Katherine perked up as she heard a sound coming from near her living room area. Nervousness set in for a moment, but quickly faded when she realized it was just someone walking down the hallway to get to the next level of her apartment building. She was on the fourth floor, so there was often a bit of traffic outside, but it was a small price to pay to be in a good spot. Katherine felt safer. There would be less of a chance of a break in if she was a few floors up because honestly, who is going to go up several flights of stairs just for the possibility of finding something worthwhile. Especially when there was a doorman at the building from dusk until dawn. Tonight though was louder than most nights. It was fourth of July weekend. Fireworks had been going off since before sunset. Music had been playing all day. While on her way home from the corner store earlier she saw groups of people out dressed in all sorts of outfits, most already drunk. But being in the heart of the city it wasn't surprising. Even though she had never lived in a place like this before, she had seen it in movies a bunch of times. And this lived up to everything she thought it would be.
She wasn't heading out anywhere. Just settling in for a quiet night as home. As quiet as it could be anyway. Katherine had only moved to the city a few months ago and wasn't close to anyone. She kept it like that on purpose. The last year and a half or so, she had moved around quiet a bit to all various parts of the country. Whenever she started to feel a bit unsettled, she packed up and left without warning. Her parents knew where she was, however she would only tell them the PO Box. She didn't trust giving anyone her actual address. There was one girl from her work that she was starting to get friendly with. A young girl, pretty carefree. Recently graduated high school, just really having fun being around in the city. They worked at a hotel so they'd often chat while cleaning out rooms. Her co-worker would make comments about the various things they'd find in the rooms. And it made Katherine feel safe. She could make money while having a job that kept her tucked away most of the day. She wouldn't ever really run into anyone. And the fact that at least someone would notice if she went missing. Even though this place took the longest to settle in to, due to the large population and areas, she was starting to really feel comfortable. Growing up, Katherine always dreamed of a cottage by the beach. That wasn't reality though. Where she really thought she'd end up was in a cute little town. She was surprised she was enjoying the city life as much as she was. Even tonight as peoples laughs and voices filled the air and the hallway, and even shutting her windows couldn't keep out the sound from the streets below, she felt at ease. She may have finally found a place that she might be able to call home.
Katherine had changed into an old oversized shirt and was seated on her bed with a book. It was a warm night and she wanted to have the window open and feel a nice breeze as she got lost in her book, but she still didn't quite trust that yet. Knowing she wouldn't be able to get comfortable she set the book down and went to the thermostat to make it a little bit cooler. She sighed when she walked back into her bedroom and the light bulb began to flicker before going dark.
"Of course," she muttered to herself.
She just wanted to read her book and get some rest, and now it was one thing after another. She turned to leave again to get a lightbulb when she felt a sudden whisp of air. Turning her head, she noticed the curtains swaying slightly in the breeze. Her eyebrow raised as she looked at the open window, knowing she didn't leave it open. It had been locked since the day she moved in. She looked around her room, but everything was shadowed by the darkness. She could only make out basic outlines of large objects in her room. The street lights and moon allowed for a bit of a glow, but not nearly enough. Her first thought was to run over to the window to close it, but not knowing why it was open she was tentative. After a few slow steps towards it, she heard the noise from the doorway again.
"There you are my little lamb."
Her heart began to beat out of her chest. She'd recognize that voice anywhere. She could almost hear the smile that was no doubt spread across his face. But it was probably just her anxiety again. She would turn around and there wouldn't be anything there. Just her mind playing tricks on her. But when she did turn around, his figure was unmistakably blocking the doorway. His one eye almost glowing in the moonlight that shining through the window. And that's when she knew it wasn't her brain. It wasn't a dream. Katherine was standing face to face with the man she had been trying to hide from for the last year and a half.