I was a 12 year old female with my 11 year old female friend staying the night at my house. My names Chi and let’s call my friend ‘Anna’.

To help understand a bit more, I live in a medium-sized house in a small city in Missouri. My backyard is mainly woods, but I have a top and bottom floor deck and a gazebo on top. It was aroundmidnight at the time. We only have a main floor and a basement. My room is on the main floor, so if I ever had to I could jump out my window without being hurt. I live with my grandma and grandpa, I had a cat and a pug, and there’s been a history of robbers on my street. Well, let’s get onto the story.

Like always, we sat in the kitchen while binge watching pretty little liars. About 10 minutes into an episode, we get a strange feeling. Like someone was watching us.

We were always the ones to be brave in our small bodies, so we shrug it off. I pause the video and get us some milk and oreos.

While I pour the milk, I hear ever so light pounding. I thought it was Anna. I put the carton back into the fridge and go back to the kitchen. Anna is hiding behind the mini-bar.

I ask he what’s wrong and she said she heard footsteps outside on the top deck. Human footsteps. I tell her it’s ok so she hesitantly sits back on a chair.

I wait and listen to the deck and I hear a voice. In the trees in front of the deck, a flashlight appeared. Then there was a knock. A few light fast knocks.

It gives us a huge adrenaline rush so we run into my room, on the opposite side of the house. I dove on my bed and she blocked the door. I didn’t have a phone at the time so I couldn’t call the cops. I live with my grandparents so I didn’t wanna risk giving them a heart attack.

We each grab a box cutter in one hand and a blade in the other. Leaves start crunching outside my window. She turns off the light and we go under my bed. A light shines inside and I start to tear up. The light turns off and I hear hem walk away.

I run into my grandmas room and take her phone. I slide to unlock and click emergency. I dial 911 and tell them what happened. I live a minute drive away from the police station so I hear sirens right away.

Anna says she heard the people say ‘bad things’ and a car door slams shut. Police go around the house and check all the locks on the doors. The deck door had been scraped, meaning they tried to pick lock it. They check for fingerprints and nothing. They had no evidence of what happened, so they told me to call if it happens again.

A few months later

My friend and I were both 13. Let’s call her Jenna. Me and Anna were in a fight so she didn’t come down for a long time. Me and Jenna were going to sleep in the living room, so we had a mattress and blankets. We went into the kitchen to cook an artichoke. I had already forgotten the last incident.

While the artichoke is boiling, I hear the deck gate bang close. I look right at it and burn my hand on the pot. I wince in pain but resist to scream. The door starts shaking heavily.

I don’t move. I’m paralyzed in fear. Jenna is in the bathroom. The door stops. My first instinct is to contact my mom. Dammit, she’s still at work. I hesitantly dial the three digits and tell them that it’s happening again.

A light shines into the dining room from the glass door. Before he sees me, I put my back against the dish washer. The police keep me on the line while they send a cop car. Police go to the three doors of my house, the front door and the top and bottom deck doors.

The ones in the top deck see two grown men trying to enter my house. I don’t know what happened after that because I locked myself in the bathroom with Jenna.

I am turning 14 next month. It’s been about 10 months since this happened. To this day, whenever the door rings after 8:00, I panic and dive in between the couches so I’m not visible. I’ve had hallucinations of those men on my porch, and I’ve heard knocks that aren’t real.

I know I’m still a kid, but to other kids: Whenever your parents are asleep or you’re home alone and the doorbell rings, don’t answer it. Contact your parents to see if they’re coming home. If the door knob starts to shake rapidly, call the police. Listen to your parents about these safety things. They may sound like bull and you may think it can’t happen to you, that’s what I thought too. But if it can happen to me, it can happen to you too.