The night is utterly silent, and for a moment I think I haven’t opened my eyes, the night is so pitch. They are open, though, it’s just that nothing is casting any light with the stars hidden behind stormy skies and the moon’s reflection blotted out by the earth this time of month. My house should still have lights, though—I run some outdoors, or hell, even the clock radio ought to shine out red numbers for me to see. Instead…nothing.What woke me up?I reach out toward the bedside lamp and freeze. It’s a cool night, the first hint of autumn in the countryside, and when I raise my arm I realize absolutely nothing is covering it. I went to bed in a long-sleeved nightgown, and the rest of my body suddenly registers the bedsheet flush against my skin for the whole length of my body. Even my cunt is bare. How did I become naked? My other hand, on the bed, flexes and clenches, encountering ragged shreds of fabric that were once my pajamas. At the same moment a deep voice behind me says, “Good evening, pretty lady.”He’s come for me.My pulse jacks up as I dive my hand under my pillow, all vestiges of sleep vanished in an instant.
