Intruder

Intruder

" It started with the dog barking. I had put Shadow out and gone to the bathroom. I was almost done when I heard him. It was a little after midnight and I was worried that he would wake the neighbors, so I hurried as fast as I could.

When I got to the backdoor I saw that it was open. I didn't think too much about it, I figured that I hadn't shut it all the way and it had opened by itself. That should have been the first clue that something was up, but I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen to me.

My parents and little brother were upstairs sleeping and I knew that if my dad found out the door had been open, letting flies and mosquitoes in, that I would get in trouble. I quickly called Shadow inside and locked the door. Shadow had been reluctant to come in and he kept growling at what I thought was nothing.

That should have been the second clue.

I walked into the kitchen, pulling out a bowl, milk, and some cereal. I knew that I should go to bed, but I just didn't feel tired. Actually, I felt like someone was watching me. I had looked around, and seeing nothing, shrugged it off as my imagination.

I ate slowly, thinking about what I should do the next day since it was a Saturday. When I was done I washed my bowl and spoon and put them up. The feeling of being watched hadn't gone away. I was starting to get freaked out.

When I turned around to put the box of cereal back up, I couldn't find it. It wasn't on the table where I had left it and I didn't see it on the counter. I checked the cabinets thinking maybe I had put it up and hadn't remembered, but no such luck. Third times the charm, right? I knew something was wrong. Cereal didn't just disappear like that.

I knew it wouldn't have been either of my parents, they weren't into silly pranks, and my little brother could never have been quiet enough to sneak up behind me. There was no way Shadow had gotten a hold of the box or I would have heard something. That meant that someone else took it and I didn't like that idea.

I tried to stay as calm as I could. I turned around and, thankfully without shaking, walked over to the knife drawer. I knew that I was still being watched and prayed that whoever it was in the house didn't have a gun. Or worse, be some kind of monster.

I opened the drawer and pulled out the longest and sharpest knife I could find. I hoped that if the person attacked me I would be able to fight them off. I figured I had a better chance with a longer knife than I would with a shorter one. I really wasn't much of a fighter.

I had barely even shut the drawer when I heard Shadow start to bark then yelp. I spun around, terrified that my dog had been hurt, and saw a man standing in the doorway, holding my dog by the neck. I feared that he had been strangled to death.

I couldn't get a good look at the man's face. He was wearing a dark hoodie, with the hood up, and a bandanna across his mouth. Fear coursed through me and my knees almost gave way, but I grabbed onto the counter to stop myself from falling.

Shadow was slack in the man's hand, but I could still see him breathing. The intruder slowly put Shadow against his chest and cradled him in his arms. We stood like that for what felt like eternity. I was too scared to say or do anything. I could only watch this creep rock my knocked-out dog back and forth in his arms.

The man suddenly let out a loud sigh, making me jump. I stared bewildered as he turned and walked into the living room. I hadn't known what else to do, so I followed him. I slowly peeked around the doorway and saw the man sitting on the coffee table. He started to run his hand through Shadow's fur.

I had no idea what was going on. What was this man doing in my house? Why was he here? Why in the world was he petting my dog? Did he want to kill me or was he just messing with my head? I was so confused.