The second chapter of my story. I made some changes to the first chapter, by the way, incase you read this and wonder if I skipped a chapter by accident. So, now I'll stop the chatter and let you read on:

Chapter Two

It's strange how things work. Usually, I'm the heaviest sleeper on earth. A riot could be knocking on my door and I'd keep on dreaming away. That night was different. I found it impossible to rest and I tossed and turned for a few hours before finally sitting up in my bed. Something was bothering me. Maybe it was the dog downstairs; maybe it was some great worry I had somehow managed to forget about. Either way, I wasn't getting any sleep that night. It wasn't until later that I figured out that it was fate telling me my life had been too easy thus far.

I stood up from my bed and smoothed down the fabric of my silky nightgown. I ran a hand through my hair as I yawned widely, walking down the hall towards the kitchen to check on my furry companion. The soft cream carpet beneath me muffled any noise my feet made and I knew my house much to well to stumble about. Fully awake I made it to the kitchen door then froze. Apparently, the dog was moving around a lot. I sighed deeply and shook my head as I pushed the door open. "What the hell are you do-"

Standing in my kitchen was a man, Yes, a man. Surprised by my intrusion, he whirled his body around to face me, a blur of black and white. My eyes widened as my jaw dropped. Ragged robes hung off a thin body and matted hair fell about his shoulders and to his waist, partially obscuring a wasted, waxen face. Icy blue eyes stared back at me, as wide as my own.

For a long moment, we both stood there, any words I had stuck in my throat. I squeaked and jabbered a few times before finally finding the words. "Who are you?" I saw the mans eyes dart around the room then to me. The kitchen window as much too small for a man, and I was blocking the only exit.

"Who are you?" I repeated, my voice no longer so surprised and shocked as before. I knew my voice was harsh and I appeared to be a lot braver then I was. I was confronting a man who had entered my house. He could be armed, for all I knew! The man put down a box of cereal I only now noticed and looked around again.

"I was just hungry…" He said, putting his hands up. "I'm sorry I woke you, I was hoping you wouldn't come down…" He answered, his eyes darting around.

I narrowed my eyes at him and frowned. His eyes narrowed in response and he growled a low, animal like growl. For a moment, I felt a familiar tinge of fear roll down my spine, just before I came to a realization. "Where's the dog?" I asked, looking around again.

"The dog…is of no importance right now." He said his voice raspy from years of little use for it. He faced me squarely, his head tilted forward and his eyes narrowed. He was trying to intimidate me, and it was working.

What was I going to do? What could I do? There was a strange man in the house, I was all alone, I was sure he was faster and stronger then I was, and the dog was missing. The dog. Why did I keep thinking back to that damned dog? I shook my head to clear my mind. My legs felt like jelly beneath me, unable to support my weight. Not it was my turn to have my eyes dart around, looking for anything that would aid me. I looked up at the strange man, with his menacing stance. It took me about a second and a half to decide to run for it. I turned and sped down the hall, running towards the main door. I could hear the man right behind me, trying to grab on to me, catching up. His heavy footsteps were audible, despite the carpeting. He was pumping his legs faster then I ever dared wish I could, not even with adrenaline coursing it's way through my body like fire could I keep the distance. He grabbed for the back of my shirt and I knew if I tried to open the door, I would be dead.

I turned the corner, my breath coming is sharp, deep pants. Holding on to the ebony banister, I used it to swing my momentum around and rush up the stairs. While my room was downstairs, up in the second story were two large rooms and a bathroom. One room was used for guests; the other was my personal office. The first room was the office. I used the banister to swing around and past it towards the guest room, praying it would buy me time and grateful to notice the open door. I sped in and turned to slam the door shut. Too late.

Already standing there, panting with his mouth open, his chest heaving and his eyes narrowed dangerously at me was the man. He walked forward, closing the door behind him and taking a few measured paces towards me. I scrambled back and felt around the table I bumped into.

My fingers curled around the heavy base of a lamp, and it yanked it, ripping the cord from the wall and swinging it before me. "GET AWAY!" I screeched. "Get away from me!" He walked forward and grabbed the lamp as I swung on him.

He heaved a great sigh and rolled his eyes at me. I was taken aback. Annoyance? Was that what he felt: annoyance? What was going through this mans mind? I looked at him, my brows furrowed together. "Listen, ma'am," He began, "I've got no intention of hurting you. But you can't say a word about me, okay?" He asked.

I looked him over. What on earth was going on? My head was swimming and I wasn't quite sure whether I should believe him or fight him. I looked him over, a frown tugging at the corners of my lips. He wasn't as intimidating now that the initial fright had passed. Sure, I knew he looked thin before but now he looked frail and sickly too. He was much too thin, almost starved and his skin was drawn too tightly over his frame.

Closer inspection showed that he was still breathing hard, much harder then that quick run granted, and that he didn't seem quite all here. In fact, his hand seemed to tremble as he held on to the lamp.

I looked up and noticed a frown on his face. He had caught me looking at his hand. As if to prove that he meant his words, he let go and took a few steps back. What was that I saw? Did he nearly stumble? Indeed, I thought. The strange man grabbed onto the bed and collapsed back onto the floor, a whine and a whimper coming up from his throat as he lost consciousness. Once again I found myself thinking back to that dog…

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