thing

Dark strands of hair flailed about my head as I spun around, arms snaking its way through the sheets for its targets. The space besides me was cold. He was on call at the hospital, after all, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise he might be gone. As I so often did.
A deft finger swiped across the iPhone to check the time, as well as looking for assurance.
Sis’s flight cancelled, asked for Matty. Gone to drop him back. Love you.
Well, I wasn’t going to complain about having hours of extra sleep without having to listen to my potential nephew cry his way through the night. It was all very new, living with a man permanently. Integrating into something remotely resembling a family.
The red sun was still making its way from its slumber, the sky streaked with violent shades of orange and purple. A silly flagpole soared from the opposite house of patriots, reaching high, as if a dagger releasing blood from the heavens. Blood drenching the rustling bushes, my beloved Maserati, and…the person standing outside my window.
I blinked. Squinted.
Sure enough, a figure stood his nose pressed against the window, breath fogging up the window to conceal their face. For a fraction of a second, I considered darting into the office for safety. But surely such action could only rouse suspicion.
The light flicked on, and my neighbour obediently replied with a casual swipe of the window. Tall, not dark and handsome, I’d seen him strolling around a few times, but never spoken. He’s accompanied by a casual smirk and wickedly roaming eyes. I wrapped a dressing gown tightly as I opened the latch on the window, inhaling the fresh mint scent wafting through.
“I think you may have left your radio on upstairs.” The blond scratched his nose absentmindedly. “I d...

... middle of paper ...

...a matter of seconds.
With no source of spurting, and yet the body warm, only one question blared furiously in my mind. How long had it been?
I didn’t know the man. Whether he was friend or foe. That was of little consequence if the cycle had once again begun.
A flash of metal protruded from the ribs. The blade still afresh. My arms shook as they struggled to wrench the knife, squelching noises sickened my ears as it was successful unsheathed.
The ghosts of the vendettas trailed round in my racing mind. My fingers tremored as they turned over the handle, inspecting the unmistakable familiar etchings. Adrenaline was slowly ebbing away. I felt as if drowning, in the sea of dread.
The phone vibrated in the man’s trouser pocket. I paused the Vivaldi soundtrack, despite not needing to read the message to know what it would say.
With regards, M.
And the lights went out.