The Man Next Door.

1.

Resting peacefully onto the cushioned foam of my Murphy bed, I sigh in comfort to the cooling A.C. and the heavy rain on the outside of my window. A whipping crack of lightning makes my heart leap and I shook from my peaceful slumber, blinking my eyes until they configure my blurry vision. Dark corners of my master bedroom emanates shadows that appear before quickly disappearing with the help of another flash.

Pure white lits the room simultaneously bringing down a crash of angry thunder. I whimper from the sounds, afraid to look out my window to witness natures destruction knocking just in the other side of my window. Instead I lay still, occasionally trying to sit upright to scoot into my comfort, my brows furrowed sensing a cold draft behind me, I reach instead grabbing nothing but sheets and pillows.

Where is my husband?

"Ryan?" My head whips to the empty spot next to me, no evidence of his body, not even a dent. Was he working late again? the sheets were cold; no body heat or the scent of his cologne.

I was alone, in the midst of the angry weather outside. Of all times my husband stays behind in his company, this one hurt most cause I never knew and didn't even get a call. The trickling streams of the droplets outside of my window helped me inhale and adjust to the surroundings I could not control. I can't go back to sleep due to my now spiraling brain demanding answers, Ryan would have called me, was he caught in the rain? is he alright?

The neverending anxiety finally boils down to my nerves rendering me restless until I know the whereabouts of my husband.

The moving shadows that danced in the corners of my room made me question my motives until a crack of lightning screeched outside nearly shattering the windows. With wobbly legs my toes come down to the tiled floor, like walking on dry ice I wince to the ice cold that stung the soles of my feet sticking to the skin. A feeling creep it's way into my system making me feel a discomfort in my surroundings.

Was I being watched?

Wrapping the robe tighter around my body, in attempt to warm my legs exposed from the mini gown listening to Nothing but the drums of my heart in my ears and the trickling showers outside while I walked through the darkness, Fate could not have chosen a better time to abandon me when my phone refused to turn on. I could have sworn It was left charging last night, come to think of it ... where was my charger? in the midst of this darkness I shouldn't be too hard on myself.

I could barely make it my own hands.

The rain comes down heavier than before, heavy wind shooting the droplets to my window like sharp pebbles making the sounds of crystals, power cut off, leaving me in complete darkness all alone. I shiver, wanting the night to be over, nothing more I can do, it can't be helped. Making up my mind to head back to bed, maybe I'll doze off and tomorrow will be better and brighter, I'll see my husband again and make a big breakfast with his favor -

If I wasn't on edge before, It was crashing down now. My body froze to a sound, despite the clicking of the rocks against my window, this one was different, like a sound of a lock.

Could it be? but with the power being dead, Alexa wasn't able to confirm to me of a presence in the house. I shook my head of the thought, an imagination that is easily fooled with the rain outside, no way. Before ever heading up stairs to bed, all my windows and the front door are sealed and locked, chances of allowing that kind of slip up were zero to none.

A lie that soon turned bone chilling, when I picked up a noise downstairs, my wooden table chair screeched on the floor. Only one person would have access inside my home, Ryan?

Eagerly I head out to the dark hallway, heart pounding in excitement and worry, about to call his name when I reached towards the end of the pillars of the round stairs, something dawned on me than. With the two glasses beside the door cued a flash from the lightning welcoming a bluish hue inside, with the few seconds of light, an image burned my memory.