Silent Screams

Alice and Kia are up late on a warm Fall Friday night at Alice’s house. These best friends are watching one of their favorite slasher films together, Friday the 13th Part 2. While eating popcorn and drinking Coca Cola in Alice’s upstairs bedroom. They love bingewatching slashers like these every time October just in time for the season of All Hallows Eve. They have a bond of sisterhood that can never be broken as they sit together on these Friday nights doing what they love best. Just outside the front door of Alice’s house booted footsteps are slowly making their way up Alice’s front porch. As the boot footed and hooded figure starts to undo the lock of Alice’s front door, Alice and Kia cut off the tv and the bedroom lights and become aware that there is an intruder making his way into the house.

Alice and Kia both look each other in the eye with awareness. As the the door opens downstairs they both quickly and quietly find places to hide. Kia hides up under Alice’s bed and Alice hides in her bedroom closet just across from the bed. With the closet door slightly cracked open Alice looks down at Kia who is shaken and feeling exposed up under Alice’s bed. As Alice and Kia sit still, as quiet as can be, they can hear the sounds of the intruder’s footsteps down stairs beneath them. Both of their hearts go into a dead sprint of fear, hoping to God that he doesn’t sense their presence. As Kia’s eyes become anxiously tearful, she glances over at Alice who slightly less anxious in the closet across from the bed. Alice is is giving Kia a sharp stare and Kia knows that Alice’s stare is a warning to keep as quiet as possible. Alice who still had her phone in her hand began texting a 9-1-1 emergency service text number.

As the footsteps downstairs continue, Alice and Kia suddenly hear the front door reopen. This sharply catches their attention as they hope it means the intruder is departing. Once the door is fully reopened it is then slammed back shut and the footsteps continue throughout the house. Alice and Kia lock eyes with a realization that the intruder can sense their presence. Kia then sends a tearful look of worry to Alice. The look is one of a question that asks what are they gonna do. As the frightening thoughts travel through Alice and Kia’s minds the footsteps of the intruder start making their way up the stairs towards Alice’s bedroom. Now the duo is frightened more than ever. All Alice could do was look over at Kia and put her finger across her lips to signal her to stay quiet.

Kia becomes so afraid that that she tightens her fists under the bed with her eyes closed even tighter. Her face is pressed against the floor as if it was glued there. The footsteps of the intruder have now reached the second story of the house. While Alice and Kia are still locked at the eyes Alice tries to assure Kia with a soft look of empathy in her eyes that everything is going to be okay. This attempt at reassurance becomes futile as the footsteps of the intruder start making their way to Alice’s bedroom. As the man gets closer and closer the fear in Alice and Kia’s heart grows bigger with an even heavier emotional weight. By this point they were both so consumed with fear that they felt like they were going to faint. Finally, the intruder had now entered Alice’s room.

As afraid as they were, Alice and Kia had now become so silent that they almost couldn’t breathe. The intruder looked around the room and turned on the bedroom light. He was surprised to not see anything and walked over to the bedroom window. After briefly looking out of the window he turned around and walked over to Alice’s dresser by her bed. As he examined her photos on the dresser his left foot sat a mere two feet away from Kia’s face on the floor. Kia’s fear had now reached its breaking point and her bladder let loose. As the intruder continued to examine Alice’s belongings he looked over to the floor direction of the head of Alice’s bed and saw a small trail of urine start to emanate from underneath the bed.

Only a split second before the intruder had a chance to walk over and examine the urine. Alice looked back at Kia and a wave of memories started flowing through her mind. She thought about all the great times they had together growing up. She thought about all the laughs they shared and the times well spent and in that moment she knew she could not watch her best friend die. With his back turned towards the closet door Alice quickly opened the door behind him and knocked him to the floor. Before he could recover Kia rose from under the bed and grabbed Alice’s bedroom lamp and broke it over the man’s head. The man then tried to reach over and grab Kia by the leg, but Alice had then grabbed the back of her dresser and dumped the entirety of it on the man’s body, he was now immobilized.

With the man knocked out the girls quickly made their way downstairs and out the front door. As they quickly ran down the street police cars with their sirens blaring were coming towards them. For the first time in minutes their worry started to subside. Alice knew they were responding to her emergency text from a few minutes ago when the intruder first entered the house. As two of the cars continued towards Alice’s house the third car stopped and two officers exited the car to assist Alice and Kia. The two girls silently embraced each other with a smile and a strong hug, having never been happier to been alive and to have each other.