The Perfect Strangers I was three blocks away from Jake's apartment and I could still hear the music as if it was I was wearing headphones. "That is some party going on. I can't believe I'm walking home." I thought to myself. And it was a party. Everyone who was anyone was there. I stumbled my way home on the sidewalk when I heard a woman calling my name. I turned around to see Taylor chasing me down the street. I was surprised by how well she kept her balance of the drink in her hand and the pumps on her feet. "Allison! Wait up!" She hollered at me. I waited for her to run up to me. It was cold outside, but I felt as if I was suffocating by how hot I was. "Allison! Where are you going? The party is just starting!" She shrieked in my face. I took a step back. I knew that she needed someone to walk her back to the party. I don't know how she got this far, but I wasn't bringing her back. "I'm not feeling good and I have to meet up with my parents tomorrow." I lied to her. "Oh, I hope you feel better Allison. I'll make sure to text you later!" She said with some positive tone her voice. I was staring at her when something caught my eye. Over her shoulder there was a girl standing in the street. She was wearing an over sized grey jacket with black tights and combat books. It was a normal outfit, but what threw me off was the mask she was wearing. It was a clown mask with a white face with rosy cheeks and blonde hair around the face. I stared at her she stared back. "Allison? Are you all right?" Taylor asked breaking my stare. "Yeah I'm fine thanks for asking, but I'm going home. I'm sorry I can't go back with you." I say apologetically. "It's all right! I'll call you tomorrow though!" And with that she hustled away yelling at other people down the street. I looked where the woman was standing and it was an empty road. I couldn't tell if I imagined it or if I really did see her. "I don't care right now. I want to go home." I thought to myself. I turned around and started my way home. I walked through my front door and locked the door behind me. I dropped my bag on the floor and went straight to the bathroom. As I wiped the dark make-up off from around my eyes I felt as if there was someone in my apartment with me. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck as I dried off my face. I headed straight to the fridge and got a bottle of water. It felt good I drink something that didn't burn my throat when I drank it. My apartment was on the second floor. It was only one bedroom and it was almost the size of a box. I hated living here, but I couldn't afford anything else. I went to my bedroom and started taking off my jeans and black shirt. I began to go through my closet looking of a comfortable t-shirt. I went through them and found my favorite shirt. It was an old shirt from my high school for our homecoming game. We won that game by an only field goal. I miss high school compared to college. I slipped the shirt over my head when I saw a shadow out the corner of my eye. My door led straight into my living room which conjoined with the kitchen. I stopped in my tracks. It was a tall figured that passed me. I slowly walked to my door when the floor creaked. I stopped. I realized that it was just me. There's one floor board in my room no matter how you step on it it creaks. "Oh well." I thought. I plopped on my couch with my bottle water and turned on the television. "There's nothing on TV!" I said to myself. I gave into Dateline on Investigation Discovery. I laid on the couch and watch how this family lost their daughter. It was depressing on how they never found her, but I fell asleep to hear who had killed her. I turned off the TV and passed out right there. I woke up to the sound of the floorboard creaking in my bedroom. I laid there In the darkness waiting for another sound. It was 3:12 AM as of the clock said under my TV. I waited for a sound, a voice, anything. It was silent, it was so silent that I could hear ringing in my ears. I never heard anything after the board. I laid there for twenty-five minutes. I slowly searched for the remote to have some source of light. As I found it and turned it on there was nothing in the room. I slouched on my couch and stared at the TV before I slowly went back to sleep. For the second time I woke up and it was 11:21 AM. I rolled over and groaned. "I don't want to get up." I thought. "I need to clean. Why did I go to that party?" I thought getting up. I went straight to the bathroom and turned on the hot water. I got into the shower and stood there. I felt a sigh of relief to remember that it was Saturday. I opened my eyes and bent down to get the soap off the side of the tub when I froze in my tracks. Outside my curtain there was a shadow. There wasn't someone in the bathroom, but if you were to stand in my living room you would cast a shadow into the bathroom. I couldn't believe that someone was in my apartment. Their shadow was big, and stood their for a minute then moved. I heard my front door open then close. "Who was that? Didn't I close my door last night?" I started to panic. I got out the shower and without even getting dressed I called Taylor. "We're you in my apartment?" I asked her before she could say anything. "No, I'm at Brittany's right now." She said with a concerned look to her voice. "Okay, so you mind coming over? I need someone to talk to." I said to her hoping her to say yes. "Oh. I mean Brittany and I already made plans tonight. But if a change of plans I'll let you know." With some remorse to her tone. "Okay Taylor. I'll talk to you later." Before she could say something I hung up. Someone was in my apartment. And that I didn't know who it was. I say in my bed. I waited. For Taylor to call, but she never did. I got up and began to do dishes. I cleaned my apartment, room by room. I got to the bathroom and began to clean off the mirror. I stared in the mirror and looked at myself. I looked weak and tired. I hadn't realized till now that I haven't eaten anything all day. I went to the kitchen and looked in the fridge. I got out some eggs and put toast into the toaster. Even though it was too late for breakfast I ate it anyway. I sat at the table and began to eat it. It was the best thing that I've eaten in my #life. Maybe it was because I just haven't eaten in two days. I finished my food and put my dishes into the sink. Out of nowhere there was banging on the back door. Slam after slam and it wouldn't stop. I made my way to the balcony door and opened the curtains in one push. And there she was. The woman that was wearing the mask. I stumbled back and tripped over my coffee table. I went into the kitchen and grabbed a knife. She didn't stop slamming. I turned around for a man with a sack mask to be standing there in y living room. "What do you want?" I asked questioned him. He stood there. I held the knife up towards him. "What do you want?" I asked again. He didn't moved, didn't say anything, nothing. The woman standing at the back door opened it and stood next to him. She looked at me. Tilting her head to the side. She looked at him and nodded. In the instant he ran towards me and slammed into me. I nailed my head up against the counter and I passed out. I woke up with my hands bounded behind my back. There was tape over my mouth into my hair I realized that I was in my bathroom. I was relieved to find out that I was home, but what happened? I moved a little and my hands started to bleed. Whatever the bounded my hands with was cutting into my skin. I began to cry and shifted my position. While shifting I knocked over a shampoo bottle. I stopped moving and listened. The TV was playing and I heard it turn off. I moved back to my position and acted as if I were asleep. I heard footsteps getting closer and my heart began to pump. I could feel someone or whoever it was standing over me. They must have known I was faking because they picked me up. It was the man. I opened my eyes and he was carrying me to the kitchen. He was wearing a suit. It was as if he rolled in the dirt though. He had a musty smell it him. He set my at my kitchen table and tied my bounded hands to the back of the chair. He faced me towards the both of them. They stood there side by side. The woman walked up to me and ripped the tape off my face leaving it in my hair. My eyes watered from the pain of the tape. She grab the knife I dropped on the floor and slid it up to my cheek and pushed into my skin. I felt the warmness of the blood spread down my face and drip to my leg. I let out a cry. She cover my mouth before I could make anymore noise. She moved back this side and stood there. "Why are you doing this?" I asked crying. I could barley even let it out. They looked at each other and then nodded. Both of them slowly began to take their mask off. The woman looked no more than eighteen. She was young. And familiar. I had saw her before. "Around campus? At a party?" I thought. But I couldn't remember. And him. I didn't know. He was older, about twenty-six. "Because you're not perfect." She said in a hushed tone. I didn't understand what she meant. I went to question her but before I knew she had stabbed me. I knew that I was dead, and I finally understood. I wasn't perfect, but then again. Who is?