Shannon looked up from her phone, eyes slowly adjusting to the dark room. It felt like someone was staring at her from the gloom. She scanned the room, examining each piece of furniture with a critical eye. Everything was in the same place it had been an hour ago when she came to bed. Her husband, Adam, was still asleep under the covers, breathing slowly and steadily. He knew better than to stare at her while she slept, or in this case didn’t sleep, anyways. It couldn’t be the kids either. Not only were they away at their grandparents house for the weekend, she would have heard them come in the room.

She reached to turn on the lamp perched on the bedside table but stopped halfway. The sudden burst of light would wake up Adam. He’d grumpily ask why the light was on and then explain in that condescending tone that there was clearly nobody else in the room. And then to top it all off, she’d have to deal with his cranky ass in the morning. It wasn’t worth it to turn on the light. She still couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched though.

‘Maybe some water would help calm my nerves,’ Shannon thought, gingerly pulling back the covers. It usually helped at least a little bit and would also give her an excuse to turn on some lights. ‘Since the lights will already be on, I might as well look around the house,’ she rationalized. There hadn’t been an intruder in her house for more than fifteen years, but a quick check couldn’t hurt.

A loud THUD reverberated through the house and sent her heart racing. It sounded as though a bookshelf had been dropped on it’s side. Quick as a flash, Shannon pulled her revolver from its home in the drawer of her bedside table. She pointed the weapon at the bedroom door, ready to greet whoever might come through. Finger on the trigger, nerves humming, she waited. She had practiced for this moment, determined not to be a victim ever again. Adam continued to sleep behind her.

Keeping her eyes and gun glued to the door, Shannon reached over to Adam with one hand and shook his shoulder hard. Considering he was such a light sleeper, she was surprised the thud hadn’t woken him up. Grumpy or not, she would need him to witness whatever happened next.

“Adam,” she whispered hoarsely, “There’s someone in the house”. He rolled over and sighed.

“There’s no one else here, Shan,” Adam muttered as he buried his face into the pillow. “Put the gun away and go back to sleep.” Shannon heard his breathing slow again as he began drifting back off to sleep. She had heard him say those words dozens of times, but it still stung each time. Tonight was different though. The thud made it real.

“I’m clearing the house,” she said to her husband’s back. He sleepily waved an arm at her and muttered something else into his pillow. Shannon didn’t hear the muffled words. Her mind and attention were elsewhere now. As silent as smoke gliding on the breeze, she slid off the bed, grabbed the flashlight in the drawer, and made her way out of the room.

With careful and practiced movements, Shannon traversed the house, checking each room for any sign of intruders. The bathrooms, kid’s rooms, and Adam’s office were all in the same state they had been earlier in the day. As she had been taught, she closed the doors to each room to mark them as empty. The kitchen was clear too, leaving only the living room to go. There had been no further disruptions since the thud, which Shannon was beginning to suspect had just been in her mind. Once her paranoia started rolling, it was hard to stop. Back pressed against the wall, Shannon took a deep, shuddering breath and swiveled into the living room.

She clicked on the flashlight as she moved, scanning both it and the revolver quickly across the large room. Everything appeared normal. Nobody strange was in her house and nothing had been knocked over. Her corner of the world was still safe. Releasing her captive breath, she lowered the gun and light to her side and returned to the kitchen. She turned on the lights and poured herself some water.

The bright overhead lights burned away her fear along with the shadows, making way for embarrassment and shame to rise in its place. Of course there was nobody in the house. Except for that one night, right after she had graduated from college, there had never been anybody unwelcome in her home. Her paranoia may be justified, but that didn’t make it rational. Once again, as she knew Adam would say, the monsters were all in her head. She wanted to hate him for minimizing her fears, but how could she when he was right?

Head hanging low, Shannon switched the lights off and slunk back to the bedroom. Hopefully Adam would still be asleep and wouldn’t notice as she crawled into bed. She pushed the bedroom door open, noticing too late that it wasn’t closed all the way. For all his shortcomings, Adam knew better than to leave a room while she was clearing the house. That was the fastest way to get shot.

The face that greeted her inside the room was not Adam’s. It was gaunt, with large eyes glimmering in their deep set sockets. The face smiled, revealing many more teeth than should have been able to fit in the mouth. Despite being caught off guard, Shannon’s training kicked in and she raised the gun towards the creature. A clammy hand blocked her wrist and wrenched the gun from her grasp. She could smell the monstrous being’s foul breath as it stepped towards her.

“Hello Shannon,” it said, punctuating the sentence with the closing click of the door latch. “I’ve been waiting for you.”