It was a dark and stormy night. I had just gotten off the phone with my parents, who were currently in Italy on a business trip. It was the second night I had been home alone. I had loved the first night, inviting friends over, partying, and otherwise having uninhibited fun. However, I decided I was going to be alone that night, to play video games and watch horror movies. It was a mistake I will always regret.
I remember the time exactly, 11:34 at night. I had just finished watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and stood up from the couch to go to the kitchen. I had planned on popping more popcorn and getting another can of soda. Now, I’m still not sure whether or not this was because I had just finished watching the movie and had a heightened sense of survival, but as I walked into the kitchen, something just didn’t feel right inside me. I nervously glanced around the dark, not seeing anything unusual. I flipped on the kitchen light, still nothing.
Thinking that I was just being paranoid, I opened the pantry and grabbed a bag of microwaveable popcorn, the kind with extra butter. Putting the bag into the microwave, I pressed the popcorn button and grabbed another can of soda, Mountain Dew.
I walked to the living room and set the can down on a table in front of the couch. Knowing I still had some time, I walked to the bathroom and took a leak. As I came back, I grabbed the now done popcorn and walked to the couch. Sitting down, I opened the bag and grabbed the remote, hoping to find another horror movie on Netflix. As I found another suitable movie, I looked at the table to grab the Mountain Dew, but it wasn’t there. I was perplexed at first. Surely I had brought a can from the fridge and set it on the table.
Thinking that maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, I got up and got another can. I left the kitchen light on, as of now, I was a bit nervous. As I hit play, I put my hand in the still hot popcorn and ate a handful of popcorn. Opening the can of Mountain Dew, I took a big gulp and settled in for the show. However, one minute in, the TV suddenly shut off, along with the kitchen light.
I sat up quickly, not sure what had just happened. I looked outside as a flash of lightning brightened up the room. After a bang of thunder, all that could be heard was the steady pounding of rain against the windows. The bad feeling I had earlier came back, with a vengeance. Officially in survival mode, I dashed towards the kitchen and grabbed a kitchen knife. Just in case, you know?
I fumbled to take my phone out from my pocket. After finally getting a good grip on my phone, I turned on the flashlight and scanned the room. Nothing. I breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, the storm must have knocked out the power. It was a pretty powerful storm after all. I turned off the flashlight and was about to put my knife down when I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand perfectly straight. I felt a presence in the room besides my own. I thought I was just being paranoid, from all the horror movies I’ve watched.
I clenched the knife handle harder. I was about to step forward when another flash of lightning illuminated the room. For that split second, what I saw horrified me. There, in the middle of the living room, stood a tall person. A large steak knife in his left hand, and the first can of Mountain Dew in his right. As the light from the lightning seemingly fled the room in terror, I heard the can drop to the floor.
The fight for survival was on. That feeling had had turned out to be true. I heard the heavy footsteps charge towards me, terrifying me. However, it also let me know of his position. I stuck my knife out and lunged forward as the footsteps closed in. I felt some resistance as the knife pierced through the blackness. I heard a cry of pain, letting me know that my knife had hit its target.
I took this opportunity to book it out of the kitchen and scrambled to the front door. I quickly unlocked it and charged outside into the pouring rain. I lived in the woods, and the closest neighbor was a half mile away. There was no way I could run to his place. I wasn’t fit enough to sprint that far, and he was a frail elderly man who could provide no protection. That left only one option, hide in the woods and await a final showdown.
I slithered off into the dark forest. I had spent my childhood playing in the forest, learning its paths and twists. I had the advantage. The forest was my ally. I managed to get to a clearing and stood at the edge, hiding behind a tree. As I lay in wait, my mind was racing, my heart pumping fast. I thought about what had happened that led up to it, the missing can, the power going out, it wasn’t a coincidence. Then, a thought appeared in my head. How was he able to plan the whole thing out?
It was impossible. He couldn’t have grabbed the soda can and cut off the power, without me noticing. That’s when the realization hit me. He wasn’t alone. As soon I made the discovery, I felt a sharp pain sear through my back. I screamed in agony and adrenaline poured through my veins. As the object that stabbed my back exited the wound, I somehow summoned the strength to swing my knife backwards, slashing a black figure behind me. I started to run, but as I continued to run, the pain in my back grew worse.
I slowed steadily until I stopped, unable to keep going. I heard heavy footsteps behind me. They knew my position. The forest which I thought was my ally had betrayed me, hiding the ones who would hurt me. I fell to my knees, giving up hope of living. I saw two figures slow down as they approached. I dropped the knife, surrendering to what they had in store. One of the figures walked up to me and shoved me down to the ground. I lost what little strength I had and lay still. The two figures stood over me. I felt their hateful stares burn into my body. It’s over. My life would come to an end.
One of the figures lifted his arm, knife in hand, ready to deliver the killing blow. I clenched my eyes, ready for me to leave this life, when a loud bang rang through the blackness. I immediately heard a thump next to me. Opening my eyes, the figure lay next to me, motionless. The other dashed off towards the blackness, running for his life. A few seconds later, I heard more footsteps coming from the opposite direction, stopping right before me.
Looking, I saw another figure standing over me. I tried to speak, but no words left my mouth. I slowly closed my eyes, unable to keep them open anymore. I awoke in a strange room, filled with beeps as machines were running throughout the entire room. I finally realized where I was, in a hospital room. I somehow had survived that devilish night. I learned from the doctor that a hunter had been hunting around the area and was using night goggles to help find game when he saw what was happening. Two men, both Caucasian, were about to kill me when he shot at the one closest. I then learned that they found the other, who was hiding close by.
Turned out, the forest was my ally. It hid the person who saved my life from my enemies. My parents came back later that day, frantic. They never both left on a business trip at the same time, one always staying back with me. I didn’t mind. After all, there was no way I would ever be home alone ever again.
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