Suspenseful Essay, Research Paper

The solitude of the fearful evening added to frightful atmosphere of the cold winter’s night. The piercing wind breathed heavily through the city and the tiny droplets of rain danced on the roofs of every building like a concert of tap dancers. All were asleep cozy in their beds. Anxiously, she quickened her pace and faced down at her feet to escape any sights that might boost her rising fear. She muttered to herself, “Nearly home” and continuously ran the thought through her mind as an attempt to calm the invasion of panicked thoughts.

She turned the corner to her street. The rain poured heavily now and the foggy night blurred her sight of what was up ahead, which was no help to the already dim streetlight. In the distance, standing in front of her house, she could just barely make out a dark figure, which seemed to blend with the sombre night. She scrubbed her eyes to focus but the image was unclear. Multiple clips of possibilities that explained the enigma of this ‘man in black’ and his intentions flashed through her mind. The words ‘rapist’ and ’serial killer’ were her only thoughts.

Terrified she slowed her pace as she tried to decide whether she would avoid finding out his purpose by going to her neighbour’s house and stay there the night, or ignore her fear and go home. “Look at yourself, pull yourself together” she muttered to herself in a voice that seemed to rebuild her confidence. Then she smiled at herself amused at the fact that she was talking to herself. And in that sudden spur of reassurance, she passed her neighbour’s house and quickly walked up her driveway, trying to ignore the figure, which seemed to be watching her every move. As she reached the front door, she dug clumsily into her handbag in search of her keys – her entry to the warmth and familiarity of home sweet home. Finally found amongst the jungle of cosmetics and coins, she unlocked the door and breathed a sigh of relief as she shut it.

The beat of her heart eased to normal pace and she commended herself for her brave decision. She made her way to the bathroom and set the taps running, while in the bedroom she stripped herself of her rain soaked garments. Just for a moment as she brushed her tangled hair, she felt a soft breath against her neck. It was like gentle kiss yet cold, sending a shiver through her body. Goose bumps popped from all over. Behind her she felt a presence. She sensed movement but could not hear any noises to confirm the idea. The house was still.

She felt a chill and the room temperature seemed to decrease. An unknown source of wind blew throughout the room. She went in the lounge to investigate ad found the source to be an open window near the doorway. After pulling it down to shut it, she had a strange vision that this window was not open before. In the reflection of the glass, something caught her attention, a movement. She turned to find the guilty cause but everything stared back at her with a stillness of innocence.

Behind her she felt brush of air like something had brushed passed. She stood frozen with fear and sensed an action so intense it was like a sure sign of not being alone. Again she turned, her heart pounding, but again, there was nothing in sight. Her hairs stood on end but curiosity forced her to further investigate. She made her way back to the bedroom, her head jerking from side to side with caution like an animal seeking escape from its prey. She scanned the room looking for any sign of a presence.

Suddenly there was shortage of power and the room blackened. Her heart lurched and she jumped in panic trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness. The blackness deadened the house and she froze in the silence. As soon as her eyes focused she carefully made her way towards the phone and on her way made contact with what felt like a woolen trench coat but it could not be seen in the darkness of the room. Just then she had a momentary flashback of the dark figure that had stood outside her house earlier and dreaded the idea that there was somehow a correlation between it and the strange occurrences. Again her mind began to fill with horrific ideas.

She juggled the phone in hand with panic and dialed, but before there was a response, the line was cut. Her heart thudded against her chest and she could feel the trickle of sweat run down the side of her face.

For a short second, in the flash of the lightning outside, a shadow appeared on the wall, which stopped her movement and she stood pale with fear. She felt she was in the scene of a thrilling Wes Craven movie. Her only hope was that she could the courageous survivor who makes it to the sequel.