The tension was building, her heart was pounding fast, every shadow a looming threat, she flinched at any little sound it all seemed amplified. The creaking floorboards of the empty house and the rattling of the windows seemed to mock her. Every inch of shadow was a potential threat, and every rustling sound a harbinger of danger. She tried to shake off the feeling, but it clung to her like a shroud, gradually suffocating her with its weight.
It was Emily's first night alone at home. Her parents had gone away on a week-long vacation, leaving her in charge of the house. Emily was just sixteen but she has always seen herself like an adult. That was why she made her parents believe that she could stay alone till they're back. Even though she requested that her Aunt come over to stay with her. But Emily wanted freedom, she wanted to bring her friends over for some party but they all declined at the last minute. Yes, she was excited to have the place to herself, but at the same time, she was a little nervous. She had never been alone in the house before, and the thought of all the things that could go wrong made her a little anxious.
She tried to distract herself, to focus on anything other than the growing sense of terror that threatened to overwhelm her. She picked up a book, but the words blurred together on the page. She tried watching TV and eating popcorn, but as the night wore on, she started to feel more and more uneasy. Every little sound made her jump, and she found herself constantly checking the locks on the doors and windows. Something was off, she could feel it in her bones.
Finally, she dozed off on the couch but was woken by a strange noise. It sounded like something was tapping on the window. She sat up, her heart racing, and listened. It came again, the tapping, it continued. She got out of the couch and tiptoed to the window, peeping out into the darkness. At first, she saw nothing, but then she saw a shadow moving near the stalls.
Her heart dropped in her stomach. She knew she should call the police, but she was too scared to move. She was afraid that if she moved the shadow would see her shadow too as she still had the TV and lights on. She stood still and carefully watched, it wasn't just one shadow it was several shadows she realized and slowly the shadows moved closer to the house . Now they were trying to break in.
Emilys hands shook as she rubbed her face if the sweat. She needed to call for help, but the phone was upstairs, and she didn't want to leave the safety of her sitting room. She thought about screaming for help for her neighbors, but they probably weren't going to hear her as the distance between her house and theirs was too far.
The burglars were getting closer, it was now or never she carefully crept into the kitchen which was leading to the stairs upstairs and quietly she crept up to her room and dialed for help. But was met by the normal long police protocols. She knew help wasn't coming anytime soon.
Looking around the room for anywhere to hide at all she remebered that her dad had an attic just below his bedroom and withiut thinking she ran as her legs could carry her to the attic and carefully locked herself inside. While she waited for the arrival of the police.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of sirens in the distance. She was sure the burglars heard it too, as she heard their frantic movement from her hiding place. They knew that the police were on their way and quickly fled the scene, leaving Emily alone.
As the police arrived, Emily gently crept out of her hiding place, her strength already drained. The police took her statement and searched the house, but the burglars were long gone. Lucky enough, nothing had been stolen, and Emily was left to pick up the pieces of her shattered nerves.
After the police had gone, Emily phoned her Aunt who came over immediately to stay with her. The tension barely allowed her to sleep even with her Aunt beside het. It was only when the first rays of dawn began to filter through her window that she finally allowed herself to relax. The night had been a trial, but she had survived it. She had faced her fear and came out the other side, stronger and more determined than ever before.