Annie

'Man suspected of kidnapping and killing four girls this weekend is still at large. Stay tuned to hear all the evidence against him and to see if he is in your area-' Coming out of my daze standing in front of the screen, I click the television off and set the remote down on the stand that holds it up. I walk back to the couch and grab my phone.

I need something to distract me from that now. The news is so depressing. I can't possibly watch it any longer. Especially since I am home alone and that kind of thing freaks me the hell out. I am too paranoid for that.

I have no clue how Matt can sit there and watch it hours on end. How can he walk away from seeing all of the terrible things going on in the world and go about his day normally?

I glance up at the clock. Speaking of Matt, he should be home by now. He got off work about a half hour ago.

I open messages and type out a text to him.

To: Baby❤️
6:01 pm
Everything okay? It's late...

I sit down on the couch and wait for a reply.

From: Baby❤️
6:01pm
Sorry. Boss wanted to chat. Walking to the car now be home in 20

To: Baby❤️
6:02pm
Okay love you

I send the message and wait for him to reply.

Since I have not gotten a reply yet, I would have to assume he is in the car and driving home already. He usually responds to my messages very quickly.

Great. So now I just have to wait another nineteen or so minutes for him to come home.

I open up an app, ready to pass the time with a game designed to do just that.

I lift my head as the front door creaks. Is he home already? Was I really do invested in that game that I spent twenty minutes playing it without even realizing?

I look at the time on the top of my phone and see that not even two minutes have passed since we messaged. He said he would be at least twenty. How could he be home already?

I dial 9-1-1 and hold my thumb over the call button. Something isn't right.

I shake my head and place the phone face down on the couch.

Nothing is wrong. It is just my anxiety. I am just overly paranoid because I am home alone. My mind is just playing tricks on me.

I need to calm down. "Deep breaths Annie. Deep, deep breaths. You are fine. It's just your imagination." I whisper as I practice breathing to calm down my anxious brain.

Slamming up the stairs causes me to sit up on the edge of the couch. Someone is in the house.

But it's just Matt. He is just going upstairs to surprise me with a gift. Yeah.

I stand and walks towards the stairs.

Gripping the railing so tight, my fingers just might go right brought the wood it is made of.

I walk up the stairs, cautiously, knowing deep in my heart that the noises I am hearing are just my mind playing cruel tricks on me.

My anxiety never seems to leave me alone.

I walk down the hallway and turn in to my bedroom, where I hear the noises coming from.

I gasp, immediately regretting my sound as he turns around and stares me right in the eye.

"You-" I point. I saw him on tv.

I look over at the phone, judging how fast I can get over to it.

I lunge at it at the same time as he lunges at me. He smacks the phone out of my hand.

I stand before him, frozen. I run down the hallway.

I should have listened to my gut. I should have listened to my paranoia. My anxiety was met with reality this time, not just made up creations.

This is real. This is so real.

I scream for help. Matt won't be home for at least another fifteen minutes. If I can just get away and stall this man until Matt get home, I can escape this madness.

He grabs on to my shirt, yanking me down to the ground. My head slams against the tile outside the bathroom. I squint my eyes shut, hoping. This is just a dream.

He lifts me and throws me inside the bathroom, slamming the door shut after I am inside.

What am I going to do?

I sit in the corner of the room and grab my knees, rocking back and forth.

I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I can't breathe.

The door swings open. He lunges on top of me, smacking tape over my mouth. He pulls the roll out of his backpack and holds it up in front of my face. "Never travel without it."

I push against him as he reaches back inside his bag. He grabs both of my hands in his and wraps a zip tie around them, pulling it right.

He stand and smiles. "Had you not followed me upstairs, we wouldn't be doing this right now."