Luke was a happy soul and he felt
blessed. Having graduated from
Northwestern University, he landed a great job with an advertising firm in Chicago. Better yet, he met Kate there and life had
been grand ever since. They often spent
weekends up in Wisconsin, camping in the National Forest or kayaking on one of
the rivers. Fortunately, they both loved
the great outdoors and Luke knew that marriage was in their future.
Lately, however, Luke had been feeling
strange. He worried about minor things
and was not always interested in spending time with Kate; in fact, he often
wondered if she might be the source of his discomfort. On the other hand, his mother recently had a
scare with breast cancer and he suspected that the stress had upset his own
stability. Nevertheless, the odd
sensation would not go away and he grew concerned that he was being watched. He began to change his route to work and
avoided some of his old hangouts. Sensing
danger, he advised Kate to stay away and changed the lock on his apartment
door.
His boss, a firm but kind man, noticed a
change in his behavior and asked if he was having problems at home. Not wanting to offer information, Luke denied
any personal concerns but did admit to having trouble concentrating on his
work. His boss eventually suggested that
he take a few days off and Luke complied, stocking up at the grocery before
retreating to his apartment. Lying on
the bed, Luke noticed a faint buzz in the room for the first time and was now convinced
that he was under surveillance; checking the lamps and outlets, he found
nothing but his anxiety had become overwhelming.
Voices from the next apartment warned him
that some sort of invasion was underway and Luke barricaded the door with
furniture. It was time to notify his
family and he placed a call to his mother, explaining the danger that he now
faced. She told him that she had
recently heard from Kate and that they both agreed he would need assistance.
As instructed, Luke waited for the
rescuers, huddled in the dark at the far corner of his room, a carving knife in
one hand and a hammer in the other. Once they arrived, their leader provided
the code word that he and his mom had agreed upon and Luke opened the door,
relieved that he would now be safe.
