Ambushed Love

She had only just reached the bottom of the staircase when the eerie silence within the empty house was disturbed. Three knocks sounded at the door, causing her to pause and head back in the direction of the noise. She got the funny feeling it wasn't Mike who was knocking; he surely had his keys to the house with him, and he had only just left for band practice anyway.

Her bare feet padded across the cool entrance hall tiles, emitting a quiet tapping noise that matched the oddly quick, thudding beats of her heart. She couldn't help but feel that the visitor at the door was someone not welcome - it all just seemed a little odd...

Without peering through the front window first to check who was knocking, she reached for the door handle, slowly opening the door with a click. A lanky, middle aged-looking man was the first sight to greet her eyes, his face tired and unshaven. He was dressed in ratty clothes, with an old, faded fishing hat covering what little was left of his wispy grey hair.

Brittney leaned a little on the doorframe, raising an eyebrow quizzically. She had never seen the man before, and she had a feeling that he wasn't at their house to hand out leaflets or promote some kind of product. He looked almost lost, his pale blue eyes appearing to be slightly out of focus and his hands quivering slightly.

She cleared her throat. "Um... can I help you?"

The man gave an odd smile, only accentuating the creepy auroa that surrounded him. Not a word left his lips; he remained silent.

Brittney rose her voice a little. "Are - are you lost?" She reached for the doorhandle slowly, ready to shut the door at any moment.

His eyes remained locked with hers as he nodded. His smile widened, revealing a set of yellowing teeth. Brittney's heart quickened in pace; this man was really beginning to freak her out.

"I'm - er... maybe it's better if you just leave," she said uncertainly, her eyes flitting around as she tried to see what this man could possibly be hiding. His smile immediately faded, the creepy auroa fading - only to be replaced with a sense of heightened fear on Brittney's part. He opened his mouth to speak; his voice was clear and calm - she had been expecting something much more gruff.

"Hello, Brittney," he said gently, his eyes not moving and inch and remaining firmly fixed with her eyes. She gripped the door handle tightly, ignoring the soft creaks that the door's hinges emitted as she slowly tried to shut the door.

He spoke again, a smile again tugging the corners of his lips.

"What's the matter, Brittney?" His voice was gently taunting; there was no sign of mercy from within its tones.

"I - I'm going to have to ask you to leave the pro-property," she stuttered, the door creaking once again as she closed it a little more.

"Oh, I don't think we'll be needing that," the man said softly, his eyes finally losing eye contact with hers. He glanced toward the ground before looking back at her again; he peered over her shoulder and into the interior of her house. With each second that passed Brittney grew more and more uneasy, her heart thumping wildly against her ribcage.

And then it all happened in a flash. The man lunged forward and forced the door to fully open while she jumped in shock , losing her balance and tumbling down to the ground. He kicked her hard in the ribs, ignoring the scream of pain that escaped her trembling lips. With a whimper Brittney whacked her leg as hard as she could against the man's shin, forcing his leg to give way. He too fell to the ground, giving Brittney a chance to crap the edge of a nearby rug to pull herself away. She forced herself to stand, ignoring the stabbing pain in her left ribs and making her way to the kitchen phone.

"Oh no you don't," the man growled, grabbing her by the ankle and sending her crashing down to the ground. Her body slammed down onto the tiles with much force; the air whooshed out of Brittney's lungs as she made contact with the cold, hard floor. He reached for the nearby CD rack and tore it down, letting the masses of CD cases cascade upon his victim. He ignored her constant cries of pain and instead continued to destroy the haven he had so cruelly disrupted.

Brittney made one more attempt to stand, ignoring the searing pain that encompassed her abdomen and diving for the phone. He hit her again, this time across her face, balling his fist and punching her straight in the cheek.

She screamed, clutching her face and falling to the floor yet again. She lay in a heap, every inch of her body either aching or screaming in pain.

He stared down at her, panting. He gave another one of those taunting smiles. "Is that all you've got, Brittney?"

She remained silent, her body shaking with soundless sobs.

He pulled a note from his pocket, his eyes flicking around every inch of the room. They landed on the large stainless steel fridge occupying a corner in their kitchen. Still smiling, he wandered over and placed the note against the steel, holding it in place with a novelty fridge magnet.

Brittney dragged herself into a sitting position, gasping for breath. Her lungs felt like they were on fire while her stomach felt as if it had just been stabbed with a thousand knives. She swallowed uncomfortably, trying desperately not to panic. "W-what are y-you d-doing here?" Her voice was weak and trembling.

The man kept his back to her, instead pretending to fiddle with the precise position of the note he had placed on the refridgerator door. He spoke after a moment's pause. "I've been waiting a long time for this."

"You can't do this!" she screamed, pulling herself up from the floor. He spun around, just in time to see her grab a nearby vase and attempt to hurl it at him. It missed him by mere inches, giving him a chance to lunge forward and punch her across the face again. He slammed her back onto the floor, ignoring the dull thud that echoed around the room as she fell.

She felt her head crash with the cold floor, and in an instant it all went black...

--

Her eyes snapped open.

She was anywhere but home.