#Chapter 227: Brick By Brick

Abby After I hang up the phone with Karl, I finally slip off to sleep, feeling more relaxed now than I have in days. I fall into a pleasant slumber, one that’s deep and uninterrupted by the lights and sounds coming from outside. But then it happens. The sound of glass shattering suddenly wakes me from my sleep. I jolt upright in bed, my heart pounding. That was real; I’m sure of it. Quietly, I swing my legs over the side of the bed and reach for my phone with one hand and the baseball bat I keep behind the nightstand with the other. With the baseball bat raised just in case, I tiptoe out of my bedroom. The sound of the news reporter vans idling outside is louder now, with no shield from the window. I furrow my brow, my heart pounding as I slowly and silently tiptoe down the hall and round the corner where the sound came from. And then I see it. What I see freezes me in my tracks, my fear momentarily replaced by shock. The back window of my living room, facing the a