BANG-BANG! BANG-BANG-BANG!!

My neighborhood is usually very quiet at night...something I really enjoy. If I ever wake up during the night it's because of a neighbor calling for his cat or a racoon scratching by the fence...then I usually fall back asleep while listening to the barn owl hooting.

This morning, around 2:30am, I was awoken by 5 gunshots. The first two woke me up and seconds later the next 3 rang out. The gunfire was very near, within a couple hundred feet.

I laid in bed for a few minutes afterward. Wondering if it was just a dream...fighting my curiousity, I stayed indoors. Every window within sight was filled with light, nobody could have slept through that clamor. Was it the police shooting an armed criminal? Was it a few "gang bangers"? I don't know but it scared the crap outta me.

There were no sirens afterwards, but I did hear a few vehicles driving around the neighborhood. Policecars?? I dunno -- Perhaps but my urge to live overpowered my curiousity. I'm glad there was no blood on my driveway, I'm glad there were no news reports of a fatal shooting...but it sure made me aware that my neighborhoood isn't as safe or quiet as I'd thought.