I Had a Bad Night but Someone Else had a Worse Night

Last night I was in bed; I had just put my book away and was sliding into sleep. Suddenly at around 12:20am I was woken up by this horrible screaming. I sat bolt upright in bed. I heard a woman screaming, two long screams and a short scream that was abruptly cut off. It sounded like screams you would hear in a horror film.

I live on the first floor, in the front apartment. I have a large window that faces the street and my bed is up against the window. I was scared. I pulled back the corner of the curtain, but I didn't see anything. Besides, the screams sounded like they were coming from inside the building next door to me. Should I report this? Can you report random screaming when you have no idea where it is coming from? Should I call 911?

The screams were literally echoing in my head, I couldn't not do anything. I started calling friends I thought might be up at that hour. Timmy, I called you first incase you have a message on your phone and are wondering, "When the hell did Cupcake call?". I called KateBklyn whom I had left at a bar with the other Happy Hour kids about an hour ago. Kate consulted with Candicissima and told me I should report it becuase my call could be used for coroboration and that I should probably call our local police station directly. I called 411 and got the number for the 77th Precinct.

I called the police and reported what I heard and guesses at the time and location where the screams were coming from. I wanted them to understand that this wasn't normal city noise, like kids screaming on the street. "It sounded like a woman being attacked." I had two drinks at the bar earlier and was glad I didn't have that extra martini I was thinking about. If I had been drunk, I know no one would have taken me seriously. As it was, I didn't know if anyone would take my call seriously. I gave my apartment address to the dispatcher.

It was around 12:30am and I was still trembling. Now, the smallest noise made me nervous. I thought the bubles in my humidifier was the sound of someone tapping on my window. I guessed that the police were coming to take a statement from me. I put on some clothes. I left my apartment and saw that my neighbor accross the hall still had his light on. I knocked on the door, but he didn't answer. I went back to my apartment and called his cell phone; he didn't pick up. I started to wonder if I was making the whole thing up. Was I dreaming? But I knew the screams I heard were real and I knew that if I ever made a noise like that I would want someone to do something.

I lay down in my clothes on top of my bed with the lights on and fell into a light sleep again. My buzzer, itself a horrible sound, woke me. I was nearly certain it was the police, but still frightened in the irrational part of my brain. I asked who it was. "Police!" I looked out my peephole and saw the shoulder patch of the NYPD on a blue jacket. I opened the door and saw two cops, a younger one and an older one who did the talking. "Is everything okay here, Ma'am?"

I wondered how much communication the dispatcher and patrol cops had. I described the screaming I heard. They asked where it came from. The street? This building? A neighboring building? Which side? From above me or below me? I did the best I could, but knew I wasn't able to give really detailed accurate information. I felt like I was in an epidsode of Law and Order. Then we went over the timing. "About 12:15," I said.

"An hour ago? " asked the young cop.

"I don't know. What time is it now," I asked.

"Quarter past one."

"Yeah, I guess so." The younger cop looked skeptical, but the older cop assured me that they would check it out. I actually felt better after I spoke with the police, but I still couldn't bring myself to turn out the light.