The Letter

Chapter 2

Nicole woke up suddenly. She looked rapidly around the bedroom as she tried to calm her racing heart. Blinking her eyes until they finally focused on the shadowy objects around the room. What time is it? She thought as she glanced around Edward's sleeping form at the alarm clock.

"Three AM!!" She whispered with a low groan. She had only been asleep for a couple hours. Laying back down she looked up at the ceiling, trying to figure out what had awakened her. The house was so quiet, the only things she could hear was the soft snoring of Edward and the rain still hitting the window outside.

Rubbing her hands over her eyes Nicole decided it must have just been the rain. She really needed to get more sleep, since it was going to be a trying day tomorrow. With a grimace, she forced herself to not think about the previous day or the events to come. Instead she concentrated on the soft snoring coming from Edward. Moving over she pressed her side against his and, immediately comforted by his warmth, she began to relax.

Just as she was starting to doze off again a soft thud from somewhere in the house jolted her awake. Sitting back up she looked towards the bedroom door. Listening intently she starts to feel a stab of fear run through her. This time she knew that she had heard something, that it wasn't just the rain drumming against their window that had awoken her.

Sitting frozen in place she suddenly heard a soft scraping noise. Instinctively she reached down and gave Edward's shoulder a shake. He groaned softly in response and slowly turned his head towards her. He must have sensed there was something wrong because upon eye contact his eyes immediately widened as he pulled himself into a sitting position.

"What's wrong?" He whispered.

"I think there's someone in the house." Nicole answered, leaning close so she could whisper into his ear. Just as the words left her mouth another low thud came from down the hall.

Moving faster than Nicole had ever seen, Edward reached into the nightstand and pulled out his Glock. The cold steel slide glinted as he brought it up. He racked a round in the chamber as quietly as he could as he slid off the side of the bed.

"Stay here honey," Edward whispered, moving from the bed. With a last glance her way he opened the bedroom door and disappeared out into the hallway, closing the door softly behind him.

Nicole stared at the empty space where Edward had been. Her chest tightening as she listened quietly, silently praying that it wasn't who she thought it was. Maybe it's just an animal that got into the house! A cat maybe! Hoping for the impossible she moved closer to the end of the bed, unconsciously pulling the comforter to her chin as she stared at the door. It was so quiet... To quiet!

Then, without any warning, there was a loud thud followed by cursing. She could only imagine some sort of confrontation happening. With every crash and grunt, which were so loud in the quiet that they vibrated throughout the house, Nicole's body gave an involuntary jump. After what seemed like a lifetime, the house finally fell quiet once again. Holding her breath Nicole waited in the hopes of hearing Edward call out to her, telling her that everything was ok.

Sitting there quietly Nicole let out a soft sigh as she heard footsteps in the hall. Sure that they had to be Edwards she rose to her feet and stood at the end of the bed. Nicole listened as the footsteps got closer and finally came to a stop at the door. She was about to call out when something caused her to pause. Staring towards the door she realized that someone, not Edward, was standing on the other side. She knew this because if it had been Edward he would have entered the room by now.

Reaching behind her she curled her fingers into the bunched up comforter. Inhaling deeply she heard the doorknob start to turn. Nicole glanced around the room wildly, looking for anything that she could use to protect herself.

Spotting her scissors sitting on her dresser she left from the foot of the bed, hoping to reach them in time. Just as she was almost there she heard the bedroom door swing open. It opened with such a force that it bounced off the wall, causing her photos to vibrate.

Almost there, she thought as she reached her hand towards the scissors. Her fingers just grazing the edge of them, causing them to spin on the wood top, as she felt herself grabbed roughly by the hair and yanked backwards.

One moment she was on her feet and the next she was airborne, only having a moment to try and comprehend what was happening before she suddenly found herself forcibly thrown down onto the bed. Her first instinct as she landed on the bed was to sit up and face her attacker head on. This idea was halted as she felt a sharp punch to her throat, causing her to curl onto her side, gargling and gasping for air.

Her vision blurred as the pain rode her body. Gasping, she attempted to pull herself backwards but she was in such shock that all she could do was grasp her throat and attempt to clear her hazy vision.

However, when she was finally able to blink enough times to focus her eyes, they widened in fear. Because there before her, standing only inches from her prone body, was her worst nightmare...

And he was grinning down at her...