Don't Panic

Sabrina rolled her eyes before she rolled over onto her back on top of her bed. She turned up the volume of her headphones and see-sawed her head harder to the music. As the song reached its climax, she began banging her arms and the back of her head on the bed. She grinned, laughed and rolled again. She fell hard onto the floor with her belly. 'Oh, crap!' She bundled up her headphones then she sat up. Her cellphone had fallen under the bed.

She got onto her knees and reached under the bed. She could feel it but her fingers pushed it further back by mistake. She grunted in anger and looked under the bed. It looked like it was close enough to reach. She extended her hand under the bed again, patting here and there trying to get a good enough grip on the phone as she ignored her mother calling her name out loud. It felt like she had pushed the phone a bit further back. She sat up and bit her lip placing her hands desperately on her hips. She was thinking.

She pushed the bed a few inches towards the window. She got down on her knees and reached under the bed once again. Meanwhile, her mother continued shouting her name like she was a child who she had left stranded in a shopping mall. She looked under the bed. It was definitely in reach now. She extended her hand. Her fingers pushed it back again. 'Dammit, man!' she cursed. She looked again. It had moved about three inches back. She took her earphones and tossed them towards the door to create a bit more space for her feet. She looked under the bed again. A pair of eyes were staring back at her. She screamed and retreated towards the wall.

'Sabrina! Sabrina, what's wrong?!' her mother asked from the foot of the stairs.

Sabrina was still rooted to the floor, her back against the wall. Her eyes were on the bed. She wanted to look again but fear would not allow her. She began to slide her back against the wall towards the door. It was only a few metres to her left. She took a quick glance towards the window opposite her. She always made sure to close her window at 5:30 P.M. She did not remember opening it.

When she had made it halfway, she got to her feet and leapt onto the door handle. It seemed to be stuck. Panic quickly stepped in. 'Mommy! Mommy! Daddy!' she yelled looking over her shoulder at the same time. She was turning, tugging and pulling the door handle with all her might but it would not budge. 'Mommy!'

'Sabrina! Sabrina, what's going on up there?! Charles..!'

She looked over her shoulder again. There was nothing. She remembered what her father had taught her to do during a crisis. She breathed in deeply. Twice. She could feel her heartrate returning to normal. She gently placed her forehead on the door and closed her eyes. She had finally calmed down.

'Sabrina, Sabrina, what's wrong? What's going on in there?' her father asked from the other side of the door.

'It's okay, daddy. It's nothing.'

Her mother's fearful heavy breathing could be heard beside him. She had evidently been very worried. 'Okay, good. Come out of there, dinner is ready.'

'Okay, mom.' She tried the handle again. She sighed angrily, 'Daddy, the door is stuck again.'

'Try pulling the...'

The lights went out.

She tried pulling the handle. 'Daddy, it won't budge.'

'Pull it thirty degrees down your right and…'

'I want to open the door, not win a Math Olympiad!' she answered angrily. She heard something behind her. She turned her head. There was nothing.

'Honey, you still there?' her father asked.

She was still looking at the window, her hand loosely clasping the door handle. 'Y…Yeah. Yes, daddy. What did you say about the angles and the degrees?' She turned back to the door.

'I said turn the…'

She heard the noise again. She looked behind her. There was something by the window. Or was there? It looked like a shadow. Her rapid heartrate recommenced. She began banging her fists on the door. 'Daddy! Daddy! There's someone in here!' She could see something long in the shadow's right hand reaching towards the floor. She thought she saw the shadow move a step towards her. Sabrina screamed much louder. The shadow looked like it was walking directly towards her. 'Daddy, please! They're getting closer!'

'Sabrina, lean your back against the wall!' her father said.

She leaned her back against the wall. The shadow was now seven feet from her. She closed her eyes.

Charles kicked the door hard. He kicked it again. And again.

'Hurry, Charles!' His wife yelled.

Sabrina closed her eyes as the shadow raised whatever was in its hand in the air. She began to cry, her body paralyzed.

Charles kicked the door again. Bolts fell to the floor.

'Hurry, Charles!' Mrs. Hemnar screamed again.

'I'm trying, I'm trying!' Charles yelled back.

Sabrina took a deep breath. She wanted to move. But she couldn't. She decided to accept fate.

Charles kicked the door one more time and it flew right off the hinges and across Sabrina's room.

He immediately leapt into the room, a pistol in one hand and his cellphone in the other, using its flashlight to sweep the room.

Mrs. Hemnar grabbed her daughter from the wall and embraced her tightly. 'Its okay, its okay…' she comforted Sabrina as she wept loudly into her bosom.

Charles looked under the bed. He searched every inch of her room. There was nothing. There was no one. He cautiously walked towards the window. He looked outside. There was no sound except peace for miles.