Mason
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
My phone had about 40% battery.
I remember staring at that number like it was a countdown.
For a while, nothing tried to come in.
It just circled the house.
Knock, knock, knock.
Then quiet.
Then the same sound from another side.
Sometimes it would drag something along the siding.
Sometimes it would breathe near the window.
Sometimes it would say my name in a voice it had already used, but each time it sounded less accurate, like the recording was wearing out.
Then everything went silent.
The dogs stopped howling.
The knocking stopped.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
I sat in the closet listening to my own breathing and the dispatcher's voice coming through the phone.
She said deputies were still on their way.
Rural response times are not like city response times.
I knew that, but sitting there in the dark, it felt impossible that help could be real and still not be there.
After maybe two minutes of silence, I heard the back door open.
Not break.