"Honey, Someone is walking down the hall" at 3am

[Yoda]

That's what my wife told me at 3:15 in the morning a couple of nights ago. I thought she was talking in her sleep (she has talked in her sleep before) until she repeated it with a sense of urgency. You guys that have been married for a long time know when the tone of your spouse's voice conveys that seriousness and urgency... Made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, instant rush of adrenaline. We are currently empty nesters.

I had been about half asleep/awake and was pretty sure she had dreamed it for 3 reasons.

1) We have a driveway alarm that will ring the doorbell whenever anything breaks the plane about 200 feet from the house. (but if someone avoided the sensor the house can be approached)

2) The wood flooring in our hallway creaks when someone walks on it.

3) My dog never made a sound, but he is not infallible.

But anyway, I got up with my handgun and a tactical flashlight and searched the house and double checked all the doors and windows.. nothing found! Everything was still locked.

My wife then realized that from where she was laying she could not see the doorway to notice a shadow passing down the hall.

I sleep stark naked and I did not take the time to pull on shorts before I cleared the house (although I keep a pair beside me on the floor). I don't really care about modesty if there will be possible intruder, perhaps my nakedness will cause a distraction (or blind the intruder).

We live in the country, the closest neighbor is 500 feet away.

A few minutes later my dog started barking outside but quickly ceased. I was convinced that she had been dreaming. I probably should have checked outside but my dog would not have stopped barking if there was an intruder, didn't want to go out in the cold, or take the time to get dressed.

It took a while to calm down enough to fall back asleep.

Put yourself in my shoes..

Any criticisms?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Jackle1886]

Most people say don't go through the house. But what else are you supposed to do? I might of checked the dog barking issue. But overall, you came out ok. While you were out checking through the house, was the wife left with anything? Maybe a shottie and a flashlight? Just make sure and announce yourself before you come back in.

[bandit383]

I think you scared the BG off...being naked and all :))

Sounds like you covered all the bases...except maybe briefing the wifee if she hears noises etc while you are clearing the house.

Rick

[Rcher]

My wife has reported similar instances in the middle of the night. I've always accused her of dreaming but that doesnt stop me from checking the house anyways. Our dog sleeps in the bedroom with us so I usually send him out of the bedroom, close the door while he investigates (he usually just lays at the top of the stairs) and then I methodically clear the interior of the house.

A couple of times she scared the crap out of me waking me up, that, I just cannot get used to. "Honey, please be quiet while waking me"

[pgrass101]

I believe that 90% of the time you will be sure when some one is in your house.

In my house that would step on my sons toys that he leaves strageticly planted throught the house. If I know their is some one in the house I don't go and greet them.

When I hear a strange noise but there is nothing else to indicate that some one else is in the house I do get up and check the house pistol in hand

[smotta]

I agree with Rcher, Open the door and push the pooches out. Buddy is a 105 pound greyhound/German Sheppard, Leigha is a 120 pound white lab
I pitty the fool....


Other than that, I'd make sure I left my wife something (and made sure she knew how to use it!)

[walvord]

Sounds like you did good. I would put some shorts on or something tho' just in case it got into a H2H combat situation - for obvious reasons. I might have a "code" word for the wifey to call 911 if you did suspect something was amiss - I would want LEO on the way as soon as possible without tipping off the BG.

[Rob72]

Weeelll...since most of us aren't running around in kilts, most of us aren't as accustomed to the different body motions to keep sensitive areas from being damaged in general "furtive movement" much less rough-n-tumble.

Get a fast start, and do a belly flop on that hall floor, keeping your hands at/above eye-level(as though you have a weapon). If the boys cause distress by being detained by friction on the floor, you may need to come up with some solutions to the problem...

[carracer]

Once in a while My wife does the same and I occassionally wake up to "a noise" that turns out to be nothing. I am going to get a motion detection device that will turn on a large lamp inside the house that will be visible from the bedroom as a second saftey warning device. I think they are in the $30-40 range which I think is cheap ins.

[Janq]

Yoda,

My only comment, which is not a criticism (!) but a post incident analysis, is that my first thought of wonder is did you turn on the hall and room lights as you attempted to enter an area toward clearing your home? As opposed to singularly depending on your flashlight.

Also if home alone like that, and I had no children to handle, I personally would hustle myself and wife in our bed clothes out of the house as most directly as possible (while armed and with flashlight in hand) to exit the building and get us both to relative safety within a vehicle ASAP.
From there in the vehicle with the engine running, headlights on, and doors locked I would then formulate a secondary plan of action be it to clear the house internally or to observe it for a minute or five externally or if I'm darn confident the house has been invaded I'd drive away to my local emergency services station for support.

All it takes is for your wife to be right once for everything to go all wrong.

- Janq

[dukalmighty]

You find any new presents under the tree,ol santa might be starting out early with the population increase in the last hunnert years

[Hopyard]

Where was the dog when this stuff started? In your bedroom? Elsewhere in the house?

If elsewhere in the house you could hunker down beside the bed with gun aimed at the door and call to the dog-- then see what happens; she'll either come to the bedroom door (all is well), she'll wake and raise hell (all is not well), dawg won't answer 'cause ALL is not well and dog was snuffed.

If dog is in the bedroom with you guys, wake dog. See what happens. Why rush out of the bedroom naked when you are safest right there with gun and dog. You have a few seconds to see what's shaking, and a more secure place to take on an intruder than running around the house in the dark. And, you might even get to put your pants on.

Having said all that, my reaction would likely be the same as yours--rush out to check. That's just the way I am, but I don't think it is the prudent move.

And, here is where some of Jang's comments about not leaving the safety of you home in other threads comes to play---why leave the bedroom if there is no one else in other bedrooms of the home?

As for attempting to get to a car as a safe place in the middle of the night (Jang's suggestion above), I guess that depends on what exists you have from your bedroom, where the car is, and whether or not there are accomplices outside.

I can't get to my garage without going through the entire span of the house from bedroom to garage. I can get to my gated back yard but then not to my car; in fact I'd be somewhat trapped in my back yard.

[jahwarrior72]

I sleep stark naked and I did not take the time to pull on shorts before I cleared the house (although I keep a pair beside me on the floor). I don't really care about modesty if there will be possible intruder, perhaps my nakedness will cause a distraction (or blind the intruder).


Any criticisms?

only criticism is the the fact that you told us you were naked. thanks. now, i'm seeing a little green dude running around the house in his birthday suit. now, i must unsee what i have seen.


on the serious tip, i thought you did well. i keep reading about how searching through the house is a bad idea, but i have kids, and they don't share my bedroom. i have no choice but to search the house, to make sure they're okay.

[Yoda]

Thanks for the assessments. If I truly thought or knew someone was in the house, i.e., the creaking floor boards, a door open/close, breaking glass, etc my reaction would have been different. Have wife call 911, close and lock bedroom door, have handgun and flashlight at the ready.

My dog normally sleeps in the room with us, but that night he wanted outside. He is a good watcher for people but I don't know how he would react to a stranger in the house. He very well might growl and bark, that is what he does when he sees people walking down the street 400 feet away. He usually greets visitors with wagging tail. But he may sense an unwelcome guest and respond differently.

I did not turn on the lights as I went, but relied on the flashlight to check everything. The house and area is very quiet so sound would have been just as valuable as sight for detection.

Thanks again..

[Fast Cloud]

My wife sleeps like a hammer If anyone hears anything it's going to be me. I never seem to be out for more than a couple of hours at a time through the night. That's why I'm so cranky. The few times I've heard something it turned out to be nothing. (a broken vase that fell in the pantry) or my imagination. I swear if ms13 broke into the house and I dropped 8 of them with the Benelli, I'd have to wake my wife up to call 911.