Monday, July 29, 2013

petrified

petrified  past participle, past tense of pet·ri·fy (Verb)
Verb
  1. Make (someone) so frightened that they are unable to move or think.
  2. Change (organic matter) into a stony concretion by encrusting or replacing its original substance with a calcareous, siliceous, or other...
It was between 1:30 a.m. and 1:45 a.m. when I heard a distinct "knock-knock-knock" on the window.  Odd I thought that sounded like the patio window.  The knock were followed  within a millisecond with Nadia's barking and growling.  Feeling instinctually that something was off, but thinking that it probably wasn't anything, I calmed Nadia down, petting her and talking quietly to her.  As I lay there pondering the sound I heard, I hear more and exclaim to myself, "that sure sounds like the patio blinds swaying from side to side."  Thinking again that it probably wasn't anything I tried coax myself back into sleep.

As I lay there trying to convince myself back into sleep, I heard a rapt "knock knock" in my BEDROOM DOOR! Or at least is quite sounded like the bedroom door. Nadia went berserk!  not just her usual you are walking by my apartment door bark and growl but a low guttural growl that indicated someone's jugular was going to be removed.  She kept her nose between the crack of the bottom of the door and the floor, run/pacing back and forth between the door frame ends, barking, and growling, with an occasional murderous like hissing for about 10 to 15 minutes.  I thought to myself, I won't be stopping her barking it's a protective bark and growl.

This is when I became petrified.  I was lying there on my stomach, cell phone in hand, heart beating probably close to if not over 200 bpm, every muscle in my body is tense, my body is sweating profusely, thinking I should call 9-1-1 or at least be ready to but I couldn't move; I could not initiate any movement in my body.  My cellphone was in my hand but there wasn't anything I could do on my own accord.

As I lay there petrified for an hour, my arms and legs went numb and I slowly realized I needed to move to keep the blood flowing if I were expecting to have the capability to bolt if need be.  Thinking.. how stupid is it that my .22 rifle (although it would at it's best only injure someone) was double locked under the bed with the ammo in the kitchen and the keys to the gun in a locked safe box?  Nadia after about 45 minutes of a tensing crouch by the door ready to pounce-  jumped up onto the bed and curled in next to me.  It wasn't until this time that I allowed myself to start thinking about sleep again and then after a another 15 or so minutes relaxed to the point of un-petrification.  

  • Was someone really in my apartment?  I don't know.  
  • Did someone try to get into my apartment at the very least?  I have to answer, yes.
  • Do I think they may have had the wrong apartment? Possibly- it could have been someone thinking they were going to their friends place.
  • Can your brain hear things that are not there?  Yes- but Nadia wouldn't have gone nuts beserky crazy by me hearing things in my own head.
So here is my immediate plan...


More injurious methods will soon be used on any possible intruders.  I didn't appreciate being petrified.