Escape

Joyce laid awake on her bed, listening to the floorboards outside her room creak. With the wind blowing a gale, they creaked more than usual.

Hearing scratches at a downstairs window of her home, it sounded like trees brushing them, but there were none near.

As she intently listened, she did not want to investigate, valuing her life more than anything else, and did not want to risk anything in a rash attempt to prevent her home being burgled.

Feeling nervous, she reached out to her radio, turning it on for comfort.

News update.

She always enjoyed listening to these to provide her with a link to the outside world. This was a good time as any to listen, take her mind off what she didn't want to know what was happening downstairs.

"We start the news tonight with a report about a dangerous prisoner escaping from Broadmoor Prison after assaulting officers in his bid for freedom. If anyone sees this man, they are advised not to approach him under any circumstances." The report went onto describe the man and then another story followed.

Joyce snapped off the radio.

Getting out of bed, she went to turn on the light.

The scratches got more repetitive.

Joyce went back into her bed, leaving on the light for comfort.

Sat up under the sheets, she heard a bang come at a downstairs window, causing her to jump a mile. The fear of the news report had come home, and times like this she wished her husband was still alive. As the noises continued, Joyce got from her bed, going to try and pull the empty cabinet against the door, not knowing where she could summon the strength she needed from.

She pulled the cabinet, after eventually getting it to move, it gained its own momentum to help her pull it.

Ramming it as close as she was able to the door, she knew the burglar must have heard it scrape the floor and imagined him looking at the ceiling, knowing someone was home and he could have all the fun he wanted. 'How would he know she was alone?' He wouldn't, but that need not necessarily prevent him looking, especially if it was the same man as who had just escaped.

With the cabinet behind the door as secure as she could place it, she want back to the bed, this time laying, but left the light on. No way was she about to be plunged into darkness.

Hearing things fall, Joyce jumped each time. The falls were followed by a creak of a downstairs door.

She thought, 'My God, he is coming for me.'

She heard feet tread lightly on the stairs, hardly hearing the intruder climb them to come and see her.

Counting the creaks, Joyce still had no idea of how close he was, but must be at least halfway up as she heard six creaks so far.

Joyce rose from her bed, going to open the curtains to see if she could silently attract someone's attention, but saw no one. Pretending to bang on the window, Joyce begun to cry as her gaze went back to the bedroom door. She heard the boards starting to creak by her door, and she saw the cabinet rock slowly back and forth.

'Was this going to be the end for her? Would it be better for her to give herself to the burgular, or let him find her?' She thought the latter seemed the safer bet. After all, there was no reason he would specifically want to come into her bedroom.

That thought kept her sane as she watched the door. He must be trying to tease her into coming out. Perhaps this was the way he got his kicks out of scaring people and must have known there was someone in the room, otherwise he would have gotten in easier.

Joyce rushed to the wardrobe, pulling out all the blankets she had, throwing them on the bed.

With what she thought was enough, she sat on the bed and started tying them end to end to escape from the window. She did not mind if she would get hurt, but at least she would only be hospitalised, not dead.

Securely tying them end to end, she tied one end to the window latch, letting it drop until it reached as far as the top of the living room window.

Not long enough, she had no time to put another sheet on the end. Falling from that height would not be as bad as the height she was at now.

Climbing onto the bed, she grabbed one end of the sheet, levering herself from the window.

As she rested one arm on the ledge, she watched the door and lost her grip, falling from the full height.

Lying on the ground, she thought she had broken something and looked back up to the window.

'Me-ow,' she saw her cat look down at her and was relieved there was no burgular.

She was hurt, but thankful to be hurt, rather thna dead.

© 2016 Tony Lawrence. All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer- The pictures are NOT mine