The Intruder

Casey has been living in a cabin in the New Hampshire woods for seven months. One night, she prepares for a thunderstorm. She contacts her landlord Rudy about the flimsy roof, afraid it will cave in during the storm. Rudy stops over but refuses to do any repairs. Casey has been annoyed with him since moving into the home. She left her life in Boston after losing her teaching job and hasn’t been satisfied with “living off the grid” (2). Before Rudy leaves, Casey asks him to deal with the insecure tree out front, too.

The narrative continues in Casey’s present timeline. Rudy assures Casey not to worry about the roof or tree but warns her the power might go out, and she could lose phone service, too. When he makes a pass at her, Casey grabs him and twists his arm. Furious, Rudy suggests she might not survive the storm. Casey is glad she has a gun in preparation of Rudy’s return.

The narrative continues in Casey’s present timeline. The storm blows in. Casey collects some fallen branches and stows them in the toolshed, which she has rarely used otherwise. She hopes the wind doesn’t knock off its door.