It was a dark and stormy night, with rain relentlessly pounding against the windows and the wind howling like a pack of wolves in the distance. The ominous atmosphere outside mirrored the exhaustion Jane felt after a long and tiring day at work. Seeking respite, she had settled into a fitful sleep in her cozy bedroom.
Suddenly, a loud and forceful knock jolted Jane awake from her slumber. Disoriented, she glanced at her phone, which illuminated the room with its soft glow. The time read almost midnight. With her heart racing, Jane stumbled out of bed, her feet barely finding their footing in the dimly lit room, and made her way out from bedroom towards the front door in living room. The dim light that filtered through the curtains cast eerie shapes on the walls of the living room, dancing in sync with the tempestuous wind outside.
As she cautiously peered through the peephole, her blood ran cold. In the dimly lit corridor outside, she spotted a mysterious figure, a man, pacing back and forth with a knife ominously glinting in his hand. Panic surged through Jane's veins, and her mind became a whirlwind of terrifying questions. Who was this man? What did he want from her?
A wave of fear washed over her, prompting Jane to retreat from the door. She desperately sought an alternative plan, her trembling legs guiding her towards the living room balcony. There, she hoped to summon help from the watchman of the society. However, as she looked down from her on the 6th floor, the watchman was nowhere to be seen.
Reluctantly, she returned to the door, compelled by a mixture of curiosity and anxiety. To her bewilderment, the man had vanished, leaving behind only the eerie silence of the corridor. A chilling sense of uncertainty gripped Jane as she rushed back to her bedroom, her entire body trembling with adrenaline. She snatched her phone from the bed and dialed her friend's number.
Breathless and terrified, Jane gasped into the phone, "I saw a man with a knife outside my door."
Her friend's response was dismissive, lacking the empathy Jane craved in that moment. "You must have had a nightmare," she casually remarked. "Just lock the doors tightly from inside and try to go back to sleep."
Jane tried to calm herself down, but the feeling of dread wouldn't go away. She made her way back to the living room to confirm the front door locks. But when she arrived, her heart sank, and her breath caught in her throat.
The door was already open.
Panic seized Jane, squeezing her chest like a vice, as she realized that someone had entered her apartment. She felt a surge of adrenaline, propelling her out onto the balcony in a frantic attempt to escape. The questions swirling in her mind threatened to overwhelm her. Who had opened the door? How had they managed to gain access to her home?
Amidst the chaos of her racing thoughts, she could hear faint, eerie footsteps and indistinct murmurs echoing through the darkness. The realization that there were more than one intruder intensified her fear, causing her to cower in the corner of the balcony, her mind plagued by irrational and terrifying thoughts.
As the initial wave of panic subsided, Jane's racing thoughts began to align with a more rational perspective. It dawned on her that she had unwittingly placed herself in a perilous situation by hastily seeking refuge in the living room balcony. The realization struck her like a bolt of lightning, and she understood the importance of maintaining her stealth.
The idea of calling for help from the balcony flashed through Jane's mind, but she swiftly discarded it. Making such a desperate appeal would only serve to expose her location to the lurking intruders, potentially exacerbating the danger she found herself in. Silence became her ally, and she decided to remain hidden, preserving her position as her best defense.
Seconds later she could hear her bedroom door opening. Jane's heart skipped a beat as she strained to hear the muffled footsteps drawing away. The intruders were now systematically searching for her within the confines of her own bedroom. Each passing second seemed to stretch into eternity, amplifying the tension that permeated the room.
Suddenly, the heavy silence was shattered by the loud sound—an incoming call on Jane's phone. Reflexively, she snatched her phone, her hand trembling with apprehension she hastily rejected the call. The call was from her friend she had called earlier, probably checking back on her.
To her dismay, the intruder's footsteps abruptly halted, and she could faintly discern them retracing their path back towards the living room. The realization that her hiding place had been compromised filled her with a profound sense of vulnerability and urgency.
Time seemed to both crawl and accelerate simultaneously as Jane's mind raced to formulate a new plan. The intruder's movements indicated that they were growing closer to her location.
Jane, still recovering from the shock and fear, slowly rose from her crouched position, preparing herself to confront the intruders. However, as the footsteps drew nearer, her nerves got the better of her, causing her to stumble backward. The balcony door slid open with a sudden jolt, revealing familiar faces. With a mix of surprise and excitement, screaming, "Surpriseee!"
However, the shock of the sudden movement had already pushed a startled Jane off balance, causing her to topple backward over the balcony fence. In those fleeting seconds as she hung in the air, Jane's realized that it was her friends who had sneaked in her house. As Jane crashed onto the unforgiving concrete floor, her mobile device bounced a few feet away from her. The time on the screen read 12:00, and a series of notifications popped up, showering her with heartfelt birthday wishes.
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Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading. I would love to hear your feedback in comments. If you enjoyed it, please consider sharing it with others. Would mean a lot :)
Warm regards,
Vishwesh Shetty