CHAPTERONE
I’ve just switched off the TV and I’m turning offlamps in the living room when I hear an odd scraping noise beyond the window.
I freeze, my heart beating fast.
There it is again.
It sounds like someone shifting their feet on the flagstonesoutside. I creep to the window and peer out through a tiny gap in the curtains.There’s no one there. Shaking my head, I tell myself off for being so scared –of nothing!
I’ve never particularly liked being alone in the flat. Ihate the way sounds are magnified at night. My mind goes into overdrive when Ihear a shuffle or a ghostly bump beyond the bedroom door, and instantly, I’mimagining the dark shape of a predator lurking out there, just waiting for mylights to go out so they can break in and murder me.
It was fine when my twin sister, Carrie, shared the flatwith me. But she moved out last year to live with her lovely boyfriend, Ronan.
I was okay for a while – but that was before I made the moststupid mistake of my life. All because I found myself drastically short of cashand our birthdays were looming.
We always make a huge effort for our joint birthday in June.Last year, Carrie managed to get tickets for us to see Billie Eilish (dinnerand hotel stay included), which was utterly amazing, so you can see what I wasup against when it came to this June and wondering how the hell I was going toequal that! (Suffice to say, my gift was a triumph, but it left me in debt –and after finding myself worryingly short for that month’s rent, I made a verybad decision that’s been haunting me ever since. I’m looking over my shoulderconstantly these days, and the fear that simmers inside me is worst when I’m alonein this ground-floor flat at night.)
I pour myself a glass of water in the kitchen and head to bed,determined to be brave.Of course there’s nothing lurking outside!Allthe same, I wish I’d taken Carrie’s advice and got myself a flatmate when shemoved out.
I used to job share with Carrie at the Brambleberry ManorCafé, but now I work there full-time, and Carrie has started working in Ronan’sbusiness running the office. (He’s a tree surgeon.) I calculated that I couldjust about afford the cost myself, so I’ve never bothered trying to findsomeone to occupy the second bedroom. Lately, my friend Adam has offered tomove in and share the rent, but that’s only because he’s worried about me. Ikeep telling him I’m absolutely fine living on my own but I can tell he can seeright through my bravado. He knows me too well. But anyway, I value his friendshiptoo much to risk spoiling it when he finds out exactly what I’m like to livewith!
Carrie says I’m far too trusting of people and she’s probablyright. I tend to assume people are nice until they prove otherwise, which – inthis world of scammers and other such delightful scumbags – is definitelyrisky. So I’m not sure I trust myself to find a suitable flatmate. (Knowing me,I’d probably take in a smiling serial killer, while generously offering themthe use of my handy new knife-sharpener.)
In bed, I’ve just put out the light when a text arrives fromAdam.
Have you locked up properly? Make sure you do. Night nightxx
I smile, picturing his cheeky grin and mopof curly dark blond hair. It feels so good having a friend I can rely on – andI know that if anything were to happen, Adam would be straight over here, evenif it was at some unearthly hour of the night.
Carrie and I first met Adam a few years ago when we startedworking at the Brambleberry Manor Café. He made the ‘double trouble’ joke,which usually makes my sister and I groan in private because that’s whateveryone says. But out of Adam’s mouth, it somehow sounded hilarious. He andCarrie get on well, too, although she had a crush on him at one time which sortof muddied the waters for a while. But now that she’s happily with Ronan, the actuallove of her life, they’re back to being good friends.
Adam is always joking that Carrie’s real first name,Carrington, is far too posh for her to be living in Sunnybrook and that sheprobably does her food shopping in Harrods – even though I keep reminding himthat the only reason we were given our names was because Mum was always a bigDynastyfan. Krystle Carrington? Awful, I know!
I text Adam back to reassure him I’m fine, adding an extrakiss for his concern. Then, still smiling, I snuggle down. I have a feelingAdam would like to be more than friends – we had a cheeky kiss once after anight out involving a bucket of tequila – but after my disaster with Ryan, myex, a few years ago, I’m still fearful of jumping into another relationship. Iwas actually engaged to Ryan, which made the ending even worse. And anyway,Adam really is just a friend...
Realising I forgot to floss, I head to the bathroom beforesliding back under the duvet and switching off the bedside light, plunging theroom into darkness once more.
I’m just drifting off to sleep when the still of the nightis shattered by an ear-splitting crash.
What the hell...?
Heart beating frantically, I surge to a sitting position, echoesof the shocking sound still in my head. It sounded like a window being smashedbut one look at the curtains tells me it wasn’t the bedroom window.
I freeze to listen. Silence has fallen, but every nerve inmy body is leaping with terror and my heart is drumming so fast, it feels as ifit might burst out of my chest. The noise was so close. It was in the flat, I’mcertain of it.
Gripped by fear, I stare at the bedroom door, not knowing whoor what could walk through it at any second.
I need to call for help.
Oh, God, no! My phone!
I put it on charge in the hall when I went to floss!
*****
My panic soars to the next level.
Without my phone to call Adam, I sit there, straining tolisten... waiting for another sound that will tell me there’ssomeone moving around in the living room, and my worst fears are about to cometrue...
