You Can't Get Out of Here, You Know

Scrape...scrape...scratch..tap...tap. A bandicoot. No, maybe a cat...or is it? Glllubb...gluubb...clink...clink...metal on wood, or was it glass on metal? No, this was not a four-legged animal. Footsteps...

She got up slowly from her bed and tiptoed quietly to the stairway. She saw him. His back was to her. He had lit a candle and was looking for a place to put it down. She stood there studying him. He was getting impatient; he would surely drop something now. CRASH! The vase. He spun around instinctively and saw her. They stood looking at each other, her eyes calm, his jumping wildly around the room. He grabbed the telephone and snapped the line in a single motion. "It's been dead for a while now," her voice was soft and musical. He looked up startled. That was the last thing he had expected to hear. "Just give me what you have and I'll leave," he tried to make his voice sound menacing. 'After I slit your throat,' he thought to himself. "There's nothing here," she said calmly. He looked at her closely. She was very beautiful and trying to be very brave.

He started up the stairs. "Where's the safe?" She moved to make way. "I've just been burgled," she said as he passed her on the stairs. He laughed. He'd heard everything else. There were two rooms on this floor, both closed. He opened the first door and went into the room. Except for a cot, there was nothing there. She stood at the entrance watching him. Why was she not screaming for help or something? "I told you...I've just been burgled 3 days ago," she said quietly. "Look, if you don't give me what you have, I'll kill you," he advanced threateningly. Terror crossed her face and she withdrew slightly. "I don't have a safe. All my valuables were in the living room, and he took everything - it's all gone, 3 days ago," she began to descend.

For the first time, he noticed the house was a mess. "Why haven't you straightened it out?" he asked before he could stop himself. 'This is crazy!' he thought. 'I came to clean up this place and I'm having a conversation with the resident!' He hadn't even expected anyone to be in. He'd been casing the joint for 3 days now and it had seemed unoccupied. He suddenly remembered he had seen 2 rooms upstairs but had only gone into one of them. He turned to go back up.

"Where are you going?" she followed him. He ignored her and continued climbing. She followed him. They reached the closed door. "There's nothing in there you know," she said and he thought he detected a trace of sadness in her voice. He tried the door. It was locked. Ah-ha! So this is where the action was. "Give me the key," he demanded in a quietly menacing voice. To his surprise, she reached into her robe for the key and unlocked the door. She was neither as clever nor as brave as he had thought. "You can't get out of here, you know," she said sadly as he entered. He stood still. There was someone sleeping on a cot here. Now, he would have to kill both of them.

He looked down at the sleeping figure and his heart slammed against his rib cage. He jumped back from the cot as if he'd been punched. His eyes widened in terror and his mouth opened in a silent scream. It was her! He spun around. He was alone. They found his body the next day - only his body.