the coat rack, grabbed my car keys, and gingerly made my way to the car. The wind propelled me backward as I tugged hard on the handle, finally opening it, and jumped inside. Shivering, I jammed the key in the ignition and turned it. Nothing. I tried again. Dead. How could that be? I pounded the dashboard.
With my fingers going numb, I ditched the car, inched back to the house, slammed the door behind me and slid the lock back in place. I stood there, shaking from the cold and rock-solid fear. Sneakers anxiously ran around my ankles. I tried to catch my breath, feeling my world closing in. I knew I couldn’t walk up the ice-coated driveway and I couldn’t escape through the woods. I might get disoriented in the dark and freeze to death. Besides, even if I did make it to the road, who in their right mind would be out there at this hour, and in this weather?
I scanned the interior of the house. The candles were barely flickering and my flashlight was dead. I could wing the rest, but I needed heat to survive. I quickly threw the last scrap of wood into the fireplaces, frantically taking a quick look around. What else could I possibly do? I came up short and stood absolutely still when it finally hit me.
I’m trapped.
Emotionally beaten, I walked unsteadily to the living room and collapsed to the floor with a blanket. When the fires burned out, with no heat, no electricity, and no phone, my odds for survival were pretty grim. I had every reason to panic, but surprisingly, did not. I was too tired, too cold, and too defeated to think clearly anymore. I could barely keep my eyes open.Worn-out, I vaguely recalled that the cold would eventually lull me into…into… what was it? If I could just sleep… I leaned back on the carpeted floor and slowly began to drift off…
Sneakers’ shriek broke through my exhausted stupor and I sat upright, disoriented. I shot to my feet and ran to the kitchen window where he was perched on the sill. In the moonlit night, I caught a glimpse of a figure walking cautiously in the shadows, headed straight toward the front of the house. I pressed flat against the kitchen wall, terrified. Sneakers hissed menacingly. I snatched him up and raced toward the entrance. Grabbing Stephen’s old baseball bat from the closet, I cautiously approached the door, then inched back the curtain to steal a look outside.
Staring back at me was a black hooded figure on the opposite side of the glass panel. I screamed, dropping the cat and baseball bat as my legs gave out and I hit the floor with a thud. My mouth went dry and a paralyzing fear choked me. Sneakers continued to hiss, while I blindly groped for the bat in the darkened hallway. A fierce pounding stopped me in place.
“Samantha?” A voice yelled loudly from the other side of the door.
I froze. Through the howling of the wind, I could have sworn I heard my name called out.
More heavy pounding ensued. “Samantha! Don’t be alarmed. It’s only me, Clay.”
I rose to my feet, sliding the curtain to the side, just as he was ripping the hood off his head so I could see clearly who it was in the moonlight that had floated into the sky between some storm clouds. Sure enough, it was Clay.
“Are you okay?” he shouted. “I came to see if you were okay.”
I was never so glad to see anyone in my entire life, even him. I grabbed the bolt, unlocked it and swung the door open. The wind ripped through the small hallway, as Clay rushed in, slamming the door closed behind him. He was shivering. Me? I was speechless.
“Didn’t expect me did you?” he teased, before noticing my odd, mute reaction in the darkened hallway.
Sneakers was all over this guy, purring and rubbing up against Clay’s leg like an old friend. I glared down at the cat, but he blatantly ignored me, as he cozied up to his ticket out.
“I didn’t frighten you too much, did I?” Clay asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I gestured and Clay followed me into the living
With my fingers going numb, I ditched the car, inched back to the house, slammed the door behind me and slid the lock back in place. I stood there, shaking from the cold and rock-solid fear. Sneakers anxiously ran around my ankles. I tried to catch my breath, feeling my world closing in. I knew I couldn’t walk up the ice-coated driveway and I couldn’t escape through the woods. I might get disoriented in the dark and freeze to death. Besides, even if I did make it to the road, who in their right mind would be out there at this hour, and in this weather?
I scanned the interior of the house. The candles were barely flickering and my flashlight was dead. I could wing the rest, but I needed heat to survive. I quickly threw the last scrap of wood into the fireplaces, frantically taking a quick look around. What else could I possibly do? I came up short and stood absolutely still when it finally hit me.
I’m trapped.
Emotionally beaten, I walked unsteadily to the living room and collapsed to the floor with a blanket. When the fires burned out, with no heat, no electricity, and no phone, my odds for survival were pretty grim. I had every reason to panic, but surprisingly, did not. I was too tired, too cold, and too defeated to think clearly anymore. I could barely keep my eyes open.Worn-out, I vaguely recalled that the cold would eventually lull me into…into… what was it? If I could just sleep… I leaned back on the carpeted floor and slowly began to drift off…
Sneakers’ shriek broke through my exhausted stupor and I sat upright, disoriented. I shot to my feet and ran to the kitchen window where he was perched on the sill. In the moonlit night, I caught a glimpse of a figure walking cautiously in the shadows, headed straight toward the front of the house. I pressed flat against the kitchen wall, terrified. Sneakers hissed menacingly. I snatched him up and raced toward the entrance. Grabbing Stephen’s old baseball bat from the closet, I cautiously approached the door, then inched back the curtain to steal a look outside.
Staring back at me was a black hooded figure on the opposite side of the glass panel. I screamed, dropping the cat and baseball bat as my legs gave out and I hit the floor with a thud. My mouth went dry and a paralyzing fear choked me. Sneakers continued to hiss, while I blindly groped for the bat in the darkened hallway. A fierce pounding stopped me in place.
“Samantha?” A voice yelled loudly from the other side of the door.
I froze. Through the howling of the wind, I could have sworn I heard my name called out.
More heavy pounding ensued. “Samantha! Don’t be alarmed. It’s only me, Clay.”
I rose to my feet, sliding the curtain to the side, just as he was ripping the hood off his head so I could see clearly who it was in the moonlight that had floated into the sky between some storm clouds. Sure enough, it was Clay.
“Are you okay?” he shouted. “I came to see if you were okay.”
I was never so glad to see anyone in my entire life, even him. I grabbed the bolt, unlocked it and swung the door open. The wind ripped through the small hallway, as Clay rushed in, slamming the door closed behind him. He was shivering. Me? I was speechless.
“Didn’t expect me did you?” he teased, before noticing my odd, mute reaction in the darkened hallway.
Sneakers was all over this guy, purring and rubbing up against Clay’s leg like an old friend. I glared down at the cat, but he blatantly ignored me, as he cozied up to his ticket out.
“I didn’t frighten you too much, did I?” Clay asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I gestured and Clay followed me into the living
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