Heart of Stone

The Hotel

As her feet carried her, the glass shattered and rained down on her white kitchen tile. She ran towards the front door and reached out, grabbing the handle. A scream left her lips as he grabbed her from behind and yanked her backwards. The door swung open, but her fingers were torn from the handle. He whirled around and thrust her down onto the floor, the breath leaving her lungs in a gasp.

She struggled beneath him as he pinned her to the cold tile with the weight of his body. He fumbled to get the duct tape out of his pocket, but it was all the opportunity she needed. She wormed her way upwards and brought her knee up forcefully, connecting with his groin.

"Get off of me!" She screamed as he doubled over in pain.

She lurched to her feet, heading for the front door again. She didn't have much of a reprise, however, as he quickly recovered and reached out as she tried to run. He snatched her by the ankle, and she went down onto the floor again. He crawled over top of her, pinning her body flat. She flailed beneath him, not wanting to make it easy as he struggled to keep her down and grab the duct tape again.

"What do you want from me?!" She screamed as she continued to struggle.

Before he could say anything, she was aware of another set of quick footsteps and out of the corner of her eye she saw black dress shoes. One of them lifted into the air and he was suddenly no longer on top of her. He rolled away howling in pain and from the kitchen, a vicious snarl ripped through the room. She glanced over from her place on the floor, seeing Ryan curled over holding his hands over his nose, blood leaking through his fingers, and then Luna was upon him.

A set of hands was pulling her upwards, and she glanced up into his face. His dark eyes were churning storm clouds, but she found herself clinging to him. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest and her eyes snapped back to Ryan when he began screaming.

Luna had a hold of his arm, biting into it with her sharp teeth, but Eloise could tell something was not right. The Shepherd's movements were sluggish as she struggled with Ryan. He was able to pull his arm free as he tried to get away from the dog, but she was relentless. Ryan had a big fear of dogs, and Luna hung on to his leg as he dragged her back towards the kitchen. It was clear he was blindly trying to get away now.

"Luna, leave it!" Eloise commanded, her voice coming out in an unsteady rasp.

Obediently, the dog released Ryan, and he nearly tripped running through her kitchen, catching himself on the island and fleeing through the shattered hole that was once her back door. Alexander moved to go after him, but Eloise gripped his arm tightly.

"Wait, please." She begged. "I don't want to be alone."

His face, hard as stone, softened at the look she gave him. Her body trembled, her brown hair disheveled, and her brown eyes held a wild, helpless look in them. She was terrified.

"We need to call the police." He said, much more calmly than he felt.

"N-no, I-" She began shaking her head, feeling a bit of panic rising up in her.

If the police came, he'd learn who she really was. Perhaps they'd also call her parents, and they would want her to move back home. A thousand different scenarios began running in her mind at the same time, but Alexander gripped her firmly by her shoulders and leaned down, so he was looking directly into her face.

"LouLou. Listen to me. Someone broke into your apartment and tried to hurt you. We need to call the police." He spoke to her like he was speaking to a frightened child.

She took a shuddering breath and nodded. He was right. None of those other things mattered as much as the safety of her life. She felt Luna lick her fingers and she glanced down at the dog, noting the droopy look to her eyes. She petted her head affectionately and found tears welling up in her eyes.