. A big dinner is out of the question. I need a quiet night and a light snack.

The most relaxing part of my night is just sitting alone on my comfy couch, wrapped in my blanket, watching a movie. I stare at the screen filled with rows of boxed images of movies. I scroll to the list of horror films - babysitters killing people, clowns that stalk you in the night, a home with a sinister presence. I love scary films but these have all been done a million times over. It’s disappointing. I scroll to the thriller section, these are more promising at least - women who think there is someone following her, women getting kidnapped, women who are not believed and made to be insane, women who are sneakily trying to steal men and get revenge for being taken advantage of. Funny actually, where are the crazed men in all these films? I scroll right past the romance section because let’s be serious, that’s the most disturbing genre, it terrifies me.

I give up and decide to watch an episode of Psych, because who doesn’t love the antics of Shawn and Gus solving crime while making hilarious references to classic shows and movies and being as awesome as you wish you could be as an adult. Air popped corn and a square of dark chocolate, the perfect side dish. 

Gus stops cold at the entrance to the room and refuses to break the plane of the mummy, when I suddenly hear a shuffle outside my door. I brush it off and grab a few more popcorn flakes. I laugh as Shawn tries to evade the lens of the camera to find a blind spot. I hear the shuffle again and just cease moving, a mouthful of popcorn. I reach for the remote and press pause. I instinctively silence my phone. I sit as quietly as possible and listen closely. I hear nothing. Silence. After a minute or so, I make my way to the apartment door and slightly peep through the hole. I see no one, just the distorted doors of the apartments down the hallway. I stand still, waiting to see if any other sounds can be heard. 

I hear footsteps down the stairs. My heartbeat quickens. I look around to see what I can grab, but there is nothing. I am suddenly terrified to stare through the peephole again. The footsteps get closer. I move my face against the door and barely lift the latch to the hole opener. The small crease allows me to still see the entire hallway. 

I hear another step and the volume increases. Another one, and louder. All of a sudden, a leg comes into view. I slightly jump back but find the courage to keep watching. A woman appears on my floor but just keeps going as she just passes through to continue going downstairs. The footsteps now get further away. 

Sigh. Such a relief. I take a long breath and shake my head as I laugh. I can be such an idiot sometimes. Who knows, maybe there’s simply a rat in the wall. This is New York after all.

I make my way back to the couch. My heartbeat slows down. I grab my popcorn and press play. I cackle loudly as the security guard is scared by Gus rushing out the door.

I wish I could stay up all night like I did when I was younger - feeling like I had all the time on earth to just lose myself in fictional worlds. But alas, youth is truly wasted on the young. So I tidy up, brush my teeth, wash the dishes, feed the fish, turn the lights off, and settle into bed.

…

A thud awakens me. What the hell was that? I think to myself. I hear metal. I slip silently out of bed and slowly open the bedroom door to avoid creaks. My apartment hallway is empty. I turn on the hallway light and look around. Everything is fine. Maybe I was dreaming it all after the scare earlier in the evening. It could also have just been another shuffle from the upstairs neighbors. Those people are so loud.

I turn the hallway light back off and start heading back into the bedroom. I hear metal shaking. That is the knob on my front door, no question about it. My eyes are wide open now. My ears are listening intently. My mind is on full alert.

There is definitely someone outside of my apartment door trying to open it. This is someone trying to harm me. I need to think as quickly as possible and prepare myself for the worst.

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