Prompt
It’s all over the news that a dangerous convict has escaped from the state prison. Television and radios alike warm the residents to stay indoors until authorities can locate and apprehend the criminal roaming the local neighborhoods. It just so happens to fall on a terrible evening to be stuck anywhere - the weather has taken a turn for the worse and thanks to a wayward falling branch, the power has gone out. Scratching and creaking around your doors and windows keeps you on high alert…could the nefarious individual be trying to get inside your residence?
“Yes, Dad, I’m fine by myself.” Tor reassured their father over the phone, the man worried about them after hearing a convict had escaped while he was on a business trip. “I promise, I’m okay. If I really need something, Ally and her mom are only a phone call away.” A pause. “Yes, Dad. Yes, Dad. I promise I’ll be fine. I love you, too. See you in a couple of days! Don’t drink too much!” They finally hung up, and set about to making sure the townhouse they lived in with their father was locked up tightly.
They were certain they were safe...but it was such an ominous sort of night that one couldn’t be too careful. Everything was locked up tight. They were sticking to the living room and kitchen and downstairs bathroom so Alexa could easily hear them. They were avoiding horror movies. But then the weather turned sour, and something outside snapped. Tor yelped at the noise, burying themself in their big blanket just as the power went out.
Oh no. Oh no! There went half their ‘stay safe no matter what’ plan! Tor took a deep breath, trying to steady their nerves. Okay. They were okay. And perfectly safe. Yeah! They were a senshi, after all! They dusted youma and punched Negaverse agents in the face! No convict was going to cause them harm! Of course, that wouldn’t stop him if they were caught unawares...The thought sent a chill down Tor’s spine, the pink-haired artist stealing glances at all the possible entrances to the living room. Okay...they were perfectly safe. This wasn’t like Five Nights where not looking meant the animatronics were going to get them. This was real life where one person wasn’t going to sneak up on them. At all. No way.
A crash outside the window caused them to yelp and make a beeline for the kitchen, blankie in tow, to hide in a corner with the knife block shoved into the freezer where a convict couldn’t get to it easily. They tried to get their breathing under control, tried to follow the square breathing their therapist had taught them early on, but the scratchings and scrapings against the windows didn’t help. The crashing and sound of things moving outside didn’t help, even if they knew it was likely furniture and such that hadn’t been tied down being tossed around by the high winds.
They yelped as they heard the sound of the front door lock turning and the door opening. Oh. Oh no. Tor screamed and threw their blanket at the large shadow that appeared in the entry to the kitchen.
“Tor, sweetie, calm down, it’s just me!” Tor blinked back tears as the shadow revealed itself to be Ally’s mom, Alex, phone turned on to provide light. “Your father got a notice that the power was knocked out, and asked me to come get you.”
“O-oh…” A quick look at their own phone showed an unread text from their father, probably letting them know what was going on. “Sorry, I just...sorry.” Alex chuckled and helped the young adult up, patting their hair.
“It’s okay. Luckily, it sounds like they caught the convict again right before I got here.”
“....But not before you left.”
“Like I was going to leave my future child-in-law all alone and potentially scared? The authorities could bite my lily white a**. Luckily I didn’t run across them, so all’s well.” That got a giggle out of Tor as they set about grabbing their things for a night over at Ally’s.
“Thanks, Alex.”
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[Word Count: 600, according to Google Docs]
