Stalker

6 AM

The door blasted open in front of Sierra, and a wave of air and light hit her, and she staggered, taking a step back.

Fear instantly whipped back into her, slamming so hard that she thought she would puke or die, maybe even both. She felt as if she had been punched in the gut.

But instead of a tall, dark figure looming over her smiling at her pain, it was a frightened woman, her mouth agape, eyes wide and dark hair messily framing her face.

"Mom..", Sierra breathed, relief flooding over her, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Why are you holding a knife??", her mother breathed, eyeing her hand wildly.

She instantly dropped the flashlight and the knife onto the floor, not paying any attention to them.

She couldn't even comprehend the emotions she felt, instead words came to her mind in waves.

He's gone.

Safe.

I'm safe.

He's all gone.

Inexplainable happiness flooded over her, and her mother threw herself at her, hugging her so tight she couldn't breathe. The warmth and safety she brought made her explode inside, and all fears and terrors that had plagued her throughout the night seemed to instantly ebb away.

It wasn't long before her mother blasted questions at her.

"Why didn't you answer the phone?"

"Why is the door unlocked??!!"

"Why are you so dirty I——"

"Why are you covered in scratches—-oh my god you're bleeding!!!"

"What happened?!!!?!"

She couldn't answer, she just cried in her arms, unable to speak, unable to contemplate anything.

She heard a walkie-talkie crackling in the background, and she opened her eyes, looking past her mothers shoulder to what she brought with her—the police.

She looked even further past her, at the scene behind them. The sky was a light blue, a beautiful ombré brimming with the pale pinks of the sunrise, the trees a bright green outlined in the suns golden halo.

It was as if nothing had even happened.

One of the police men, a tall, stockily built one with dark hair that branched out from his cap, slowly proceeded to the door way, and tapped her mothers shoulder, deep thought sprawled across his face.

"Mind if we have a look inside mam? There seems to be some evidence of irregular things on the floor." He firmly stated, looking past her mother, downward towards the wooden inside of the house.

Confused, her mother turned to inspect what he was pointed out, softly breathing out "Not at all."

Sierra turned to look at what he was talking about, and instantly saw the dirt that was ridden across the entirety of the floor, footprints from both the man and her, as well as water everywhere. Blood painted the floor in some spots, "from where I cut myself" she thought. Small sticks lay discarded, a chair overturned. The knife lay at her feet.

"What—" her mother began, as two of the men proceeded inside, inspecting the ground and looking up at her in awe.

She watched on silently, unable to move her lips.

The police inspected the ground, surveying the entirety of the downstairs and then the upstairs.

She had forgotten that they both must of tracked mud throughout the house.