Never Let Someone In

Hesitantly, she reached for the phone.
“Hello?”
There was no answer. But still, she could hear the rough breathing. It was raspy and terrifying.
“I said hello. Is anybody there?”
Still, the stranger refused to speak. His breathing was getting louder and louder in the phone. Terribly scared, she slammed the phone on the receiver. Whoever the stranger was, he was creeping her out. For days, Alana had received the same phone call. She contacted the police but they could not find any traces where it came from.
She rose from the couch and entered the kitchen. There, she grabbed a bag of chips and began munching on a couple. Outside, she could hear the wind howling in the distance and splashes of rain pounding against the house. Suddenly, she heard a strange scrape against the door. Pausing for a bit, she strained her neck towards the noise to hear it clearly. More scratching sounds were clawing the same door. Horrified, Alana backed away. Alone in her home, she had nowhere to go. Clutching the telephone, she dialed the emergency number and waited.
“Hello, this is the emergency line. How may I help you?”
“I hear noises in front of my door. It seems that someone is scratching it.” Alana quivered as the scratching continued.
“Where do you live?”
“I live on 133rd Maple Street. My house is the third from the right. Please hurry. I’m home alone.”
“We will, miss. Hang on there. If the intruder happens to enter the house, keep your phone ready at all times.”
“Yes.”
Just as she hung up, the scratching stopped. Curiously, she took a couple steps forward. The door was still. Hesitantly, she reached for the door knob and thrust her hand back. It was risky to do so. The intruder might be waiting for her behind the door.
Pacing back and forth, her thoughts raced. What if the intruder gets in before the police does? What happens if the phone line is cut? What happens if Mom comes and she sees the intruder?
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Cautiously, Alana tip-toed towards the door and peeked in the little porter hole. She gave out a sigh of relief. It was only her friendly neighbor, Justin. Unlocking the door, she opened it and invited him in. He only moved in for a month but he seemed really nice. After locking the door behind him, she seated him in a chair before sitting down.
“The wind is getting very vicious. I hope the electricity doesn’t black out.”
He smiled. “Yes, I hope it doesn’t either. Say, what are you doing here by yourself?”
“My mother had left the day before for some business meeting. It’s just me and this big old house. Something scary happened a few minutes before you arrived. I heard some scratching noises and thought it was an intruder. I called the police. They should be arriving soon.”
“Really? That’s strange. This community doesn’t often have many crimes.”
“Well, you never know people nowadays. They may seem nice but inside, they can have criminal hearts.”
“Really? Well, I have to say that you trust people really quickly.”
“Well, it depends. I mean, I can tell if the person is bad or not.”
“Can you?”
“Of course I can, Justin.”
He was edging closer to her. She became suspicious.
“What are you doing, Justin?”
“I told once before that you should never trust anybody. Now, your time is too late.”
Instantly, he grabbed her throat. His grip became tighter and tighter. As she struggled for breath, she felt her senses fading away. Slowly, her body became limp.
Justin felt a surge of victory. Finally, his victim was killed. He looked up at the clock.
“Dang it!” he muttered. Quickly, he typed a quick letter, pretending to be from Alana, explaining that she had decided to take a walk in the woods. Carrying her body, he raced deep into the woods and dumped her in a small lake.
“One down, another to go.” He grinned widely. Now, he needed to find another location. Another location where he could take more lives.