She was drifting off to sleep, thoughts of the day swirling into dizzying random images like chocolate into cake batter, when she sensed a presence. Through closed eyes, one or more red digits on the bedside clock flicked the silent passage of one minute, and then the next. The subtle change in brightness was magnified through her eyelids by the contrasting blackness of the room. She dared not look for fear of what she might or might not see. A specter, a watcher was in the room, lurking in the darkness, and there was a childlike safety behind her tightly shut eyes akin to pulling the covers over her head. She was paralyzed.
Her heart pounded as she considered her options. The iPhone on the nightstand was within reach, but may as well have been miles from her grasp. The red glow from the clock’s display would betray her as her arm crossed the gulf between the mattress and the wooden surface. She heard breathing.
Tiny incremental movements, too small to be detected, could bring her closer to the edge of the bed over a period of time. But then what? The unseen enemy had the high ground. Even a sudden lunge would put her at a clumsy disadvantage.
A scream would be of no use, just a trigger for attack and a pathetic surrender of her last breath. Frank slept like a stone beside her. Waking him would be difficult judging by the depth of his slumber. He was more helpless than she was. And how would she reveal the threat without movement or sound?
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