2:32 am, Tuesday morning.

Awakened by an incessant knocking on my front door, a serious pounding – brought me from sleep with an urgency, my heart throttling, mind racing.

“Trouble.” The word tumbled from my mouth in my half-sleep state while I swung out of bed, searching for the light, reaching for a pair of pants. Not sure if it was a question or a statement. Barely remember it now.

The knocking ceased when my feet touched the bedroom floor and by the time I unlocked the deadbolt and pulled open the door, there was only an empty space where a person should have been.

No. Not empty. The bitter should-be-Spring air slipped through my shirt and chilled me deep, bringing gooseflesh and a shiver.

Leaning out, I checked along the front of the apartment; nobody. Likely some drunk college kid finally finishing the semester, getting lost, or just pranking me for the fun of it. Could be the neighbors, but their windows are dim and the lot is quiet.

The blood and adrenaline had me awake enough to write about it, but now its running fast and leaving my eyelids heavy and my mind sluggish. So I think it’ll be to sleep again for me.

Of course, come to think of it, the pounding and that momentary burst of fear upon waking – it cleared my head, and for maybe the first time in a day and a half I wasn’t thinking about the accident…

Anyway. Good night.