Creeping around

A chill ran down Laura's spine as she slid out of bed. Countless scenarios ran through her mind, none of which were pleasant. She went to Brian's room first to make sure he was okay, then picked him up, hoping he'd stay asleep. Padding next door to Maggie's room, she slipped inside but left the door ajar. She'd let Maggie sleep unless she heard anything else.

Still in the bathroom, Garret's senses suddenly went on high alert. Was someone out in the hall? He shut off the water and listened. With the light still off, his brain was still half in a stupor, but he grabbed a hand towel from the rack and quickly flipped it a few times to twist it. He slid sideways into the hall, and as soon as he saw a dark figure, his muscles tensed to act. Thankfully though he was just awake enough, and there was just enough light from the nightlight that he realized it was Nate. At the same time, he saw a gun, which contradicted his initial assessment, and he dropped to a knee in an automatic defense maneuver to avoid gunfire. As soon as he hit the carpet though, his brain made better sense of it all and he leaned against the wall, letting out the breath he'd been holding. 

"Gonna shoot my head off for using the bathroom?" he asked dryly. Adrenaline surged through his veins and he tried to recover. He had no idea he'd woken anybody else up with his own nightmare. "What are you doing creeping around in the dark? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"


The drunk scowled at Ron with irritation. "This is none'f yer business...ess, jerk."

The woman's eyes grew wide as she continued to try and get her wrist free. "You're the jerk, you moron," she spat. "Let me go!"

"Aw knock off it." The man started to teeter. "Yer comin' wi' me."

Behind him, Kirk tapped his shoulder. "I don't think she wants to go wi' you."

"A'other one?!" The man finally let go of the girl and turned to throw a punch. Kirk sidestepped, and the guy stumbled off balance into the bar, then spun around to plow into the first person he saw. Which happened to be Ron.

As they collided, the woman jumped back with a shriek. "Oh, oh, Steve, you slimeball!" She turned her attention to Ron and hopped up and down. "Give it to him good! Go ahead! Yes! Hit him again! Knock his block off!"

Kirk stood back and cocked his head in bewilderment. Most women would try to avoid seeing a fight, but despite her knee-length green dress, makeup and bangles on her wrists, she was not acting the part.