Frozen Fran
Chapter 1: Midnight Visitors
Fran opened the door to her dark apartment and flipped on the light. Fran was exhausted but glad to finally be home. In the kitchen, she dropped her purse and keys on an empty kitchen counter. The kitchen opened to a sophisticated living room decorated in light blues and greens. It was a tranquil apartment which allowed Fran to relax after being on her feet all day at the casino. Fran retrieved a glass from above the sink and filled it with tap water. The glass frosted and tiny ice fragments formed in the water while she held it under the faucet. Fran casually walked into the living turning on the lamp by the IKEA sofa. She made room for her nearly frozen glass of water on a coffee table by moving a large heavy book titled: Darwin's Survival of the fittest. Fran gently placed her glass among the chemistry, biology, and books on mutation.
Twenty minutes and a shower later, Fran put on a baggy pair of black pajama pants and a light blue tank-top. Perching her petite body on the edge of the sofa, she pulled her waist length blonde hair into a bun securing it in place with two pencils. She looked for a black, soft-cover book she had borrowed from the library earlier in the week. Fran sat back on the sofa, pulling her slender, toned legs underneath her. Her pale blue eyes began reading the first pages of Human Mutation Theory.
Her pursuit for knowledge started about a month ago. Prior to that, Fran had given little thought to science. Given recent events, however, Fran was now completely obsessed in reading any article or book which referred to human mutation. Fran was exhausted but her desire to get through one more chapter kept her reading. It was after all only midnight and she had tomorrow off.
Loud knocking on her door pulled Fran from her intense reading. Fran's pale eyes gazed across the room and focused at her door. She had lived in Vegas for two months and did little socializing. There were a few acquaintances form the casino and her gym, but no one knew where she lived. She slowly and cautiously walked over to the door. Through the peep-hole she saw a tall, muscular, dark man standing next to a man wearing horn-rimmed glasses. Who are they and what do they want? Her insides screamed warnings that these unfamiliar men were not here on innocent business.
Their knocking became insistent and loud. The man wearing glasses called out, "Frances, we know you are in there. Make it easy on us and let us in".
Frightened Fran gingerly backed away from the door. She was standing in the hallway where the entry way, kitchen and living room met when the man sneered, "Get us in the apartment". Fumbling and metal scratching metal could be heard at the door.
Instinct kicked in and Fran quietly ran across the room and out the patio door. On the patio she frantically looked for an escape as she heard the men enter her apartment. Fran climbed over the edge of her patio, she found a ledge just large enough for finger tips to hold onto. Fran lowered her small frame until she was hanging from the floor of her patio. Her fingers slipped and she fell 10 feet and landed hard into bushes beneath her patio. Footsteps echoed above her, frightened, Fran held her breath and prayed her intruders had not heard her land. As the footsteps re-entered her apartment, Fran quickly stood and ran away from the apartment building and her intruders.
Inside, the men entered the clean and organized apartment. Mr. Bennett scanned the room for Frances Smith. The patio door was slightly ajar. He instructed the Haitian to check out the patio while he continued to examine the apartment. Nothing escaped Mr. Bennett's examining eyes. He noted the books on the coffee table, the sophisticated home design, and the family pictures displayed on the bookshelf. Most importantly he noticed Fran's name badge for the Hotel where Fran worked.
The Haitian had inspected the patio in search for Fran. He was unaware that Fran lay silently just below him. Without speaking, the Haitian returned to Mr. Bennett, he reported the girl was no where to be found. Fortunately for Fran, the Haitian missed the frosty hand print on the railing of the patio.
"She spooks easily and escapes well. No worries, we will have her before long. Let's go." The two swiftly left the apartment.