Intruder In The Dark

"Damn it." I silently exclaimed as the lights went out. With a sigh, I walked to the light switches by the door.

Click! Click!

My brows furrowed still not seeing any lights emitting from the bulb. Shaky hands fumbled trying desperately to turn the lights on to no avail. Tries after tries and finally I gave up.

To my shock, my phone lit up with a ding notifying me of a text. My eyes squinted at the bright screen, trying as fast as I can to lower it. A smile formed on my lips seeing the name on the screen.

A worried question from my girlfriend asking how I am is all I need to feel calmer. My eyes darted to the whole room adjusting to the darkness. As my eyes finally felt more comfortable in the dark, I walked to the drawer getting the candle out. It was a scented candle but it would do for now.

Looking out the window made me realize that there was no light. Not even the streetlights. The whole town has lost power it seems. Another text from my girlfriend erased all of my worries and fear. Not knowing what to do, I laid on the bed with a wide smile staring at my phone. My girlfriend happily chatted away about her day at the work trip her office held. A relieved sigh came out of me knowing that she is out of town. The fact that she is afraid of the darkness while the power went out and she is not here helped me calm down a bit.

At least now I don't have to pretend to not be afraid of it. I am not outright terrified of the darkness, but I am afraid that something would suddenly appear out of nowhere. My eyes skimmed over the texts sleepily and only replied if needed. She knows that it's my bedtime but she also knows that I need company at times like this.

Right at the moment my consciousness almost slipped away, my phone ranged. My finger pressed the green button and there I see it. The face of the woman I love.

"Hey."

"Hey. You look sleepy." There was a chuckle at the end of that sentence. I smiled hearing her voice. It has only been a few hours since I last heard her voice but it felt like years ago. I was a little upset because my sleep was interrupted. But I know that she wants to see my face before dozing off too. We talked for- I don't even know how long. For a moment her voice halted after hearing a brake screeching out our house. My eyes focused there for a second too before it went back to the love of my life.

I giggled at her jokes and she smiled sweetly at my droopy eyes. Even though we were miles away, it felt like we were right in front of each other cuddling with tangled legs. And that's when I heard it. The creaking of my front door. The only door that I refused to oil even when it creaked like hell.

My finger gave a sign for her to quiet down a little bit. Blurry eyes turned clear and my ears were focused at the sound downstairs. Footsteps. There were footsteps and my eyes widened in panic. No one had access to this house except me and her. I'm inside and she's a couple towns over.

I tried to calm my pounding heart and asked her to mute her call. Slowly I walked to the door and pressed my ear to it. Rustling were heard coming from downstairs. It's not moving fast but it's moving in haste. Stumbling a few steps back, I reached the what I thought would be useless wooden bat under our bed. Gently I placed the phone on the bed and made a stance. A feeling in my gut said that whoever it is downstairs is not a good person.

A few minutes passed and I have grown tired of my stance. The sweat rolling down my cheek feels tickling but I couldn’t risk it to wipe it off. The sounds downstairs has stopped, yet I couldn’t bring myself to stand down. With a blink, I reached for my earbuds and put it on.

“You can talk now.” Her panicked voice flowed into my ear. Slowly, her voice calmed and she started to try to calm me too. As my heartbeat slowed down, I relaxed my arms and lowered the bat. Just as the bat was inches from the bed, I heard footsteps. Slow but getting louder. And that’s when I realized. It wasn’t getting louder. It was getting nearer. Whoever it is, it’s going upstairs. In a matter of seconds, any sense of calmness I thought I had disappeared. My grip tightened on the bat. Ignoring my sweaty palms, I got back to my stance.

Trickles of sweat rolled down my neck. Suddenly, my door opened and I was ready to swing. A confused expression formed on my face. There was no one. The door opened but it was empty. A sense of stupidity came over my mind and I stuck my head out leaving myself vulnerable.

The intruder took this chance to pull my head down and throw me on the floor. The earbuds flew out of my ear. I stood up hastily, glaring at the bat that rolled away with the help of the candle light. My eyes darted to the intruder grinning at me. A man covered in blood with the sickest look in the eye. I can feel myself trembling. The sight of him combined with the dripping axe caused a shiver to my spine. My heaving breaths were the only sound around. His grin widened and he slowly stepped towards me. He quickly swing his axe.

At the last moment, I dodged. But his fast momentum caught me off guard and I was hit with the back of it. A drop of blood trickled from my eyebrow and I just know that it would leave a scar. That is if I make it out alive. But if I do, I would make sure he’s dead. No one touches my face except my girlfriend. The thought of her made me look at the phone. She hasn’t hung up yet.

“I called the cops! They’ll be here soon and you will be caught.” Shockingly, he smiled and giggled at me. His hand covered his mouth in the most girly way and he looked me dead in the eye.

“The cops? They’re dead. I know you didn’t call them. So why lie?” My jaw dropped. SHE was not a man. The intruder is a woman. Her short hair and bloody face made me think that it was a man. How did I not notice that?

“Oh, come on. You’re shocked too? Are all psychos supposed to be men? Gross.”

The time she took to be annoyed is used carefully for me to reach for the bat. I half hoped that my girlfriend has called the cops. Maybe what the intruder said is true. Maybe the town’s cops are dead. But the town she’s in can’t be…..right?

Before I could do anything, the bloody woman kicked me flying to the wall. A few drops of blood spewed out of my mouth. My breath staggered as she jabbed my throat. As I stumbled backwards, she tripped me and pinned me on the ground. Her previously stoic face formed into a grin and she reached for a blade from who knows where.

With slow motion, she scooped out my left eyeball. I screamed so loud that my voice started to crack. Sobs were heard but I couldn’t feel my tears. All I felt was the thick, oozing blood. My body thrashed around her weight with no result. She is still pinning me with a sick grin. The eyeball was quickly put in a jar alongside tens other. It makes me wonder, How many people has she done this too?

The fresh pooling blood in the jar made me believe that it wasn’t that long ago. I tried to hit her to no avail. My strength has left me followed by my hope and faith that I’ll survive this.

“Sorry, kiddo. You’re pretty but I got to kill you. No specimen can live.” My breathing gets heavier and not just because of her weight pressing on my lungs. With that same blade, she stabbed me in the throat multiple times and got up. Blood sputtered out my mouth. Even more when she reached for my phone. Her finger covered the front camera and looked straight into my girlfriend’s worried face.

“N-no.” The word barely left my mouth without more blood coming out. The intruder turned to me and started facing the camera towards me. She took the earbuds off. Tears flowed out my other eye seeing her cry. Hearing her scream. My consciousness slowly slipping out of my reach. Right before my ears blocked out all sounds, I heard one last alarming sentence.

“You’re next.”