Living in Fear

My body reacted before my brain could. I grabbed my keys and ran out of the

apartment barefoot. I didn’t stop until I was in the parking lot, calling 911 with

shaking hands. I couldn’t stop staring at my bedroom window from outside. At one point,

the light flicked on. Then off. Whoever was in the vent was now inside

my room. The police arrived within minutes. They checked my apartment but didn’t

find anyone. Then they accessed the attic crawlspace that ran above several units.

It was tight and dusty, barely tall enough to crouch. But what they found

made my skin crawl. Someone had been living up there. There was a sleeping bag,