Free The Storm by Kevin L Murdock Page B

even matched his eco sense, dusty brown roof with eco green siding. All the windows had their blinds pulled, and the house gave no appearance of anyone being present or not.
                  I assumed he was already gone, but it was best to make sure. Approaching the front entrance, I naturally pushed the doorbell. It was a couple of seconds before I felt stupid and remembered I might as well have waved at the door. Before giving a loud knock, my head turned left and right and covered a good 180 degrees of the neighborhood. Nobody was visible outside or around. He had told me I could come in, but it wasn’t clear if other neighbors would believe that or see me as a trespasser. Given the events the night before, they could easily assume the worst. Yes, I would proceed discreetly. KNOCK KNOCK .
                  Nothing. I tried to count to thirty but was going fast and made it to forty-five just to make sure I’d let a half minute pass. I knocked with the side of my closed fist. Again, nothing. Breaking into a house is something that is easy to fantasize about and seems easy enough, especially when professionals who do it all the time make it look that way. I had my courage built up and had come with a burglar’s intent, but again three decades of societal reinforcement of staying within the bounds of the law made me think twice. I executed another head check of the surrounding area with a small sweat breaking out above my temples. As before, the coast was clear.
                  Should I kick it in or go to the back and jimmy it? I wondered. The back would probably be more discreet, but maybe I should come at dark? “No,” I answered myself loudly. That would make me look guilty of something bad if someone did see me. I can’t be that guy. Stupid thought, Josh . It was then that I paused and had a brief epiphany. Wouldn’t it be great if he just left it unlocked for me? I reached forward and turned the knob. It opened.
                  With a deep grin and a sense of relief that I didn’t have to cross a vague moral line that at the minimum would be discomforting, I entered into his house and closed the door behind me. It was a bit dark with all the blinds pulled, and I paused, waiting for my eyes to adjust. “Adam!” I yelled out. Better make sure he’s not present. “Hey, buddy, you here?” Silence was the only reply.
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                  Walking home at double my usual pace with a duffle bag filled up probably made me look a bit silly. First, I used two hands to hold it, then I shifted and rotated every few seconds between arms. It was next on my back, then on my shoulder like a bag of cement. It was worse than carrying luggage while running through the airport. I dared not stop and stand around, lest anyone should see me and grow suspicious. Onward I went with a rapidly escalating breathing rate and a quickening heartbeat. Usually a burning sensation in my arms like this would mean I’d just had a great workout and could brag to Stacy that I would be the next Governator. This time, it just hurt.
                  On the final approach to our house at the end of our little cul-de-sac, I noticed Stacy had pulled a lot of the blinds down. “Damn,” I said aloud while panting and walking. “The sunlight won’t get in there now and warm the house naturally,” I muttered, even though today there was no sunlight to be found. She had a long history of doing things like this. Periodically, she would even run the air conditioner with a few windows still open. “Grrrrr,” I moaned as I pushed forward. Probably just feeling tired from carrying the one-hundred-pound bag, I was letting it make me pissed off at her. Lucky for both of us, I realized this and settled down as I opened the front door. “Water, please!” I shouted with a quick breath snuck in between the