“Stop. You sleep on this side. The other side is mine.”
I paused at the blood-stained rug. My gaze lifted briefly to the stand holding the saline bag before I stepped carefully around the stain and climbed into bed. The covers were still marked with tiny speckles of blood.
He might have removed the body, but he’d left the blood behind.
A reminder.
The mattress dipped as he climbed in beside me. I lay frozen, waiting—but he didn’t touch me.
A click.
Darkness swallowed the room.
I curled into myself, fighting the tears, lying awake until exhaustion finally dragged me under.
All while lying next to a monster.
???
When I woke the following morning, I lay still until I realised I could hear him breathing beside me. Only then did I look over my shoulder—see the empty bed—and relax.
My gaze landed on the book Adam had given me.
The pale yellow cover bore the image of a black dog.
James Herbert
Fluke
The story of a dog who thinks he’s a man… or a man who thinks he’s a dog.
The universe was toying with me.
I reached out and turned the book over. As I sat up, I noticed a black dress shirt laid carefully in the centre of the bed. I glanced around the room before lifting it. Beneath it sat a pair of black socks, neatly folded together.
I slipped the shirt on, uncaring that it swallowed me whole.
The socks were soft. Warm.
A small kindness.
One we both knew he could take away from me at any time.
I brushed my teeth and used the toilet, but I didn’t leave. I stood there, staring at myself in the mirror.
My eyes looked haunted.
Heavy with sorrow I couldn’t contain.
In the reflection, I saw my family. And the fear went beyond me. He could truly harm my parents. My grandparents. Anji.
My thoughts slid to Darius. To the death threats.
It had to be him.
I swallowed and turned away from the mirror.
I didn’t like what it showed me.
