Salina lived alone on South Washington Street in the small town of Hedgeville, Kentucky. Her house was of modest size but all she really needed. The front porch kept two wicker chairs and a side table, ready for morning coffee whenever she felt like it. Though they were most often used in warm weather, she sometimes dragged a heavy blanket out in the bitter cold of winter to watch the sunrise.
Tuesday evening. Another day had slipped by, and Salina's mind was still lingering in the quiet time spent on the front porch—the rich taste of hazelnut on her lips, the hard curve on the mug warming her hands.
She hated being out in the cold but loved the feeling of winter. There was desolation and abandonment, and the small pockets of warmth and light drove out the underlying notion that she was slightly sadistic in her private life. A private life that sprung up like a devil on her shoulder, whispering impossible fantasies, pressuring her into reckless promiscuity.
Salina had been seeing a guy who lived in a nearby town. His name was Jake, and he owned a shooting range that was making itself heard in the rural community. He had plans to expand his business as fast as he could, starting first in his home state, then moving up into Ohio.
Salina checked her phone as soon as she stepped inside her house and out of the cold. She dropped her keys on the kitchen counter, without looking, and read the text message that had just jolted her phone. It was Jake.
"I'll be there later tonight, as promised. But it might take me a little longer than expected. I have to pick up new flooring for the renovation."
Salina texted back. "So should I order our food at seven o'clock, eight, or are you gonna be later than that?"
Jake replied immediately. "It will probably be around eight thirty or nine before I can get done with this stuff. But I'll be there, as promised. I will."
Salina dropped her phone by her keys. She was obsessed with Jake and the way he treated her. They also had great sex for the first couple of months. But she couldn't help but feel annoyed at how demanding his work had become.
Her ex boyfriend, Kyle, was another devil sitting on her shoulder. She brushed him off every time he would pop up and enter her mind, but she could still hear the whispers of memories from their years together. There had been too many fights between them, too many changes to what should have been a healthy relationship.
Salina often drowned out thoughts of Kyle with the new and promising life only Jake could provide her. She had been damaged and nearly tortured by the thought of what life she could have lead, had she only freed herself of her fear of the future. She wanted to have Jake's baby, to live with him forever in marriage. But it was times like these—mounting stress, late nights—when the new started to wear off, and she began to question herself.
"I have to make all the decisions. Why can't I—uh, forget it."
Salina poured herself a glass of wine and walked upstairs to slip out of her clothes. She loved to feel the air of the room hugging her body. She loved to be completely naked, unobstructed by anything. And since her house was old, the heat ran a little warm, making her skin flushed and rosy pink.
But she wasn't able to get comfortable. Salina used to have something with Kyle she thought would last, and she couldn't help but compare it to what she had with Jake—the new guy. They weren't the same, and yet she couldn't help but to measure them side by side, in her head. Her head now starting to spin as she emptied another glass of wine and turned her gaze quickly from the bed they used to share.
She had heard a sound. But from where?
The house was empty. Night had fallen. The windows were dark. Salina checked her watch; but she wasn't expecting Jake for another hour.
Footsteps on the staircase. A creak riding up the wall. Someone was inside her house, just around the corner of her open bedroom door. She stood frozen, completely naked, and waiting in horror.
Kyle rounded the corner and knocked twice on the door frame. "Anybody home?"
Salina saw her ex glaring at her naked body and her hand opened, dropping the glass to the floor. The shattering of glass came to a stop, leaving only the labored sound of her breath. "Get the fuck out. What do you think—"
"I came to take what's mine."
Salina took a step back, hardly aware of the broken glass around her feet. "I gave you everything you had here. You don't live here anymore. Get out before I call the fucking police."
"What are you going to call them on? This?" Kyle held up her phone. "You left it downstairs, on your kitchen counter."
Salina felt a wave a panic, followed by a cool breeze sweeping through the room to brush up against her bare breasts. And suddenly she remembered she was naked and tried to cover her hard nipples and exposed sex.
Kyle removed a large hammer from his belt and smashed the phone on the hardwood floor, kicking the pieces over against the far wall. "Now you're not calling anyone, including that faggot you call a boyfriend."
"What, are you following me or something? Fucking asshole. We are engaged, actually, and he'll be here any second. He carries a gun."