I got an eerie feeling when I heard the screen door smack open. I have heard it before during windy nights, but this was different. It was a hot summer night and my mother and father were at a family-friend’s wedding. I was alone with my baby brother Skip who had just fallen asleep about an hour ago. Although I am 16, I still sometimes get nervous when I am alone in my old home. I ran into the kitchen from my den, while ducking so had there been someone on my porch, I wouldn’t have been seen. I then grabbed a bag of chips and a knife in preparation for a stab if needed. It was now around nine o clock and I was quarantined in my kitchen due to the possibility of a man on my porch.
Another hour went by and I decided to man up. I casually walked out of the kitchen and saw something on the porch. I sprinted to the stairs to grab my baby brother, but as I got closer to the window I realized it was a shadow from one of our jack o’lanterns. I still continued to my brother’s room. I picked him up and brought him into the T.V room while gently cradling him in my arms. He eventually woke up downstairs and said, “Joan-ee.” I told him he had to sleep in here. He only understood sleep apparently as he began sleeping again. I turned on my XBOX and proceeded to play my favorite zombie game. I had on my headset, but I was speaking softly. Then, all of the sudden, out of the blue, my XBOX shut off.

My lights behind me twitched. After a minute of twitching they shut off, and I began to get scared. The wind outside was whistling as it touched my old house. As all of the power went down I grabbed my phone, which of course had barely any battery life. I looked out of my den window to see if anyone in the neighborhood had power. I saw that every house did. I figured I had just blown a fuse…the house was old. I used the backlight of my cell phone to guide myself to the basement to flick some switches in the fuse box. I flicked every switch, yet nothing seemed to change. My brother started to cry so I ruthlessly ran upstairs in the dark. As I arrived in the den, I saw a man holding him in his arms. As I grabbed for my sleek new cell phone he spoke, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you buddy”
Nervous, I said, “Get off of my brother, or I’ll kill you.”
“You…killing me? Imagine.”
I slowly stepped backwards to the samurai sword decoration that my dad had purchased during his business trip to Asia. I began pulling off the scabbard only to find out it was a bamboo stick.
“Do you want your brother to die?” The man said while holding him upside down.
“You are going to die. I don’t know who you are, but if you don’t leave, you will die.”
“Oh really?” he said as he approached me.
In response I sprinted into the kitchen and grabbed the sharpest object I could find. Midway to the knife drawer I heard our screen door slam open and then close. He ran out with my brother. I was a sprinter for my school, but he was fast. I felt as if I were flying. The man clearly didn’t know the neighborhood, and he reached a dead end. I began to slow down, and he began to get nervous.
“What are you going to do boy? Kill me? Risk your brother’s life?” ee screamed.
“There is no risk to be taken, but you are going to die.”
I then closed my eyes and envisioned that he was the only man standing in front of me. I took my knife like object and flung it at him. Bullseye! I nailed him right on the lower part of his neck. My brother began to fall so I ran over and grabbed him. My cell phone had no service and the man was slowly getting up for he still had a minute to live. I ran up to a random house and screamed “I need to use a phone…burglary, attempt at homicide, HELP!”
The people ran to the door with 911 already dialed. I turned around nevously, and the man was gone.