Jill fell asleep shortly before midnight. She had stayed in bed reading for about an hour while Frank dozed next to her. During the night she woke up suddenly. They had plugged in their radio alarm clock, one of the few possessions besides clothes they had brought in the car. They had arranged for Jill’s parents to send the rest of their clothes and personal items. They weren’t going to bother with the furniture from their apartment. From what Jill had seen so far, the furniture here was nicer.
The clock read 2:49 a.m. Jill groaned and rolled over on her other side. She wasn’t sure at first, but now she definitely heard classical music playing. It was faint but she could definitely hear it. At first it didn’t concern her, but the more she thought about it, the more it did. There was plenty of space between their house and the neighbors. Enough so that it wasn’t likely to hear much from next door. If it was from next door, it would have to be awfully loud. Their window faced the backyard so it was unlikely to be from the street. She checked their alarm clock, but that radio was definitely off. It actually sounded like it was coming from downstairs. Then she heard something creak that sounded like it was coming from downstairs as well. Could someone be in their house?
Jill comforted herself by telling herself it was a silly idea. Why would anyone be in here? She thought about going downstairs to check, but something held her back. She felt safe in bed. Like she was protected even if someone really was in their house. She heard another creak and got startled. She nudged Frank until he woke.
“What?” he moaned groggily.
“Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“Noises from downstairs,” Jill replied nervously.
Frank strained his ears a moment and then said, “I don’t hear anything.”
“Not even that music?” Jill demanded.
“Oh, it’s probably from outside. I’m tired, honey. Can I get some rest?”
“You think we could hear anything from the street out front?”
Frank propped himself up on his elbows and turned to face her.
“Jill, there was plenty of noise in the city at night and that never bothered you. It’s quieter here, sure, but there’s still some noise. It’s nothing. At least it’s peaceful music.”
“Yeah, I just have this weird feeling it’s coming from downstairs,” Jill replied.
“Oh geez. You reading another horror novel?” Frank said and turned on his stomach, dismissing her suggestion.
Jill realized Frank wasn’t going to become concerned no matter what she said so she retorted, “Sorry. I’m just a silly little female. Good night.”
She fell back asleep half an hour later.