Left tied up in my bed, I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew was a policewoman waking me up and untying me.
The man was gone.
Thank goodness.
I gave my statement and the police examined my house, collecting evidence. They helped me find another house and move away almost as soon as the storm ended. They had people check on me every now and then, but after a while, it stopped.
I had never thought I'd ever gain a phobia of thunderstorms, but I had now. Every time there was one, I would shiver beneath my blankets, praying and hoping that man wouldn't find me.
A year passed. Two years passed.
I was starting to relax.
Then we were warned of encroaching freak storms and bad weather with gale force winds again. The edges of an off coast hurricane that was passing by the region. It made me shiver and shake.
The house I was living in was part of an estate with security guards at all the entrances and exits to the estate. With the wild weather warning, all residents in the estate were informed to stay home and that the security guards were going to close the gates. They would not be manning the gate during this freak weather. Anybody returning to the estate late would have to go to the security building in order to be let in.
I had a bad feeling about this storm. The weather people on television said that this storm was going to last more than one night. Possibly two or more, depending upon what the unpredictable hurricane out there chose to do.
The house I had bought was not big. Unlike my previous three bedroom, two bathroom house, this was a two bedroom, two bathroom house with one sitting room connected to the kitchen area. The backdoor was in the laundry located beside the kitchen. I had a tiny strip of garden in the front and in the back of the house.
Taking advantage of the still good weather, I drove to the local grocery where most of the other residents of the estate were also shopping for enough food and things to tide them over for the next few days when we would all be locked inside our homes. I hadn't been able to eat pasta again since the man visited during the storm at my last house, so I bought noodles. Instant noodles and plain noodles. Seasonings and rice. Fresh fruit and vegetables. Cheese, butter and bread. I also bought half a cartful of snacks. Something to keep me distracted and busy while watching TV or videos on my laptop.
When I got home, I felt tired after all the shopping. I had probably bought too much, but it was better to have more just in case the storm lasted longer than expected. While I put everything away, I hummed a song to distract myself from my anxieties and fears.
My police contact sent me a message to reassure me, saying that the man hadn't returned or found me for the past two or three years, and so I should be fine. But I could always call or message her if anything happened. She reminded me to check all my doors and windows to ensure they were properly locked and to make sure the deadlocks were locked before the storm arrived.
I sent a message back to thank her for her reassurance and reminders and then immediately went to check the doors and windows as instructed. The windows had fancy grills on them and didn't slide open. Only tilted outwards a little way. There was no way even a kid could wriggle in and out of them. The doors all had double locks on them. The security screen doors too.
Certain that everything was locked tight, I sat at my front window to watch the approaching storm clouds reaching across the sky like long reaching fingers. The ominous creeping and blowing of the storm clouds made me shiver with dread. I closed the curtains and sat in the dim light for a moment, listening to the wind outside picking up into bluster and then into a screaming howl that battered at at the house. All the doors and windows rattled.
After the howling wind came the angry rain. The rain threw itself against the glass, smearing itself across the window first just a few heavy drops and then more and more until it was a torrential downpour. Through the gaps in the curtains, I saw the wind blowing the rain sideways.
Thankfully, there was no lightning or thunder yet. Just the rainstorm and wind. Although that was already enough to send the jitters through my body.
Stiffly, I got up to turn on the lights and TV. Something to distract me from the oncoming storm.
Distant thunder rumbled. It was ok. I was going to be ok. It wasn't here yet. It wasn't here yet. It was still quite far away.
I tried to focus and concentrate on the television programs. I tried watching a quiz show, a daytime soapy drama, the news and cartoons. Strangely the cartoons were the most soothing, but it was a pity they didn't last long. Eventually, I decided to put a movie or a drama series into the DVD player. Something exceptionally long. Something light-hearted. Something comedic.
I looked between my collections of all seasons of Friends and Scrubs. One of these two would do. Or maybe something a little more serious and out of this world. Like a science fiction drama or fantasy one. Or maybe just go with a chick flick movie. A rom com. So many choices. Oh yes. I had some old classical musicals as well. So many choices.
I wasn't usually that good at making choices. For example, if I went out shopping and decided to eat out, it was often nearly dinner time by the time I could make a decision on where I wanted to eat and then when looking at the menu, I would ask for the waiter's recommendation and just get that. Otherwise I'd be looking at the menu until closing time.
It was usually different if I was at home by myself. I wasn't that bad, however deciding to have a movie night usually resulted in me falling asleep before I could decide on what I wanted to watch. The popcorn would sit there overnight and be stale by the next day.
Nevermind. I had plenty of time. Work had told us to stay home until the storm was over and we had the all clear. After today and tomorrow, it was the weekend. The storm should have blown itself out by then. Monday was a public holiday. Tuesday was a day that the renovators were meant to come in and fix up a whole bunch of things in the office. They would be finishing up on Wednesday, so I only had to return to work next Thursday.
In short, I had about a week's leave.
The rolling thunder resounded. A little closer this time. It was still far away. I was going to be ok. I was going to binge watch a drama series or a movie series. I would eat salted buttery popcorn, chocolate coated cookies and drinks lemonade. Maybe put some pies and chips into the oven, and boil some peas for vegetables. I would cut myself a fruit platter and huddle in a blanket on the couch, enjoying myself and ignoring the storm.
I was not going to have any unexpected visitors.
I was going to be fine all alone by myself and message my police contact at the end of the storm that I had gotten safely through it all without any mishaps. I was going to be fine.
I spoke my thoughts out loud as if to give them extra weight and to reassure myself. Thunder rumbled. Closer now. More frequent than before. Getting closer and closer.
I glanced outside at the drumming rain and closed the gaps in the curtains more tightly. I didn't want to look at the storm. Didn't want to see what was out there.
A flash of light outside the curtains and all the lights flickered. Almost immediately, there was an awesome boom that had my ears ringing.
With a shriek, I fell to the floor, hands over my ears. I grabbed the blanket on my couch that had already been prepared and huddled under it. Without looking, I fumbled for the remote control to turn the volume up.
How had the storm arrived so quickly?
Hugging my blanket to me, I peered at the DVD rack to try and take my mind off the storm and the panicky fear that I felt. He was herem I knew he was here. He was already here.
But that was illogical. Irrational. He couldn't be here. I had already checked the whole house. Locked all the door and windows. He couldn't be here. And yet I knew he was here. Already here in the room with me. I could hear his breathing. Smell his scent.
Using the blanket as blinkers, I pretended that he wasn't here. That I didn't know he was here. He wasn't here. He wasn't here. As long as I didn't look. As long as I didn't see him, he couldn't be here. He wasn't here.
I gingerly got off the couch and shuffled over to the DVD rack on my jelly legs to continue choosing.
"Let's choose a movie or a drama," I said to myself in a tight and cracked voice. "What should we watch?"
"Game of Thrones," said the man's voice in a light and cheerful manner. "I quite enjoyed the snippets I've seen of it online. Let's watch it all from the beginning."
I froze and used my blanket to cover my head.
"I'm just imagining things. Just dreaming," I muttered to myself. "He's not here. He's not here. He's not here. I'll go to the kitchen to prepare the snacks. I'll prepare snacks and food. Yes. I didn't hear anything just now."
But while I was shuffling to the kitchen wrapped in my blanket, I heard the sound of the DVD case being opened and the whirring, familiar sound of the DVD tray retracting. There was the sounds of the DVD starting to play, giving all the usual warnings before reaching the title screen. And then by the time I had already put two meat pies and a spread of potato chips into the oven, I heard the start of the first episode playing.
Ignoring the sounds, I put microwave popcorn into the microwave, put in two minutes and pressed start. I filled a small pot with some water and put it on the stove to boil. From the fridge, I took out some vegetables to cut into vegetable sticks and some fruit to be sliced onto a platter. Cheese, crackers and dips were taken out and placed on the platter.
Someone padded into the kitchen to stand beside and they started washing the fruit and vegetables. I took out the chopping board and knife, and then drifted away to open a bag of chips and a bag of sour worms, which I took away to place on the coffee table. From the cupboard, I took two big tumblers and then grabbed a bottle of lemonade and another of ginger ale from the pantry.
"Any beer?" the dreaded voice behind me asked.
"No beer. Don't drink beer. Don't like beer," I muttered half to myself. "Why would I have any beer? I'm hallucinating. Really must be losing my mind."
"Any wine? Spirits?"
I looked at the pantry and tilted my head.
"Vodka. Mirin. Ginger wine."
"Take out the vodka and ginger wine for me then. I'll mix my own drinks."
Obediently, I took out the vodka and ginger wine, along with some cordials and other drinks mixers to the coffee table, putting them beside the plastic bottles of soft drinks. From the cupboard, I took out a glass cup and placed it on a coaster to the side. I wasn't going to use it. Nothing to do with me.
I heard the thumping of vegetables and fruits being chopped and sliced. I hoped I wouldn't be chopped and sliced as well later. Who knew what the man's real intentions were?
The microwave beeped six times to tell me it was done popping the popcorn.
"I'll get that," the man said. "It'll be hot. You can take the big platter over first."
I took the big platter with the vegetable sticks and sliced fruits, cheese, crackers and dips. I carefully shuffled with it over to the coffee table and put it down. On the television, I saw dire wolves and looked away. I didn't want to watch this. I knew what was going to happen and I didn't want to see.
I stopped the DVD and swapped it for Mary Poppins. The more light-hearted music helped to ease my growing fear somewhat.
"What? You want to watch this? If you don't want to watch "
A hand reached out from behind me and pressed the eject button. The DVD was removed and replaced with another one. I glimpsed the title on the DVD as the tray was pushed in. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
I had been a gift from a friend. I hadn't watched it before and hadn't looked it up and so I didn't know what it was about. I shrugged.
Strong arms wrapped around me and picked me up, nonchalantly pointing at another movie I hadn't watched that my friend had given me. Bird Box.
"Unless you want to watch this one?"
I shook my head. I knew that one was a horror thriller movie and preferred to avoid that kind of genre.