HOLY SHIT
I just nearly had a heart attack! I'm sitting here doing my schoolwork and I've been hearing scary popping noises outside which I wasn't sure about; it sounded like it could be gunfire or it could be fireworks or who knows what else. So I turned off the dining room light and turned on the small kitchen light over the stove, and went on studying cladistics.
A short while later, a man BANGS on the front door yelling OPEN UP!
This is one of the worst things that can occur when someone has PTSD and has had multiple break-ins and attempted forced entries.
They wouldn't go away and I almost called 9-1-1, but I couldn't find the phone, so I turned on the porch light. Sylvie was going INSANE barking at the door, not backing down from this new threat, despite the fact that her legs only raise her 2 inches from the ground.
I looked through the window blinds beside the door and the bright light of a flashlight shining in my face blinded me, so I backed away. Then I heard him yell, "Open up! Police!"
O_O
I looked through the crystal window on the door and there was a man in uniform with a badge; I tried to see if it looked real but he was wearing full get-up. I very nearly asked for identification but he seemed like a man to not fuck with, so I tried to open the door. I fumbled and dropped the key and he kept yelling for me to open the door. Finally I found it and grabbed Sylvie and opened the door and he LAUNCHED himself through the front of my house. I'll have to check to see whether he broke the latch on my storm door; I thought that thing was locked.
"Is that the only dog you got? IS THAT THE ONLY DOG YOU GOT??" he yelled.
I said yes, wondering wtf was up. I stood to the side and he yelled at me, "YOUR BASEMENT IS ON FIRE!"
I was in shock. "WHAT?" I asked.
"We have reason to believe your basement is on fire," he repeated, stalking through to the back door.
There was no smoke in my house, and I was confused. Hubby was taking a shower. I closed Sylvie in my bedroom and saw another officer. The other officer asked, "Do you have laundry running? It's probably just the laundry."
I told him yes, the dryer was on. I started thinking about what could be on fire. The first officer said, "It smells strongly of smoke outside."
I said, "Well I heard some pops like fireworks, and the backyard neighbors have a chiminea on their patio; maybe it's causing the smoke smell."
The second cop looked totally calm as the first canceled the fire truck on his radio. I was still bewildered. The first cop ran outside and opened the gate to the backyard to investigate.
I got the door key for the back and showed the second cop the dryer vent, which is beside the door and was putting out a healthy amount of steam, since it's around 20 degrees right now. He nodded. I got a spotlight in the face again out the back door from (I'm assuming) the first cop.
"Sorry to bother you, ma'am," the second cop said. "There's a large amount of smoke behind your house, but it's not coming from your yard after all. We'll go check it out."
I told him that was okay, if the house WAS on fire I'd be thankful they saved our lives. He laughed and said, "Yeah, well I'm sorry he gave you heart failure."
LOL! I told him I'd recover, and he left. After I locked up I went down to the basement and looked around to be sure all was well. No fire. I let Sylvie out and hubby came out of the shower, having missed the whole thing.
Good lord. My pulse is still racing and I have a monstrous headache now. What a way to end the night!
A short while later, a man BANGS on the front door yelling OPEN UP!
This is one of the worst things that can occur when someone has PTSD and has had multiple break-ins and attempted forced entries.
They wouldn't go away and I almost called 9-1-1, but I couldn't find the phone, so I turned on the porch light. Sylvie was going INSANE barking at the door, not backing down from this new threat, despite the fact that her legs only raise her 2 inches from the ground.
I looked through the window blinds beside the door and the bright light of a flashlight shining in my face blinded me, so I backed away. Then I heard him yell, "Open up! Police!"
O_O
I looked through the crystal window on the door and there was a man in uniform with a badge; I tried to see if it looked real but he was wearing full get-up. I very nearly asked for identification but he seemed like a man to not fuck with, so I tried to open the door. I fumbled and dropped the key and he kept yelling for me to open the door. Finally I found it and grabbed Sylvie and opened the door and he LAUNCHED himself through the front of my house. I'll have to check to see whether he broke the latch on my storm door; I thought that thing was locked.
"Is that the only dog you got? IS THAT THE ONLY DOG YOU GOT??" he yelled.
I said yes, wondering wtf was up. I stood to the side and he yelled at me, "YOUR BASEMENT IS ON FIRE!"
I was in shock. "WHAT?" I asked.
"We have reason to believe your basement is on fire," he repeated, stalking through to the back door.
There was no smoke in my house, and I was confused. Hubby was taking a shower. I closed Sylvie in my bedroom and saw another officer. The other officer asked, "Do you have laundry running? It's probably just the laundry."
I told him yes, the dryer was on. I started thinking about what could be on fire. The first officer said, "It smells strongly of smoke outside."
I said, "Well I heard some pops like fireworks, and the backyard neighbors have a chiminea on their patio; maybe it's causing the smoke smell."
The second cop looked totally calm as the first canceled the fire truck on his radio. I was still bewildered. The first cop ran outside and opened the gate to the backyard to investigate.
I got the door key for the back and showed the second cop the dryer vent, which is beside the door and was putting out a healthy amount of steam, since it's around 20 degrees right now. He nodded. I got a spotlight in the face again out the back door from (I'm assuming) the first cop.
"Sorry to bother you, ma'am," the second cop said. "There's a large amount of smoke behind your house, but it's not coming from your yard after all. We'll go check it out."
I told him that was okay, if the house WAS on fire I'd be thankful they saved our lives. He laughed and said, "Yeah, well I'm sorry he gave you heart failure."
LOL! I told him I'd recover, and he left. After I locked up I went down to the basement and looked around to be sure all was well. No fire. I let Sylvie out and hubby came out of the shower, having missed the whole thing.
Good lord. My pulse is still racing and I have a monstrous headache now. What a way to end the night!