Chapter One - …And the Sconce Came Tumbling Down

It’s Saturday night and I’m home alone. It’s dark out, but all the lights are on. The window is open and I can feel the cold spring air. The heat is on but I am too warm. The doors are locked and I’m upstairs. Nobody can get to me, at least that’s what I tell myself. I am safe in my home. I hear the train, the thud of metal wheels on a metal track. The horn blows and the rumbling is louder; it’s close. The walls shake a little but nothing falls off. Until last night, a little past midnight, when the sconce came tumbling down. It sounded like a window crashing open and glass breaking all over the hardwood floor. I startle awake and my heart is in my throat, beating so fast I can’t catch my breath. There’s no room for my vocal chords to vibrate and I cannot scream. I am scared, but so tired that the sleep still grips my eyes as I can barely open them. The dogs are not phased. They’re a bit restless because they heard it too. I finally work up the courage to throw off the covers and go downstairs. I’m still so tired that danger is not even a thought. I look around and there isn’t any obvious sign of disturbance. The cats are running around, chasing each other in the early morning hours as they often do. Cats are nocturnal creatures and for them, it’s the witching hour. The dogs aren’t barking and so I think I am safe. No windows ajar, no glass on the floor. I quietly reassure myself that I was dreaming. I realize I’m also ready for a midnight snack. I walk into the kitchen and grab a breakfast bar and walk back upstairs. I greedily inhale it and pass out from exhaustion. It isn’t until the next morning, when I wake-up, that I realize I’m not alone. I can’t remember what I heard first, the shallowness of his breathing next to me or my screams.