Paranoiac

CHAPTER 9

My optimism was futile. Of course she would come back. And she did, without fail, every single night. I learned to expect it.  Every night, at exactly 9:47, the knocking and the screaming would begin. After two weeks of her coming every night I had it pretty much planned out in my mind. 9:47, the knocking came first. 20 seconds of knocking before the yelling. It took 30 seconds for her yelling to become full on screaming, but after it started, it didn't stop for about 16 minutes and 14 seconds. Then it stopped. Then she was gone. Then I would cry. It was on the 16th day of her visiting, the 16th day of complete silence in my house that I decided to do something. It was 9:40 when i walked calmly to my kitchen, again picking up the sharp knife, only this time with far different intentions. Was it really that different? I found myself wondering if in killing this child, I would really only be killing myself. Maybe I was better off. 9:45. I was waiting by the door. Knife gripped in my hand so firmly i was afraid that it would shatter. 9:46. I was prepared. I knew it would happen and I was ready for it. 9:47. Like clockwork, the knocking came. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to calm my crashing heart and rapid breathing. Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning I was struck with such a fierce anger that I could do nothing to hold it back. I flailed out my arm, the knife puncturing the wood of the door and lodging there are i bellowed out towards her "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" I pulled the knife from the door with a strength that I didn't know I possessed, but this time held it at my side. her screaming began, begging me to help her. My hands shook violently as i put my hand on the doorknob and threw it open. I stood in the doorway, panting like a savage beast, staring into the eyes of the thing that had haunted me for so long, staring into my own, shadowy green eyes. Hers were full of tears, and mine full of fury and hatred.  I raised my arm equip with the knife and fully intended to go through with it. I started swinging my arm down towards the child on my porch when she spoke, her voice so soft and innocent it was impossible to think that just minutes before she had been screaming ravenously at my front door. "You left me all alone" she whispered. "I was so scared. You ignored me. Pretended that I wasn't there. Well I'm here Anna. And i'm never going away."