by Tsu Dho Nimh

Created on: November 12, 2008

The sleeping girl woke abruptly, lifting her head from the pillow and staring at the wall opposite the bed. Faint noises came from the closet of the other bedroom beyond the wall. "Damn cat!" she mumbled, and rolled over, grabbing for the blankets. Her hand touched the warm fur of a cat sleeping on the other pillow.

She froze for an instant, then reached under the head of the bed, withdrew a pistol, rolled quietly off the bed onto the floor, and clicked the safety down. So, it had finally come to this. During the weeks of late-night calls, sometimes dozens of them in a night, he had revealed he knew what car she drove, where she worked, when she worked, where she shopped, when she shopped.

The creep knew she was home. The creep knew she was alone. The creep didn't know she had a loaded Colt 45 in her hands.

The noises continued, sounding as if someone was surreptitiously searching the closet on the other side of the wall. She knelt motionless, calculating the best shot. Power would not be a problem. The bullets had power enough to blast through the bedroom wall, probably enough power to punch through both bedroom walls and lodge in the brick exterior. A shot aimed at the sounds and about 4 feet above the floor would hit the torso of anyone except a midget. The creep might survive, but he would be disabled.

Waiting for the creep to appear in the hallway might be better, it would be a sure kill, but the bullet's trajectory would shatter both bathroom mirrors and probably puncture the water heater. It would leave a bloody mess on the carpet, too.

The sewing room had a vinyl floor, which meant easier cleanup. The sewing room? How had he entered the sewing room through the big bougainvillea bush that covered the window? Why was he spending his time pawing through the thread, buttons, and zippers in the sewing room closet? She lowered the gun to her lap and continued to listen to the soft thumps and bumps.

A few seconds later, an indignant,low-pitched "mrrrow!" came through the wall.

Shaking with sudden relief, she walked into the sewing room and opened the closet door. The neighbor's cat strolled out into the hallway and meowed again at the back door.

She let the cat out."Damn cat!" she mumbled. Out of habit, she turned on the security lights and scanned the back yard. Not tonight, creep. Not tonight.

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