The first bang on the front door rattled the entire house. I froze on the couch, clutching a blanket as the Purge sirens faded into the night. My dad, Donny, looked through the curtains and immediately stepped back. His face went pale. "Get away from the windows," he said. My stomach twisted. "Who is it?" Before he could answer, a calm voice echoed from outside. "Good evening, Donny." I recognized that voice. The Polite Leader. "We're here for your family tonight. Would you kindly come outside?" My heart dropped. Dad locked the deadbolt and shook his head. "No." For a moment, everything was silent. Then the Polite Leader spoke again, as polite as ever. "I'm sorry to hear that. We were hoping to do this the easy way." My mom pulled my little brother closer while Dad stood near the door. Outside, I could see shadows moving across the front porch through the curtains. There were more people than I expected. A loud bang hit the door again. My little brother jumped. "Dad..." he whispered. Dad looked back at us and tried to smile. "It's okay. Stay away from the windows." The Polite Leader chuckled softly from outside. "You have a lovely home, Donny. It would be a shame if tonight became unpleasant." Nobody answered. The house felt completely silent except for our nervous breathing. Then another voice from outside called out, "They're not coming out." "Patience," the Polite Leader replied calmly. "We have all night." My heart pounded. I peeked through a small gap in the curtain and immediately wished I hadn't. Dozens of masked people stood in our yard. Some carried flashlights. Others simply stared at the house. And right in the center stood the Polite Leader, smiling as if he were attending a party instead of threatening an entire family. Dad noticed me looking and gently pulled me away from the window. "Don't give them a reason to know where we are." Outside, the Polite Leader took a few slow steps toward the porch. "Last chance, Donny," he called. "Come outside with your family, and we'll settle this quickly." Dad crossed his arms and stood firmly in front of the door. "No." The Polite Leader sighed. "Very well." Then he stepped back into the crowd. The yard fell silent. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. They just stood there in the darkness, surrounding our house, waiting. And somehow, that was even more terrifying than if they had already tried to come inside.