That night, Cindy was agitated.

She kept barking out loud, incessantly.

It wasn't normally like this. Normally, Cindy would fall asleep well before Joan would. Her company actually helped Joan sleep peacefully, helped allay the nightmares. This time, however, it was the complete opposite.

Joan wondered what had gotten Cindy all worked up. "You want to go potty?" she said to the dog.

However, in response, Cindy ran downstairs. And soon afterwards, Joan could hear footsteps around the house.

Oh no. Joan quickly rushed downstairs, terrified of the ugly possibility that had just reared its head. As soon as she did, she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head and collapsed.

"Konbanwa, ojou-san." a woman's voice rang out, followed by someone kicking Joan's teeth in.

It took a while for her vision to clear, but once it did, she saw her. The ringleader of this home invasion. It was the same woman. The same one who asked about...

"Have you found the car keys yet?" she said in English to one of her lackeys.

The lackeys were all masked. She wasn't. Because she wanted Joan to know. She wanted to etch this day into her very memory.

"Not yet." the man said.

"Hurry it up, then. Or don't. Either way's fine." she said, her lips curling into a sadistic smile. "Oh, Akemi, do you mind bringing that dog over?"

Another lackey handed a dog...a dog? A...

"Cindy!" Joan screamed, trying to get up. A swift boot to the head kept her down.

"Ah, this was the dog that was with you, right?" the leader said. "Now, I'm already going to be taking your car, but..." her expression turned contemplative for a moment.

And then, it twisted into a vicious smile, "But maybe that's not enough to show you the consequences of defying me."

She put her hand into her pocket. She pulled out a gun. She had a gun!

"What...what are you...?!" Joan screamed.

"Hahahahaha!" the woman laughed, clearly ecstatic at the sight of Joan's horrified face. "Ah, yes, she must be so precious to you. I wonder what would happen if I just..." she brought the gun to Cindy's head.

"No, no don't you dare!" Joan screamed her lungs out.

"Oh, you pitiful little bitch!" the robber shot back. "I'll give you a very basic lesson in human nature right now." she tightened her grip on Cindy. "Telling people like me not to do something..."

A gunshot. Blood. The blood of Cindy. Her limp body dropped to the floor. The blood staining the murderer's face, who isn't fazed in the least. "...only makes us want to do it that much more."

She smiled. She smiled. She broke into her home, killed her dog, and she smiled.

She smiled. She smiled. She smiled. She smiled.

She smiled. That monster. That human piece of shit. That abomination. She smiled. She smiled! She smiled! SHE SMILED AFTER TAKING EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME!

"Oh?" the woman said, her expression changing into one of genuine curiosity. "Ah, you're looking at me like I'm a monster, right? Like I'm dirty, ugly?"

She went over to Joan, who was still helplessly lying, pinned down. "But see, Joan. In spite of what you think of me, I'm still beautiful. You have no idea how many men keep chasing me every single day."

A giggle. Then, "And I'll go right back to that life after I'm done here, while you will spend the rest of your life all alone and in fear of me. That's the difference between the elite like me, and the trash like you."

Yes. She was beautiful. Even with Cindy's blood all over her face, Joan could still see it. She had no trouble believing that men chased her every day.

And it wasn't fair that she be allowed to go back to that life. Joan wouldn't let her. Not after everything she'd done.

"Found it!" said one of the lackeys, ostentatiously juggling the keys of her Impala.

"Ah, my work here is done, ojou-san." the woman said. "Sleep tight now."

A sharp blow to the head, and Joan lost consciousness.