Another knock.
I yawned and trudged toward the door. Rubbing my eyes and letting out another yawn, I was ready to go to bed earlier than normal. Through the peephole, a tall man stood in the dim hallway, his hooded head lowered. He wore black jeans and sneakers as if ready to rob someone—no one dressed like that here. Who was he, and what did he want? He seemed about my age, maybe a tad younger, but it was impossible to tell.
His pasty knuckles startled me with yet another series of knocks, harder this time. But the way he knocked looked unenergetic in movement.
Should I answer the door? No, it was a bit risky despite being generally safe in this small town by the lake. Instead, I politely raised my voice. “Who is it?”
The guy grumbled something, but it was impossible to make out what
