It’s at the Door

I wanted to try something new that would combine my posting here on WordPress with my account on Patreon. Hence, this is the first part to a short short story that I’ve written. The second and third parts will be posted on Patreon, and accessible for a $1 donation!
I found writing this short short story, as I call them, a little liberating, because I love books and stories that just start in the middle of something. Ir’s not a very common practice to begin a story that way, which is all the more reason why I love writing that way sometimes.
I hope you enjoy the first part of “It’s at the Door.”
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I knew something wasn’t quite right when he opened the door. I saw his back stiffen and heard the small gasp of breath when the door widened enough. He wasn’t a tall man, or very broad for that matter, but not much ever phased him. Not like how was standing now, ridged and… afraid?
I didn’t know what to make of it. It had never even crossed my mind that something could startle him to the point of standstill. Whatever was on the other side of that door, it shook me because of what it had done to him. There wasn’t many things that I was afraid of, but there were even fewer that would frighten him. I froze in my seat on the couch, not knowing what to do.
“Hunny? Hunny, what is it?”
“I… It’s… You need to see this. Right now. Walk slow.”
Walk slow? Walk slow?! What was that supposed to mean? Was the thing on the other side of the door something that would startle and attack? If that was a possibility, why on earth would he want me to go to the door to see it? Was he crazy? Did the thing on the other side of the door frighten him that much that he lost just enough sanity that he would potentially endanger my as well?
“…Are you sure about that?”
“Very sure about that.”
Okay, he’s lost his mind. He must have lost it because there was no way he would endanger her like this. If it were something truly frightening on the other side of that door, that would be the last place he would ask me to go.
“Only if you’re really sure…”
“Trust me, you need to see this. Right now. But walk slowly.”
Tense, I slowly lifted myself off the couch, trying to to make a sound when my feet touched the floor. He hadn’t moved an inch since opening the door. That did inspire much confidence in her. I moved around the rooms ottoman and slid past the opposite side of the couch. He was directly behind him, but a few feet removed. He didn’t turn to see where she was in the room, to check that she was still on her way over to him. I didn’t like surprises, I hated being frightened even more. This was not how I expected or wanted my evening to play out. But oh no, he just had to investigate the noise on the other side of the front door. If this were a movie, we’d both be dead in a few minutes. Our pictures splashed across newspapers, paper and online, broadcasted all over News8
Couple, MURDERED, at their own front door! Sources say the boyfriend opened the door to…
He was probably being held at gunpoint, which would explain why he hadn’t moved once since opening the door. That was as good of an explanation as any. Gunpoint, knifepoint, hell, even a taser would probably stop a sane person in their tracks. It wasn’t the violence that scared people, it was the threat of violence.
We’re so going to die tonight. Hopefully it’s quick.
“Hurry already!”
Frustrated, I closed the distance between his back and myself. “Why? What is so important that you couldn’t just tell- Oh. My. God!” My mind was a flurry. “How are we supposed to… What are we supposed to…”