Don't Answer The Door - Ch. 20

1

Leah was sitting on the couch in her apartment as she surfed the channels. 2

"Why the hell is there nothing on TV. God damn it." She said as she put the remote control down. 3

Leah settled for the evening news. She didn't really want to hear other peoples problems for she had her own, but she was bored with nothing else to do. She began to take off her skirt as she watched the news in the living room. Leah had been ready for her date with her boyfriend. He was going to come pick her up for their two year anniversary dinner. She wiped away tears, realizing maybe her boyfriend doesn't care about her as much as he said he did.4

"Damn you. Where are you?" She asked, as she looked at the clock hanging on the dark green walls of her living room.5

He wasn't the one to be late, and she began to get worried because he was suppose to have picked her up two hours ago. They hadn't talked much the previous day. They were at the prom dancing when his cell phone rang. After he answered it, he stayed a few more minutes then left. She understood because he was a police officer, and that means he would have to take emergency calls. 6

"That's the bad thing about dating an older man." She said, sighing as she plopped down on the couch still in her underwear and blouse. 7

Leah took her blouse off and threw it at the lamp as she screamed in frustration and anger. She tried to calm down so she could watch the news. 8

"... won twenty-two to eighteen last night. Congratulations to them." Said the news lady at the desk. Leah noticed that her hair was a little messed up.9

"Make out a little now did we?" Leah said, giggling at the expense of others.10

"Yeah, it must be a real honor that they won state champs." Said the man next to her as he moved around some papers, trying to look important.11

"Of course, this is right after their prom too! Great job..." Said the lady with the messed up hair.12

Leah grew some hatred towards them. She didn't like the fact that an ugly woman can be out on a weekend, doing something while she was sitting in her underwear on her couch. She sighed as she put a pillow under her head and layed down on her side, facing the television. The TV was the only source of light in that room because she turned out the light. 13

Leah always liked to sit in the dark, it was something she never understood. It was probably because she felt calm, she felt alone and felt safe. She was different from other people because she didn't get scared in the dark. She was a night owl she concluded. She sighed once more as her eyes began to slowly close. They felt so heavy, she couldn't keep them open any longer. She drifted asleep...14

"It is now seven o'clock..." Was the last thing she heard coming from the television as she began to dream.15

~ She was running quickly in her underwear. She wasn't inside, wasn't anywhere she had been before. Leah was running through the woods, running for her life. She heard someones footsteps behind her, heard twigs breaking and leaves rustling. Leah was screaming at the top of her lungs as she ran and ran, trying to get out of the woods. She finally saw a place she could get out, she saw a hill. Leah began to run up the hill as she continued to scream..." ~16

Leah screamed as she bolted up straight on the couch. She was sweating, her skin clinging onto the couch itself. She began to tremble. 17

"Oh wow. Oh God." She said, scared.18

Leah always had nightmares, but she never had them this bad. This time it felt real, as if she was actually running to save her life. She put her feet on the carpet which surprisingly felt damp. She put her elbows on her thighs and buried her face in her hands. 19

"Breaking news alert!" Was yelled from the television.20

Leah looked up, feeling a little interested. She looked at the clock and it read 10:57. 21

"There has been a body found, and it seems to have been dead for over a day now." The man who was previously talking about the sports was speaking again.22

"What the hell?" She said, as she wondered who the sucker was that was dead.23

"The body of police officer Carter was found just now, after reported missing by other police officers. His six year old daughter who lives with her mother also called, saying her father never came for his daily visit which he never missed. The twenty-six year old officer was found hung from the neck and his body was hanging above the ground. His chest and stomach were sliced down the middle and his internal organs were missing. His blood was everywhere. This was obviously a murder, and police don't have a suspect yet." The man continued.24

"Oh God!" Leah screamed over the woman who just began talking.25

"How sad for his family." The woman on TV said.26

Leah stood up and just froze. She didn't know what to do, what to say, how to react. Her boyfriend was murdered! 27

"Oh Carter, oh Carter why did you leave me!" She wailed as she dropped to her knees.28

Leah began sobbing hysterically. She couldn't get a hold of herself. She felt guilty for being mad at him for missing their anniversary dinner. He was dead all a long, and she never knew. She began pulling at her hair, her long blonde hair. After pulling her hands away, she felt loose hairs in her hands and she didn't notice it that much. 29

Leah stopped sobbing as she heard a sound coming from her bedroom. 30

"Who..Who's there?!" She screamed, trying to sound brave through her tears.31

She heard a sound again, but she began to panic as she realized something worse. Leah was beginning to smell something awful. It smelled familiar to her, fire. Her apartment was being burned! 32

"Oh my God!" She screamed, as she realized why the carpet was so damp. 33

She didn't understand why she didn't smell the gas when it was right next to her on the carpet. She was too frightened from her dream, and the news report about her boyfriend being murdered didn't help. Leah panicked when she began to see red flames beginning to peak through from under the bedroom door. Leah didn't know what to do. She covered her nose and mouth with her hand as she grabbed her coat, and ran out of the apartment. 34

She stood outside in her underwear, her coat in her hand as she ran to the neighbors apartment door.35

"Open the door! Open up!" She screamed as she began to knock hard on the neighbors door. 36

"What do you want?" Came an old yet heavy voice from behind the closed door. 37

"Open the fucking door damn it!" She screamed, as the smell of the fire began to spread into the hallway.38

Leah ran down the hallway, forgetting about it. She wanted to run, saving herself. Leah was screaming at the top of her lungs as she heard someone run after her. She didn't look back, afraid of what she will see. 39

"Oh, Why does this feel so familiar?!" She whispered under her breath.40

Leah knew it was the dream, the dream was telling her something she realized as she ran out of the apartment building in her underwear, screaming. 41