secretlyamanda
New Here
Hello, everyone. My name is Nicole and I'm new here, of course. Yesterday, unexpectedly, we had a home invasion / robbery. Someone came to my home looking for a person by the name of "Rob" (name changed) and though my dad tried to explain to this person that no one here knew a Rob, and that Rob didn't live here, the stranger at the door didn't listen. Concerned, I left my room (I live alone with my dad) and I went into the living room, where the stranger saw me, pushed my father out of the way and stepped inside, drawing a gun out of his pocket. He pointed it at my dad and I was immediately horrified. The next fifteen to twenty minutes consisted of me being yelled at, having a gun pointed at my head more than once, having a gun pointed at my father's head more than once, me BEGGING and PLEADING and CRYING for him not to shoot my dad, me being told to shut up, my father being sat on and searched, my house being rummaged through, me being instructed to lie face down on the ground and much more. It was hell. Those few minutes went on for an eternity. We got out unscathed though; the man left with my iPad + charger, both our cellphones, my dad's wallet including all his credit cards, my ID, my necklace (which he pulled off of my neck) and a bag I was forced to give him from my closet. I'm not really concerned about the missing items. I'd rather live than own any of that, however, I'm traumatized by the event and I have no idea how to handle it.
The police eventually came, as well as the forensics unit, but no arrests have been made yet (though they said they had a pretty good lead). I spent the next 12 hours crying. The first few were more dramatic, screaming kinda thing and afterwards, they were just quiet, little sobs here and there.
I don't know if I have PTSD, but I will tell you this:
The police eventually came, as well as the forensics unit, but no arrests have been made yet (though they said they had a pretty good lead). I spent the next 12 hours crying. The first few were more dramatic, screaming kinda thing and afterwards, they were just quiet, little sobs here and there.
I don't know if I have PTSD, but I will tell you this:
- I'm extremely paranoid; sensitive to all sounds and noises. I hear a knock at the door, I jump and run to grab a knife and I don't look out of the peep hole. I hear voices outside, I panic and assume it's him, he's back and he brought friends.
- I cannot sleep. It's only been 24 hours and I've gotten 3 hours of sleep. Not even. I kept waking up. Any time my dad would open the door, I'd wake up and run out of my room, into the living room to see what he was up to. I REFUSE to be left alone. I follow my dad anywhere that he goes.
- We walked to the store today and I saw my robber everywhere that I looked. Anyone who resembled him in the slightest (same height, skin color - ANYTHING that reminded me of him) sent me in a panic and I was rushing my dad to please walk faster. I can't stand the thought of being outside and knowing he's still at large.
- I'm worried he's going to retaliate because we called the cops or he doesn't have the pin numbers for the cards or he doesn't have the charger or pin numbers for the phones. When my dad finally fell asleep last night (he's also paranoid), I stayed up to keep watch. I went to bed at 8 in the morning, which isn't good because I'm a first-year college student and I have classes. But I can't sleep knowing he hasn't been arrested, or knowing he may have friends out there who might come back and attack me.
- Speaking of, I'm now scared to walk to my classes alone. I'm scared to leave my dad home alone, in fear that when I return, he'll be dead or something. Dramatic, but still.
- Last night I contemplated going to the hospital and pretending to be sick just to get out of the house. I don't feel safe or comfortable in my own home anymore. That sense of safety and security is gone, and because he took all our cash, I can't afford a hotel or anything. Can't go with friends either because I refuse to leave my dad alone. Can't install a security system or get a dog as the internet suggests because I live in an apartment.
- I keep having flashbacks. I walk by the areas in my home where my father was forced to crawl, where I was forced to lay down, where the guy stood - and my mind goes back to it. I'm eating, and suddenly I'm thinking of what happened and I'm in tears. The image of the gun being pointed directly at my dad makes my stomach drop and my heart hurt and I want so badly to forget it. I also keep thinking about what I could've done differently. I feel guilty for giving him my dad's wallet, when my dad was obviously trying to hide it. My dad said I did the right thing but I don't know, I feel bad.