Prey Read Free

inner-thigh,
his touch sliding higher as the volume of his breathing grew with
it. As it reached a rasping crescendo, it cut off in an instant and
turned into a phlegmy cough. A few seconds passed before he spoke.
“Can you take your coat off, please?”
    Susan's eyes
jolted wide open and her fingers pressed hard against the bump in
her pocket. Her pupils jittered as her lips hung agape, searching
for the words to utter. “Can I just use the bathroom, first?”, she
stammered.
    “ Sure. It's the second room on the left.” Simon withdrew his
hand and sunk back into the couch.
    Susan left the living room and faced the stairs, her heart
raising in tempo. She ascended them with hesitation, taking notice
of the mini wall above the top end of the bannister. Enough for someone to hide behind. The thought weighed heavy on her limbs and slowed
her advance. Her fingers clutched for the security of the knife.
She gripped it tight and focused on the blind-spot, her eyes
stinging as they begged to blink.
    A loud rumble
raped the quiet.
    Susan jumped
out of her skin. She pulled the knife from her pocket and stabbed
it out in front of her. The light glinted off the blade in sharp
arcs. Her limbs stuck to the spot. Blood surged through her ears
and she struggled to listen for the origins of the disturbance. Her
breath bottlenecked in her throat as it struggled to feed the
building pressure in her veins.
    “ Looks like we were just in time,” Simon's voice boomed from
the room below. “That's going to be a nasty storm.”
    With a loud and
racking gulp, Susan fell against the wall, reaching out an arm for
support as her legs turned to jelly. She spat out a lungful of air
and closed her eyes. The blade disappeared back inside its hiding
place, amidst her trembling grasp. She waited where she stood,
hoping her heart wouldn't explode before it had a chance to calm
down. It pounded against her ribs like a pneumatic drill.
    Another brattle
of thunder sounded from the outside world.
    Still wedged
against the wall, Susan inched toward the landing. She bent her
neck and snaked her gaze around the bannister. A pocket of air
sighed through her teeth as the area on the other side revealed
itself as empty. Using one hand to rub her belly through the heavy
material of her coat, she shook her head and grunted a half-hearted
chuckle. She entered the bathroom and closed the door behind
her.
    The room
gleamed white, not a sign of colour to be found. Even the face
cloth in the sink merged with the ivory tone of the porcelain.
    She crossed to
the wash-basin and twisted the cold water tap, scooping up handfuls
of the refreshing liquid and splashing it on her face. A relieved
sigh released from her lips and peppered the curtains with specks
of transparency. Both her hands found the sides of the sink and she
rested her svelte weight against it, taking long, deep breaths. Her
heartbeat abated and the pressure in her temples eased a
little.
    Long moments
passed, with just the constant hiss of water and its gurgling
retreat down the plug hole, to distract her meditation.
    Her eyelids remaining closed, the orbs flicked and jetted
around the sockets, as Susan pulsed her lips in inaudible words.
Smiling at the outcome of her thoughts, she returned her gaze to
the real world, searched the strange room for a towel and, upon
finding it, used it to dab the moisture from her face and hands.
She removed her coat, folding it over one arm. Her hand whipped to
the pocket and clutched the handle. Perfect. She released the object,
turned on her heels, and headed back downstairs.
     
    Simon sat on
the edge of the sofa, a large tumbler balancing on the arm, next to
his wallet. The amber liquid inside glowed under the ceiling
lights. He smiled. “Thought you'd got lost. I was about to call a
search and rescue team.” He chuckled and grabbed for the drink as
it threatened to topple from the jiggling of his amusement.
    Susan faked a smile and rushed back to the opposite side