Quiet Night In

300-word story: A lazy evening in front of the TV is interrupted by an unexpected guest.

The working week complete, Katie was delighted to be stretched out across the sofa. Tonight would consist of a box set binge of epic proportions; phone on silent, curtains drawn and a pizza on the way. In her opinion, it was the perfect Friday evening.

Just a few minutes into the first episode, there was a knock at the door. Surprised by how quickly the takeaway had arrived but certainly not complaining, she got up and answered it, only to find that there was no one there. Assuming that it was teenagers with nothing better to do, Katie muttered a few choice words and returned to the sofa.

A short while passed and the same knock was repeated: three deep thuds that filled the room. She rushed over to the door and yanked it open, expecting to either catch the culprits or surprise the delivery driver. Again, nobody was on the doorstep and the street was deserted. Irritated, she closed the door and remained there, ready to pounce. 

This time Katie had barely thirty seconds to wait, swinging the door inwards on the first knock. A chill ran down her spine when she was greeted by empty space. Was someone throwing things at the door? There wasn't anything on the ground to suggest this was the case. Locking it with haste, she also secured the thin chain for extra reassurance.

A second bang. Not from the door. Metallic. The radiator beside her. She squeezed her eyes shut. Coincidence, she told herself, just the pipes playing up. But then a third: furious, deafening, splintering the floorboards beneath her feet. 

The delivery driver arrived and knocked multiple times but there was no answer. Assuming that it was teenagers with nothing better to do, he muttered a few choice words and walked away.

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Copyright © 2020 Rich Sutherland
Image: Sebastiaan Stam

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