Sorry about the long question, oh and by the way I have a sword with me, if that'll help.

Well the thing about it is I think it was our neighbors upstairs because after my dog started barking, we hear loud footsteps upstairs, we don't get along well, and if we called the police, they couldn't do anything about it.

Go with Auntie Em; don't play vigilante; make the cops earn their pay and stay out of it; they may dust for prints (as following the break-in I endured); a Crime Watch meeting for you and your neighbors or home safety audit, both of which the police dept. may sponsor would also be helpful :)

call the police anyways. any-thing you can spray in his face. paint,hairspray,pam. and keep that sword in the other hand.

Naked, with an ax. That'll look rather off-putting.

I would definatly call the police and as I am sure you live in the US I would be keeping a hand gun ready too, if he comes back shoot him!

You DO NOT EVER confront him. You make sure the house is secure and all windows and doors are locked. You put all the lights on and keep the phone close by. With respect, you are 17 and sword or not you are too young to deal with this. Where are your parents? Call the police and tell them you are 17 and alone and somebody has tried to break into the house - ask them to send a car over - tell them you are scared (which is normal). If you are too scared to stay in the house, go to a neighbour. Do not stab anyone with the sword - you will end up in prison. In future, when you are in alone, you never, ever leave the back door unlocked or the back garden gate. Lock the door and take the key out of the lock. Now, lock the house, put the lights on (all of them) and call your parents or the police.

I have all the doors and windows locked and I called the neighbors, i live a few blocks away from the station, I do have most of the lights on, And If something does happen My neighbors will call the police, Thank you for your helpful answers.

Unless you are ALREADY a highly skilled martial arts sword master or combat veteran (in which case you would not have asked this question), you do NOT try to take on an unkown intruder alone. Get help. Remain calm and call the cops, not 911 since he is now gone, just the regular local police station number. Explain your uncertainty of what has happened and they will step up patrols in your area and may even stop by to check for finger & shoe prints, etc. If he returns, call 911, the cops will already have been alerted and will be already patroling so their emergency response will be swifter than normal. I agree with the "marker method", a can of spray paint or some colorfast dye is an excellent way of guaranteeing a conviction. Keep the sword handy, but the phone even handier. At the first sign of the intruder's return, call 911 first, then quickly say, "Police emergency - unknown intruder - your address" then just put the phone down without hanging up and be ready with your spray in one hand and the sword in the other, but do not try to kill with it. Announce to the intruder that the police have been called and that you reccomend surrender. Target wrists and ankles only with the sword and ONLY if the idiot tries to attack you first, otherwise just stand ready and wait. If he is armed with a gun, drop your sword, try to stall for time but surrender to him, and wait for the cops to rescue you. __________ Then, later, seriously consider planning your next 5 to 10 years to include some good self defense lessons ... then plan to train YOUR children in self defense from age 2 or 3 right on up to young adulthood, so they will never have this problem. ... and of course, keep your mind even sharper than you keep your sword!