Short Story

Wren

I couldn't go out today. I was too nervous, too paranoid to leave. Arlo still wanted to have Starby's though, so they just drove there to go through the drive-thru. I paced back and forth through the apartment, not sure of what to do.

I heard someone walking through the hallway outside the front door. I panicked, and ran back to the bedroom.

"Stupid. Nobody's going to break in. Just relax." I tell myself. I sit on my bed, rubbing my hands over the soft blankets to calm my racing heart. But then I heard it.

The lock on the door slowly opened.

Click.

I hear the door sliding over the carpet floor.

Nobody speaks. When Arlo gets home he announces it. This isn't Arlo.

Valeria would never be back this early.

My heart is pounding so loudly I hear it. I drop down to the floor and squeeze under my bed. The itchy carpet smells weird, like smelly socks. My bed is so low my head is pressed against the ground.

Before the panic can set in, I reach back up to my bed and grab my phone. 9-1-1. "Someone is in my apartment. I'm in Woodstock, Canada. Please hurry." I whisper into my phone. I immediately hung up, not wanting the intruder to hear.

I hear footsteps. Walking to the kitchen.

"Hmm? Did someone leave food out?" A voice. I recognize it. They pause, then "ooooor, someone is still here." The voice drags out, their smile evident in the tone.

It's the girl from Starby's. The weird one that came up to talk to us randomly. The one that Arlo really didn't trust. I should have believed them. Could she be behind all of this? Did she hack my computer? Break it? Did she pretend to be my friend to get in here, just to steal a stuffed animal? Why did this have to happen to me?

Her footsteps are slow. She goes through the kitchen, I hear the bathroom door open, "anyone in there?" He closes the door and goes to the living room. I hear them tearing up the room, meticulously pulling apart everything. The couch gets flipped over. The stuff on the table gets shoved off. She's just trying to scare me at this point.

I can't breathe. There's no space down here. He'll be here any moment. I can't breathe. I hear them getting near the door. Help. The knob is turning. Just go away. He opens the door, just a little. Leave me alone.

Arlo gets home.

"I'm back!" He shouts. Kiri freezes, and steps away from the door.

"Wren? Where'd ya go? I got your drink for you." Arlo said.

"Wren doesn't want to come out right now. But I won't mind getting rid of you. She can only have one best friend, and let's be honest, I'd be better than you." Kiri says. His voice is cold, sharp, accusing. Arlo drops a drink.

A chair is lifted.

"H-hey! What are you doing?!" Arlo.

A loud shout and a thud.

And then I hear the sirens. The police are here.