Short Stories

Is Someone There?

The house felt cold as the darkness overwhelmed me. I could hear movement on the other side of my door, I was frozen in fear listening as hard as I could. My heart rate picked up as all the possibilities spun in my head like an out of control spinning wheel trying to create something useful. Was it an intruder? Were they here to kill me? Were they here to rape me? Was it a stranger? Was it him? The man that has haunted me all my life. Was it him coming to get revenge? Was it him coming to finally take my life? The familiar sing-song ding of the dryer finishing its cycle took me out of my thoughts long enough to realize the noise was the button on my jeans banging against the dryer wall. I felt so stupid at that moment, why was I so scared when it was only the dryer? The house creaked and my body tensed, was someone actually there now?