As wolf is to sheep

A minute to midnight

Author note:

This short story was inspired by xckd comic 716 (this comic spoils the ending so only look it up after reading it).

***

Chills run down my spine as I place my bare feet on the cold metal floor of my bathroom. I put my hands against the equally cold aluminium of the sink, and feel the biting cold soak into my palms. Regret washes over me in waves, each wave accompanied by a fresh surge of nausea. "I shouldn't have eaten that midnight burrito," I chastised myself.

I stare at my battered reflecting in the mirror. My long, wavy blond hair looked unkempt and sticky, and the bags under my green eyes betrayed another one of my poor choices. "I also shouldn't have stayed awake past 3 am five nights in a row."

Every night the past few days, I think I am nearly there, about to crack the one problem still plaguing my life's work. But on the fifth night, I am no closer to actually cracking it. But I have to. My invention will change the worlds, change the way we think about space and time, and finally allow us to solve all problems society has. I have to finish it. It will allow me to change everything, to change the course of history. To right the wrongs done against the Planetary federation.

But first, I desperately need some sleep.

I stumble into my bedroom, the acrid taste of bile still lingering in my mouth. The soft glow of my bedside lamp beckons invitingly, promising the comfort of sleep, like a lighthouse promising the safety of the harbour to a battered ship, in dire need of repairs and supplies.

Yet, somehow, something feels wrong. The air feels strange, as if charged with an invisible tension that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Then I see it. In the dark corner of my room stands a figure, fully dressed in black: a turtleneck, pants, boots, and a ski mask obscuring their face.

For the first few moments, I am frozen in fear, my breath caught in my throat. The only sound in the room is the thunderous pounding of my heart, so loud I am sure the intruder must hear it.

My panic takes over, its icy fingers wrapping around my chest, making each breath a conscious effort. My mind goes into overdrive, racing through each possible scenario, playing it out in vivid detail.

For what I can see in the dim light, I can assess the figure is probably a woman like I am. She is roughly the same height as me, but slightly chubbier, and quite a bit older. All showing she is in a worse physical condition than me. Under normal circumstances, I would have considered a fistfight, but the lingering nausea and the trembling in my limbs deter me.

I stumble back, my heart pounding in my chest. I reach for the hidden metal gun safe below my nightstand. To my horror, the door of the safe is wide open, and my fingers meet only emptiness where the gun should have been.

The figure flips on the lights, suddenly searing my eyes. As my vision cleared, spots dancing at the edges, I find myself staring down the barrel of a silver gun - my gun - held steady in the intruder's gloved hand. The sight makes my stomach twist once more.

"Is this what you are looking for?" she asks, tapping the gun with her other hand.

I press myself against the wall, feeling the textured wallpaper against my back. "How... how did you get that?" I stammer, my voice barely above a whisper, cracking with fear.

She lets out a short, harsh laugh. "When picking a secret code for your gun safe, you really shouldn't use your birthday. Might as well have left it unlocked."

The voice sounds strangely familiar, as if I have heard it before, but I can't place it. She definitely grew up in my hometown. Her accent is exactly the same as mine, and it is quite specific to the town.