Julie pulled into the driveway of her townhouse very slowly and cautiously, she turned off the engine and sat quietly staring at the front door.  There was an eerie silence, the dark turn that her life had now taken left her envying everybody else around her, even the birds flittering from tree branch to tree branch.  She would now have to live her life with eyes in the back of her head.  This feeling of freedom lost was completely alien to her, it was a feeling she had never experienced.

The gun she had just used to dispatch Jimmy Chen and Clayton Radcliffe was sitting next to her on the passenger seat.  She was still riding an adrenaline high from what had just happened at the mall, everything around her still seemed surreal, it seemed impossible to her she was still alive.  Her world had suddenly grown more violent, and she had every reason to believe that there would be somebody waiting for her at home.  She had no idea who had sent two men after her, but they knew her name and phone number, and they probably had her address as well.

She reached over and firmly wrapped her hand around the handgun that was sitting on her passenger seat, and slowly opened the car door. She moved quietly and cautiously towards the entrance of her house walking with soft footsteps to minimize the clicking of her stiletto heels on her asphalt driveway.  Her mind was on high alert, but her breath was calm and relaxed, she wasn’t shaking at all.  She walked with slow, yet deliberate steps. She unlocked the door as quietly as possible, and then pushed it open a few inches, and then a few inches more.  With her gun raised, she slowly entered her townhouse.  She was prepared in an instant to unload a hail of bullets on whoever might be waiting for her in her home.

She slowly moved into the living room with cautious grace, her steps barely making a sound on the plush carpet.  Her senses were heightened by every creak of her house.   The living room was brightly lit, with streams of natural light shining in through the large window.  She held her breath and strained to listen for any unusual noises, her hand calm as she clutched the heavy cold metal weapon.  Nobody was waiting for her in the living room.

Next, she cautiously entered the kitchen as her grip on the gun tightened.  The ticking of the clock was the only sound she could hear as she cautiously moved past the stainless steel appliances, her thoughts imagining all manner of potential threats lurking behind every corner. Each breath she took was slow and deliberate, attempting to mask her presence from an unseen killer who might be lurking in her house.  There was nobody in the kitchen.

With the kitchen cleared, she slowly ascended the staircase leading to her bedroom, she was holding the gun firmly with both hands.  As she reached the top, she slowly pushed the door open and silently entered her bedroom with her gun raised.  To her right was her vintage vanity covered in makeup brushes, skincare products, and an assortment of jewelry, in front of her was a queen-sized bed covered in velvet pillows.  Her eyes quickly scanned the rest of the room.  The walls were adorned with her familiar collection of framed photographs amidst the bright afternoon sun shining in through the open blinds.  There was nobody in the bedroom.

Suddenly to her right, she thought she heard something stirring in her walk-in closet.   She quickly turned and made sure her finger was on the trigger.  She gently placed her hands on the closet door, paused for a second or two, and quickly threw it open, ready to unleash a hail of bullets on whoever might be inside; but to her relief, the closet was empty.   All she saw before her was an endless array of sexy clothing - mini skirts, knee-high boots, thigh-high boots, and spandex mini dresses.

When she realized her house was void of any sinister men waiting to kill her, an incredible sense of relaxation washed over her, she slowly lowered the gun and placed it on her nightstand.  She sat down on the edge of her bed and slid the zippers down on her stiletto boots slowly removing them one at a time. She closed her eyes briefly, letting out a deep sigh as the cool leather boots slipped off her feet, one by one; it felt good to have them off. With each boot that hit the floor, a profound sense of relief washed over her. The softness of her bed beneath her, the comforting familiarity of her own space, and the silence of her sanctuary all began to coax her back to a state of calm. Her tension began to ease, replaced by a feeling of safety and security. She knew that the chaos of the outside world couldn't reach her here, and for the first time since the ordeal, she felt herself begin to truly relax. The act of taking off her boots symbolized the shedding of her day's burdens, and a gentle smile crept across her pretty face, welcoming the embrace of tranquillity.  Against all odds, she had survived.

The calm peace of her bedroom was interrupted by the vibrating of her cell phone in the back pocket of her jean skirt.  Panic came over her with the realization that it could be the police, or perhaps another threatening call predicting the end of her life from some unknown killer, but when she saw the name on the call display she once again returned to a relaxed state; it was Brad.  There was no one else in the world she wanted to hear from right now, she accepted the call and raised her phone to her ear.

“Hey,” she said with a soft voice.

“Hey Jules,” Brad said, his voice calm and welcoming.

Julie let out a small sigh.

“Bradley.  Sweet Bradley, I love you. Your timing is always so perfect babe.  Just had a really… a crazy day Bradley.”

“You sound a bit off, everything alright?  I’ve never known anything to rattle you much, Jules.”

“Yeah, it’s just… how was your day Bradley?” Julie said, quickly changing the subject.

It seemed ridiculous to Julie that she would find herself engaging in small talk after what had just transpired at the mall.  She knew she would have to tell somebody sooner or later, but it couldn’t be Brad.  She had just survived an attempt on her life, something she knew she had to keep hidden from him, their relationship would be critical to her survival right now, and the thought of losing him was overwhelming in this time of newfound danger.

“The site was a shit show today.  Our equipment kept breaking down, and the weather didn't cooperate at all. But what's worse is the tension among the crew. They're still on the verge of striking, complaining about working conditions and hours. I don't blame them, it's been tough on all of us. I need to figure out a way to keep this project on track and make things right with the team before it spirals out of control, and—“

Brad cut himself off, his gut told him that it wasn’t what Julie needed to hear right now.

“Oh Jules, why am I rambling on and on about my workday babe? You know what, fuck it!  You know what you need right now? You need me to cook you your favourite dinner, and you know what that is right?”

Julie laughed, it felt good to be back in her familiar world.

“It better be macaroni and cheese, with little chunks of sausage thrown in there,” she said in a playfully teasing tone.

“Oh, I thought you were in the mood for a salad,” Brad teased.

“Don’t be silly Bradley. Have you seen the size of my ass? Do I look like a girl that eats salads?”

They both laughed together.

”Come on over, I’ll see you in an hour?” Brad asked.

“Yeah, an hour sounds about right. Love you.”

“ Love you too,” Brad said.

She lowered her phone to her lap and looked at it lovingly for a few moments before disconnecting the call.  It was exactly what she needed to hear in this moment.  The last hour of her life had been a whirlwind. As she sat on the edge of her bed, her thoughts wandered back to the alleyway behind the Walmart Supercenter.  Surprisingly, there were no tears, no pangs of guilt. Instead, she found herself grappling with an unsettling sense of detachment. She tried to dissect the morality of her actions, to decipher whether they made her a villain or a complex soul lost in the shadows. She wondered if the absence of tears signified a hollowness within her, or perhaps it was a testament to her resilience and strength.

Even after everything she had just gone through, she was yearning for the release of orgasm and wanted nothing more than to feel Brad's hard dick inside her, bringing her to orgasm again and again.  She wanted to fuck him so badly right now, and then lie in his arms breathless as her body vibrated in post-orgasmic bliss.  Sex had always been a wonderful form of stress relief for her, it had a way of elevating her entire being to another level of calm.

She had a quick shower, changed her outfit, and made her way towards Brad‘s house.

                                            *************************

Alison Radcliffe had spent most of the day sitting on her couch scrolling Instagram and texting her friends.  When Clayton had left the house in the morning, he had promised her he would be home no later than 3 PM. It was now 5 PM and he was nowhere to be seen. She was annoyed. She looked at the clock on the wall, which told her it was now 5:45 PM.

She grabbed the remote control and pointed it at her television. As the screen lit up, she found herself watching the channel nine news for a few moments.  She hated watching the news and was about to change the channel when the female voice began reading a story that caught her attention immediately.  She felt a sickness in the pit of her stomach.

“…In other news, two men were found dead this afternoon behind the Willowbrook Mall.  The two men have been identified as Jimmy Chen and Clayton Radcliffe, their bodies were discovered lifeless behind the Walmart Supercenter located near the west end of the complex. The circumstances surrounding their death are still being investigated and both individuals were well known to police. Authorities have launched an investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding this incident.”

Allison stared at the TV struggling to understand what she was hearing. Surely she was dreaming.  Listening to the news reader continue the story was like having a knife slowly stabbed into her chest.

“Jimmy Chen, thirty-two, has a history of involvement in various criminal activities and is well-known to authorities for his associations with locally organized crime groups, and in the past has been connected to the Riddick drug cartel. Clayton Radcliffe, aged thirty-eight, is also known to police with several prior arrests related to narcotics and violent offences. As detectives and forensic experts comb through the evidence at the scene, Channel Nine News is still awaiting further details that may shed light on what transpired. So far there have been no witnesses, police are urging anyone with information regarding the deaths of Jimmy Chen and Clayton Radcliffe to come forward.

And now we’re going to go over to Coach in the Sports Center. Coach, what’s going on with our Huskies?  They can’t seem to win a game these days…”

Alison went into catatonic shock, her face pale. Her right hand began shaking as she dropped her cell phone, it bounced off her knee and onto the floor.  She was so deep in shock that no tears came. She simply sat, pale as a ghost, staring at the television long after the news story about a double homicide came to an end.  The voices coming from the television were now just white noise reverberating off the walls of her empty living room.  She was no longer listening.

“…Thanks Donna, yeah it's been a tough ride for our Huskies this season, but behind the scores and statistics, there's an incredible resilience in this team. They might be struggling to notch those wins, but you can't deny the heart and spirit they bring to each game. The fans remain steadfast, and that unwavering support could be the catalyst to turn their fortunes around…”