{Closed for Sandy and myself}
It was late and I was just getting home from another long day at work. The last four weeks had been incredibly hectic, my boss had gone on vacation leaving me most of his workload. He was not due back for another week and yet another employee had given notice today. I just not cut out for management, I thought bitterly as I parked my car, grabbing my briefcase and started for my apartment.
As I walked up the walkway to the entry, I noticed that once again the security door was propped open, a small rock being wedged under the door to keep it from closing and locking automatically. “Fucking kids,” I mumbled to myself as I kicked the rock out of the way and let the door swing shut behind me. True, they were not really kids but they always seemed to act like it. Hell, they were only four or five years younger then I was, still in college and enjoying life. The days of partying all night and sleeping through classes seem a long time ago. As I passed their apartment I could hear the sounds of loud rap music and shouts and laughter coming through the door. “Shit,” I cursed softly as I made my way up the stairs towards my apartment, the thumping beat of the bass following me. With that racket going on, I’d never get to sleep tonight. I briefly thought about calling the landlord again but after my last noise complaint against them, they had just turned the music up louder. This night was really going from bad to worse quickly I thought to myself as I walked down the hall to my apartment door.
I fished my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door, stepping into my darkened living room. Tossing my briefcase and coat onto the sofa, I moved towards the kitchen, determined to pour myself a stiff drink. As I opened the cabinet where I kept the liquor, I heard a faint noise coming from my bedroom. I stood there frozen, listening carefully for any sound for a few tense seconds before it came again. I glanced around the dark apartment, noticing for the first time that something did not feel right, as if someone else was there with me. I had been living alone for almost six months now, since my last girlfriend had moved in with another man. I had changed the locks after she had dumped me so it couldn’t be her; I rationalized as I tried to move silently into the living room. Peering at the dim shapes of my television and computer, I noticed that everything had been disconnected, my DVDs and Cds lying in neat piles on the floor. Obvious whoever was burglarizing my place had sorted through what they were stealing; taking only what could easily be resold.
I moved over towards the sofa, fumbling hurriedly behind it until I found the old baseball bat I kept there. I had not played baseball since high school but I’d always held onto my favorite bat. Now the sentimental keepsake was the only form of weapon I had as I moved towards the partially open door of my bedroom. I pressed myself flat against the wall as the beam of a flashlight moved behind the door, my heart beating rapidly as I gripped the bat with suddenly sweaty hands. After a second, the light moved away and I creeped quietly up to my bedroom door, peering in through the small gap. I saw a figure dressed in dark clothes searching through my closet, throwing clothes and boxes aside as they tried to find anything of value I might have hidden there. Swallowing hard I moved into the room, the bat clenched in one hand raised above my head, poised to smash the thief unconscious. “Stop right there,” I growled, trying to make my voice sound gruffer then it really was. “Freeze or I’ll smash your brains out.”
It was late and I was just getting home from another long day at work. The last four weeks had been incredibly hectic, my boss had gone on vacation leaving me most of his workload. He was not due back for another week and yet another employee had given notice today. I just not cut out for management, I thought bitterly as I parked my car, grabbing my briefcase and started for my apartment.
As I walked up the walkway to the entry, I noticed that once again the security door was propped open, a small rock being wedged under the door to keep it from closing and locking automatically. “Fucking kids,” I mumbled to myself as I kicked the rock out of the way and let the door swing shut behind me. True, they were not really kids but they always seemed to act like it. Hell, they were only four or five years younger then I was, still in college and enjoying life. The days of partying all night and sleeping through classes seem a long time ago. As I passed their apartment I could hear the sounds of loud rap music and shouts and laughter coming through the door. “Shit,” I cursed softly as I made my way up the stairs towards my apartment, the thumping beat of the bass following me. With that racket going on, I’d never get to sleep tonight. I briefly thought about calling the landlord again but after my last noise complaint against them, they had just turned the music up louder. This night was really going from bad to worse quickly I thought to myself as I walked down the hall to my apartment door.
I fished my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door, stepping into my darkened living room. Tossing my briefcase and coat onto the sofa, I moved towards the kitchen, determined to pour myself a stiff drink. As I opened the cabinet where I kept the liquor, I heard a faint noise coming from my bedroom. I stood there frozen, listening carefully for any sound for a few tense seconds before it came again. I glanced around the dark apartment, noticing for the first time that something did not feel right, as if someone else was there with me. I had been living alone for almost six months now, since my last girlfriend had moved in with another man. I had changed the locks after she had dumped me so it couldn’t be her; I rationalized as I tried to move silently into the living room. Peering at the dim shapes of my television and computer, I noticed that everything had been disconnected, my DVDs and Cds lying in neat piles on the floor. Obvious whoever was burglarizing my place had sorted through what they were stealing; taking only what could easily be resold.
I moved over towards the sofa, fumbling hurriedly behind it until I found the old baseball bat I kept there. I had not played baseball since high school but I’d always held onto my favorite bat. Now the sentimental keepsake was the only form of weapon I had as I moved towards the partially open door of my bedroom. I pressed myself flat against the wall as the beam of a flashlight moved behind the door, my heart beating rapidly as I gripped the bat with suddenly sweaty hands. After a second, the light moved away and I creeped quietly up to my bedroom door, peering in through the small gap. I saw a figure dressed in dark clothes searching through my closet, throwing clothes and boxes aside as they tried to find anything of value I might have hidden there. Swallowing hard I moved into the room, the bat clenched in one hand raised above my head, poised to smash the thief unconscious. “Stop right there,” I growled, trying to make my voice sound gruffer then it really was. “Freeze or I’ll smash your brains out.”