Then her reality bent when the earth shifted underneath her. She didn’t move; the floorbeneath her did.

His scream came right after hers, starting low in his throat and then rising in pitch until it matched hers. She opened her mouth to cry out again, but he beat her to it. His terror-filled shriek bounced off the cream-colored walls.

 He then opened his eyes and looked straight at her.

They were bloodshot. Her heart banged against her chest as she saw his mouth pucker and tears fill his eyes. “What are y-you doing?”

His body jerked a couple of times, as if he was fighting against himself.

She took a deep breath and—.

He screamed.

He pushed himself away from her, leaving a couple of feet between the both of them. “What’s happening?” he demanded.

Monica was frozen for a few moments, her eyes bulging out of its sockets. It was with some difficulty that she heeded the tiny voice begging her to get up and get out before he came to his senses. She staggered towards the entrance of the apartment, leaving the crazed asshole shivering on the floor. Though she could barely see through the pain, she was able to find her purse and car keys and walk out.

Ten feet away.

She started to run towards the onyx sedan at first, only to be met with a stronger wave of nausea and a dizziness that brought her to her knees. The warm summer breeze swept through each tear in her black dress as she retched onto the pavement the “romantic” dinner they had come from only ten minutes ago. The knife of pain that stabbed through her nose almost dropped her down into her own waste.

She didn’t have time for this.

The small crash she heard was not too far behind her. Up on her feet, she sidestepped the puddle of vomit and walked over to the car. Deep breaths helped steady her stomach.

No one was outside to help her. And if they had heard the screams, they wouldn’t come. Minding your own business was a finely crafted art in New York City.

His voice cut through the night as soon as she opened the car door. “Get back here, you bitch!”

He was right outside once she locked it behind her. She took a moment to steady her hands as he pounded on the glass and tried the handle. She then rammed the key into the ignition and started the engine.

When Monica turned for a final glance, what she saw was a complete monster. His cheeks were still bleeding, with some pink flesh exposed underneath. He then worked his mouth and spit onto the glass.

A minute later she was speeding through the streets.