This happened about six years ago, back when I lived with my mother and sister in a cozy little duplex. I was currently in high school and I loved it there. I loved my teachers and I loved my friends. The only thing I didn’t like was that it was all the way across town. Of course, most of the time I could just take the school bus. However, sometimes I would have to stay after school and it took me a little over an hour just to walk home. My mom didn’t have a car so I couldn’t just call her to get her to come pick me up. Oh well, exercise is good for you, right?
Anyway, this day just so happened to be one of those days where I had to walk home. Turns out that I had to do a group project for my History class and we were researching the stock market crash. We managed to finish up our work around six, so I was feeling pretty good about it. I had enough time to go home and finish reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck for my English class.
As I was walking home, it was growing dark outside. Although winter was pretty much over, it still got dark out rather early in the day. By the time I was almost at home, it was dusk. I looked over to the park beside the duplexes and I noticed something a little odd. There was a car sitting in the dirt road beside the baseball field with its headlights on. I thought it was weird, just sitting there, waiting. I didn’t think much of it and continued walking home.
It wasn’t until I reached the end of the block that the car started moving. For some reason, it was crawling towards me. I felt a little spooked about the whole thing so I started walking quicker. Every time I looked back at the car, it was still crawling slowly towards me. Feeling paranoid, I burst into a run and headed towards the connected backyards of all the duplexes. I figured that if I entered my duplex from the back, at least this weird person wouldn’t know where I live.
Once I was in the backyards, I sort of relaxed. The car was pretty far back so I doubt the driver had seen me duck into the backyards. I casually walked to my back door, unlocked it and stepped inside. I noticed that the house was empty. I remembered that my mom was working overnights so she wouldn’t get back home until about five in the morning. It was odd that my sister was gone though. Normally she comes home after school, but I guess she had recently begun to hang out with a guy she liked. I was secretly hoping she would come home soon since I was still feeling a little bit spooked. I was probably just being paranoid.
I tossed my book bag onto the couch and grabbed my Of Mice and Men book. I figured I would just head up to my bedroom to read it, since I would only get distracted if I were sitting in front of my computer. I walked towards the front door so I could head up the stairs, and I glanced outside the thin window beside the door.
There was the car, parked right outside of my door. As I stood there in shock, the car turned off. Shit. I ran upstairs to my bedroom, closing the door and hiding in my closet behind a box of clothes. I realized that it was probably safer to just head back outside, but it was too late. I found this hiding spot, now I had to commit to it. I just wished that my bedroom door had a lock on it or something, anything to make me feel more secure.
I sat there in silence, holding my breath, my heart trying to burst out of my chest. Minutes seemed to go by and nothing was happening. Maybe I was being paranoid after all.
That’s when I heard it. The door downstairs opening and slamming shut. The footsteps slowly making their way up the stairs. The footsteps approaching my bedroom door. The door opening.
I had never been so scared in my life. I stayed still and kept super quiet. I prayed that the pounding of my heart wouldn’t give away my hiding spot.
The closet door opened and my heart stopped. I kept staying still, praying and praying that, whoever it was, they wouldn’t see me.
Seconds passed by and nothing happened. I heard the footsteps walk around the room some more. Finally, the footsteps went back down the hallway and down the stairs. I heard the person leave my duplex and I heard them drive away.
For some reason, I didn’t believe that they had left. I kept sitting there, refusing to move. My heart was still pounding. I sat in that position for what felt like a long time. Eventually, my sister came home and came upstairs to look for me. I had never been so happy to see her face.
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Credits to: photofreecreepypasta
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