You went to work, freezing from the cold snap that swept into your town. The ice on the window was the first sign of the trudging effort you'd have to endure, followed by the sight of snow on the ground. An unforeseen blitzkrieg of winter at the end of a very sporadic and intense fall, the wetter times have all but guaranteed the immediate crawl of all life. The fact that the pace at work matched the creeping chill only drew out the overcast, deeply darkened skies above you. A sky so dark, in fact, that the street lights had to be turned on for the general populace to do anything at all downtown. You were sure the light across from your window would be on when you got home.
The night was no better. You were pulled out of your house by your friends, no warning, just a quick "Hey, how are you? Let's get hammered!", followed by a long evening of hopping between 4 bars, a fight, a bad gash sending one of your friends to the hospital, and you ending the night by drunkenly walking home during the darkest night of snow and ice you've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Your feet could barely keep you up, due to both Mother Nature deciding to make everyone suffer, as well as the levels of alcohol coursing through you. You slipped and slid along the frozen concrete, helplessly guiding yourself towards the streetlight in front of your bedroom window, the only light in your section of town for more than two blocks. A beacon in the darkness, calling you home.
But with every step, more and more traction was lost, until you were mere steps away from the light, and your footing left you entirely. You fell forward, and in the mad hope of somehow preventing yourself from getting hurt, attempted to grab the lamppost. But your fall was faster than your hands, as your head met the chilled metal. And with the force to rock the light, you glanced off to the side, and fell into unconsciousness.
The winds began to howl, as the cold brought you out of your stasis. The melted snow was now a part of your clothes, as more drifted down on top of you. With an effort and undue resistance, you brought yourself up from beside the light, and hazily made your way inside. The pain in your head, the chill of the night, the damp clothes you were wearing, and the unforeseen length of time the day brought to you is now too much, and you quickly make your way to your room.
You strip your clothes to the point nearing indecency, as you stumble through your dark house, to your room, thankful of the blackout curtains you bought to prevent the light from outside disturbing you. A notoriously light sleeper, insomnia was something you were all too aware of. Any slight disturbance, and you were wide awake. That's not to say you couldn't fall back asleep. But it is far too easy for you to wake, and the lamppost did not help matters.
You wobble through the bedroom door, drowsiness and pain dulling your movements. You can feel your legs tipping from one side to the next, and you struggle to keep moving forward. You know this room like the back of your hand, but you are thoroughly surprised when you feel your leg bang into the side of the bed. Shocked, you yelp as you fall forward, thankful that you finally found your bed, but not in the manner you wished. You rub your shin, as you throw yourself entirely onto the mattress, and tightly huddle under the blankets. You begin to warm up, and the shivering sensation begins to ease, and finally fade. And you begin to fall into sleep.
A heavy, steady sound by your window pulls you out of your sleep. Muffled, and very loud, you can make out the sound of someone breathing. Close, and possibly very large, the labored breaths are like a dagger in your skull. In a moment of respite from the cold and the pain you are currently feeling, whoever was outside your window was disturbing you. A burglar, you think to yourself, or some homeless person looking for a place to squat for the night. All you want is sleep, and the person is preventing that from happening. You know you have to get rid of him.
"I have a gun", you loudly proclaim, "And I'm not afraid of using it! Now go away!"
The breathing quickly stops, and you're sure that whoever was there is gone. So you close your eyes, and fall back to sleep.
The sound of heavy, muffled breathing pulls you back from your sleep. You can feel your temples throb, as the frustration begins to mount. The entire day is taking it's toll on you, and all you crave is sleep. You shuffle on your bed, attempting to block the noise from disturbing you further. You toss and turn, you cover your head with the blankets, the pillows, your hands, but the loud breaths continue. You become more adamant in your goal of sleep.
"GET LOST! I NEED TO FUCKING SLEEP, AND I DON'T WANT YOU IN HERE! NOW GO, BEFORE I SHOOT YOUR FUCKING ASS!", you scream.
Like before, the breathing quickly stops, and your anger begins to subside. You feel the cold on your face, and you quickly become comfortable, and fall quickly into slumber. You are just happy to finally get some peace and quiet.
The sound of the wind wakes you, strong and loud across the roof. You finally begin to lose your temper, growling in obvious contempt, and you know you won't get sleep tonight. You curse your luck, and wish the night would just end.
Then you hear it. The sound of someone breathing, muffled and heavy. You flip yourself over, prepared to scream at the person who keeps leering at you through your curtain, and disturbing your sleep for the last time. You climb onto your knees, kneeling in front of your window, and quickly grab for your curtain, planning on flinging it open, and telling whoever was there off for the last time.
You jab your hand forward, grabbing the cloth in front of you. And feel the thickness of whoever is in front of your window, as you grab the cold, wet clothing they are wearing, their breath closed to your ears, now uncovered from the blanket you had wrapped around yourself. And the curtain flutters in the breeze, coming from the window, long opened from before you climbed into bed.
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