Hollow

The room spun around her as his voice filled the apartment. She was so surprised, so quickly jerked out of her euphoria, that in her crouched position by Kirara, her butt hit the tile floor with a muffled thump. Her heart raced and she could feel the panic attack building, rushing to the forefront of her mind. Beside her, Kirara hissed and transformed, standing protectively in front of Kagome.

But the apartment was empty, aside for cat and woman. Only his voice and his sick, sick words echoed in her ears, bounced off walls.

"Kaagoooome," he crooned, his voice a sick, sick parody of a song. "Kaagoooome. I know you can hear me. I can just see you know, sick with fear and curled up on the kitchen floor. You're so pathetic."

His words tore at her, sent her flying back to a time when she had been a prisoner, when the idea of freedom had seemed like a crazy, unreal dream that would never happen. She flinched at the words and buried her face in Kirara's soft fur as tears threatened.

"I'm coming for you, you bitch!" The words were a soft hiss, filled with venom and disgustingly, excitement. "You're going to pay for running away. I'm going to get to you eventually and this new life you've built yourself? I'm going to tear it and everyone in it apart!"

The threat was what brought her back, what filled her with a cool, calm intensity as she stood. Kirara moved to stand guard at the kitchen door even as Kagome pressed stop on the tiny machine, cutting off more filth, more venom. Though she had no idea where the fear had gone, where this sudden strength had come from, she was grateful.

Tomorrow, she would take the tape to Kouga and his partner. Tonight, she would put stronger wards on her doors and windows. She would cleanse the apartment and focus on something else, try to bring back that innocent joy from a night filled with good food and dancing.

Except that all she felt was a tense, wary excitement. An emptiness that both terrified and left her feeling hollow.

o.O.o

Word Count - 361