Going Outside

Katy was sitting in her recliner when the phone rang. She looked at her screen. It was the doctor’s office.

“Hello?” she said and listened. “But, wait, I thought the appointment was going to be a teledoc appointment. I can’t come in person.” She listened and replied, “Alright, that’s better for me. Yes, next Thursday is fine. Thank you,” she said and hung up. Katy sighed and closed her eyes.

Katy was agoraphobic, and she had not left her house in over a year. Just the thought of going outside brought on a panic attack, and panic attacks were what brought on her inability to leave the house. It was a vicious cycle. But Katy had adapted to her new situation. She convinced her employer to allow her to work from home, and started using delivery services for food and scripts. Her boyfriend of the last two years, Danny, didn’t understand it and had no patience for her. Naturally, they broke up. But that didn’t keep him from coming over from time to time, trying to come in and “talk” to her, which meant trying to force her to see things his way. Katy had managed to get a protective order against him, which was kind of tricky to do remotely, but even that didn’t stop him from occasionally driving by her house in the evenings. Tonight she had a bad feeling that he would be coming by, again.

Katy had dinner and finished her shower and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt for bed. She went downstairs to the kitchen for a glass of wine and sat on the couch, her feet under her. She picked up a book she had been reading when she heard a creak. Alarmed, she sat her wine and book and down and stood quietly. She padded over to the front door and checked the lock, which was fine. Then she heard another creak, this time closer. In the mirror by the door, she could see Danny coming through the kitchen, moving slowly, with something in his hand that looked like a knife. Katy’s breath caught in her throat. Trying not to make any noise, she unlocked the front door and quickly stepped out on the porch, she had no choice. Immediately, her head started spinning and it felt like the sky had fallen and hit her on the head because she felt intense pressure there. She couldn’t breathe, felt like she was going to throw up, and her heart was pounding. She grabbed the chair on the porch and used it to prop her up. She didn’t want to cry for help until she knew she could get away. Slowly, her hand found the railing by the porch stairs, her hands were shaking so badly she had to grip it with all her might. She took two steps down and really tried to look around. It was getting dark, and no one was outside.

She heard her front door open and knew Danny had found her. She started running to the house across the street. An older couple lived there, and they were usually home. She was screaming now, calling for help and crying and shaking uncontrollably. Danny was yelling at her, “Come back here, Katy! I only want to talk!” When she was in the couple’s yard, Danny reached her and grabbed her arm, spinning her around. She was so dizzy that she fell. The wife of the couple opened the door, and her husband came running outside. They could all see it now, the knife Danny held in his hand, dangling by his side.

“We don’t want any trouble. We’ve already called the police and they’ll be here any moment,” the husband said, and Danny hesitated. Katy felt hands helping her up, and the couple brought her into their home while Danny ran off. Katy was panting. Then she fainted.

She woke up to bright light. She didn’t know where she was, then remembered the neighbors that helped her. She smiled at them and thanked them. They handed her a glass of water, asking if she was alright.

“The police are here and want to talk to you,” the wife said. “I can walk you back to your house, if you like. I think the police want to see your house, too.”

Katy let them help her home, and she told the police all that had happened. When they left, they told her that they had found and arrested Danny. The house was empty now, and quiet. Suddenly, Katy didn’t feel very safe there. She may have to go outside again.

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