Time had taken a toll on her body, she thought. Sure her years of yoga and spin classes had kept her strong, but now the signs of a life well lived were coming too fast to cover up, even with 140 dollar eye cream.
She stood in front of the mirror exposed, fingertips examining every tiny blemish on her face. Two children and a lifetime ago, she would have thought herself a strong 8, maybe a 9. But with each year that passed she felt less and less like the beauty she once was. She covered herself in her warm robe and made her way to the bed.
She loved nights like these. Nights she could spend alone. It was rare that she had any time to herself anymore. Someone always needed her. But not tonight. The children were staying with their grandparents, and John was out with friends.
She slid her feet out of the silly but extremely warm slippers the children had gotten her for a christmas gift last month. She climbed into bed and allowed the blankets and pillows to envelop her completely. She picked up her book and was once again lost in the murder mystery of a small town girl who had fallen in love with the wrong man.
She couldn't turn the pages fast enough. She had to know what was going to happen next. Suddenly something outside of her mystery novel caught her attention. She cocked her head to the side, almost like a dog who's heard a strange noise. There it was again, she was not imagining this.
Her heart rate quickened and instantly her blood turned cold. She reached for her phone and remembered leaving it downstairs to charge. "I really wish we had that landline now" she thought as her feet touched the floor. She grabbed the bat John had placed under their bed, took a deep breath, and opened the door as carefully as she could.
She looked out into the hall and, having seen nothing, took a few steps toward the stairs. Terrified of what she might see down below, she peered over the balcony, but again nothing. She moved with a purpose now, feeling her way through the dark, preparing to strike at anything. Moving quickly but quietly, she rounded the turn in the stairs, and made it to the bottom. It was at this point that she realized her mistake.
She saw the open door to the garage from the kitchen, and knew instantly there was someone in the house. She tried to make a run for the front room, but fell flat to the carpet. Almost immediately, she felt an intense weight on her back. She could feel the heavy breath of someone much larger than herself on the back of her neck. "Please just let me go" she managed to get out before darkness overcame her.
The cloth was wrapped too tightly, but that was the least of her concerns. "What are you going to do to me", she said. Waiting for a response was unbearable. Then she felt it. The cold steel of the blade press tightly against her neck. "Talk again and you die", growled the masked man.
