I woke with a start and the distinct gut feeling that something wasn't right. I wasn't sure how long I'd been asleep, but the sun was still bright in the sky, so it couldn't have been too long.
I lay still on the bed for a few moments, listening carefully for whatever the sound had been that pulled me from my nap.
A moment later, I heard it again: rattling. I got out of bed, my heart beating a little faster, a sudden wash of nervousness gushing through me. I walked on tiptoes out of my room, being careful to be as silent as possible, and paused on the landing of the stairs, focusing on trying to pinpoint the location of the sound.
There it was again – there was a definite jiggling, and it was coming from the back door. Someone was trying to pick the lock!
Immediately, waves of cold fear started to blast th
rough my veins, and my legs felt weak and jelly-like beneath me. It had to be Simon – it had to be. And here I was, alone and unarmed!
Alright, I needed to calm down before panic got me in a tailspin and spiraling into hysteria. I needed to call someone. I had to stay calm. Help was just a phone call away.
I picked up my phone with shaking fingers and tried to call Everett. His number rang for a while and then went to voicemail. I cursed and felt fear rising, but I forced myself to stay calm and instead dialed 911. The phone seemed to ring forever before someone picked up.
"911, what's your emergency?" said a soft-spoken male voice.
"Hi, uh, someone is trying to break into my house."
"Are you alone?"
"Yes, I'm alone," I replied.
"Alright, stay calm. I need your address, and I'll get a squad car over there right away."
I gave him my address and phone number.
"Alright, ma'am, I've radioed a police car in your area, and they're heading your way now. Stay on the line, and I'll help you through this. What's your name?"
"I'm Vivienne, Vivienne Andrews."
"Vivienne, I'm Arnold Barnes. Alright, what I need you to do while you wait for the squad car to arrive is to stay calm firstly. I know that's much easier for me to say than for you to do, but try to stay in control of your emotions."
"I'm trying, I'm trying..."
"Good, that's good, Vivienne. Now, is there a room in the house in which you can lock yourself? Any place that's got a lock on the door, like a bathroom, anything like that?"
"Um, yeah, yeah, the bathroom next to my bedroom."
"Go straight there and lock yourself in there. If there's anything like a chair or something you can take to stack against the door handle to prevent the door being forced open, bring it with you. As long as it's not a chair with wheels, alright? No office chairs, just a regular old wooden chair, if you have one. If not, just go straight to the bathroom and lock it up."
"There's, uh, there are a few wooden chairs in the kitchen. But that means I'll have to go downstairs and get one, and the man is trying to get through the front door, which is near the kitchen."
"Alright, forget the chair then, we don't want to put you at risk here by potentially having you downstairs if he does get in. Just go straight to the bathroom and lock yourself in there."
"Okay, okay, I'm doing that. Hang on."
I ran back to my bedroom, headed into the bathroom and then locked the door.
At that moment, I heard the front door open.
"Oh no, oh no," I whispered into the phone, my voice hoarse with urgency. "He's in the house, he got in, and the cops haven't arrived yet!"
"Stay calm. They're close; they're a few blocks away. You should hear the sirens any minute now, and when the intruder hears them, he'll probably run. Just stay in there and keep quiet, and stand away from the door if possible."
That's when I heard a voice I hadn't heard in years – a voice that sent shivers of dread snaking down my spine.
"Alicia! Hello, Alicia... I know you're in here, so don't waste time hiding. Come out; I just want to talk..."