How to Escape an Assassin

I stood dumbfounded as I processed the anticlimactic ending of the case. The "hidden mystery creature" was just an ancient-looking chihuahua who barked like a squealing hen getting her eggs stolen from her. I whipped out my phone to take a video, but the dog dashed down a set of stairs that led to the basement. I grunted in frustration before chasing after it. At the bottom of the dark stairwell, there was a large wooden door that was slightly ajar where the dog snuck through.

I pushed the door open and entered the basement in pursuit of the dog. My eyes immediately settled on my neighbor Yvette whose body was slumped over a table in the middle of the room. Why was she sleeping in the basement? 

I timidly approached, but then I noticed that her neck was all bloody. I froze in instant horror.

An unexpected thumping noise from upstairs propelled me into survival mode. I had no clue what was going on, but I wasn't going to stick around and find out. Running on sheer adrenaline and fear, I forcefully kicked out the metal folding chair from beneath my 90-year old possibly dead neighbor. Her body collapsed to the floor with a thud.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered as I ran with the chair and set it against the wall, angling it directly beneath the basement window. It was a small sliding window set in the highest part of the wall. I mounted the chair unsteadily, pressing my hands against the dusty wall for support. I was just tall enough to reach up and slide the window open.

The sound of slow, heavy footsteps descending the stairs sent me into overdrive. Gripping the window frame, I heaved the entirety of my body weight upward. With my feet now dangling, I shot my arms forward and dug my elbows into the weedy soil directly outside of the window. I wheezed painfully as I inched forth on my elbows to crawl the remainder of the way out.

"What was the creature, Millie? Did you get the video?" My aunt called down excitedly. She and my parents were faithfully tuned into my performance. I shot them the dirtiest look possible in response.

"Tell us already Millie, we're dying to know!" My mom said through giggles.

"It was a freaking chihuahua!" I shouted. "And we have a bigger issue!"

"What?" My mom asked.

Before answering, I turned around and stooped down to slide the neighbor's basement window shut. But what I saw made my blood run cold.

A face concealed with a black ski mask looked at me from the other side of the window. Our faces were merely inches apart. He raised a finger to his lips and released a barely audible hush noise. Horrified, I clamped my hands over my own mouth to muffle my impending scream.

A lifeless whisper came from his mouth to convey a sinister threat. "Tell anyone, you die next."