She tiptoed into the room and paused to allow her eyes adjust to the dark room. She spotted a cupboard at the corner of the room, she opened the drawer and put her hand into it. She touched a hard object and was in the process of removing it when she heard a sound at the door. Startled, she dropped the object and ran into a wall, the wall was a human body. She let out a muffled yell when hands grabbed her roughly. Who are you? she asked peering into his face. His face was familiar but she could not place it. Suddenly she remembered where she had seen him and the realization of what she had got herself into left her so dazed that she went limp.

“I don’t have to answer that anymore,do I ”? He let out a harsh laugh and tightened his hold on her. You are hurting me, she gasped.  Not yet, when I’m done with you, you will scream to heavens for mercy, he replied. He pushed her into a chair and walked to the cupboard, his back to her.  “Don’t even think about running out, you won’t get far”. She sank  into the chair, weeping. She looked up at him as he turned towards her, her jaw dropped. He was holding the meanest looking knife she had ever seen. It was even more scary than it looked in the newspaper. “Don’t worry, I’m not ready for you yet”, he said.

                                                                   *      *      *      *

Daisy dropped the novel and stretched. She looked at the wall clock and gasped in dismay. It was 2a.m! John, her husband, had been sleeping for over four hours. She crept into the room silently not wanting to wake him. She was almost by the side of her bed when something moved by the window, she let out a loud scream.