The First of Many

Waiting

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The early morning sun bathed your face in warmth, its golden rays gently caressing your skin. Eyes still closed, you turned toward the light and stretched languidly under the comforting weight of your blankets. Your legs rubbed against each other as your muscles flexed and relaxed. The scratchy stubble that covered your soft calves reminded you that you should probably shave today — but you could worry about that after a few more minutes of luxurious basking.

Your phone alarm blared, ruining the remaining peace of the moment. The suddenness caused you to jolt upright, blankets falling away from your upper body while you scrambled to shut off the noise. Your sleep-stiff hand accidentally flung your phone off the edge of the bedside table. It clattered to the ground with a series of thunks on the wood as it bounced. An annoyed groan escaped your lips; this was not the start you wanted for your day. You bent over the side of the bed and picked up the still-chiming device, making a mental note to pick a more soothing alarm.

For a moment, you debated hiding under the covers for just a little longer, but you didn't want to risk being late for work. Bleary-eyed, you trudged to your kitchen. First things first: coffee. You popped a pod of light roast into your single-cup coffee maker, inhaling the bright, nutty scent that began to fill the small space. This was like a ritual every morning, one of the small pleasures that you could count on. You poured a generous dash of sweet vanilla creamer into your steaming mug and leaned against the counter to sip.

The sweetness was just right. Your drink warmed you from the inside out and the flavor was light and smooth — perfect. You sipped, a hand curled around the warm ceramic, and scrolled your social media feeds, finger swiping past pictures of others' morning drinks and breakfasts. A photo of a croissant sandwich captured your attention: delicate flaky pastry topped with fluffy egg, savory sausage, and gooey, melting cheese. Your stomach grumbled loudly, protesting your meager meal last night. Maybe you deserved a little treat this morning, a splurge on a sandwich like that one.

The thought of breakfast was interrupted by a deep, wooden creak in the living room. You hastily set down your mug. A chill washed over you like ice water dripping down from your head to your toes as you remembered — the figure from last night.

"Shit," you hissed and pulled a knife from the wooden block on your counter.

You weren't sure what good this weapon would do you, but it made you feel better to wield it. Bread knife held in front of you, you slowly poked out into the hallway, dreading what you might find. Your heart pounded against your ribcage, the blood rang in your ears, a high-pitched whine as your body was once again on high alert. For a moment, you realized you should probably barricade yourself in another room and call the police — but what would you even tell them?

Hi! Last night, I think there was a weird shadow monster at the foot of my bed. Today, I heard the floor creak. Please send help. Okaythanksbye.

It sounded ridiculous. You could handle this. Yep. You swallowed down your fear and finally rounded the corner to find—

Nothing. Your living room was empty aside from the couch and other furniture: your bookshelf, and the television. Of course. You weren't sure what you expected. It's not like the thing would be sitting in the armchair, legs crossed politely, waiting for you to offer it coffee or tea.

You let out the breath you'd kept locked behind your lips. The building was old and the wood was just settling. Right. You moved to the front door, but it was still locked and deadbolted just how you'd left it the night before. That was at least a little reassuring.

You went to put the knife away, finished your room temperature drink, and started to get ready for work. You made your way to the bathroom, shimmied out of your pajamas, and stepped into the warm shower. Steam filled the small room and you inhaled deeply as you washed. The water wet your hair and cascaded down your back, rivulets traveling down your body, taking bits of soap and some of your anxiety with it down the drain. Thank goodness today was Friday - you were ready for a break.