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As soon as the door was shut in his face though, the fist banging and cursing followed.

Danny had manned up once and went out there to defend my honor against some of the obscenities coming out of the foul mouth attached to the violent man who claimed he loved me. The only deterrent for Matt was the baseball bat in Danny’s hands and the fact that he practically fell backwards down the stairs in his drunken stupor, leaving him embarrassed and disoriented. Any other time, Matt wouldn’t have backed down and I was afraid of what would have happened to Danny.

Matt wasn’t exactly little. He wasn’t overweight but he worked out incessantly. His eyes were deep brown and his hair black, short and a little wavy. He was tan and pretty gorgeous by anyone’s standards which, as shallow as it sounded, was one reason I agreed to go out with a guy I didn’t know anything about in the first place.

Sadly enough for a greeting story, we met at the grocery store. Officially. He was way ahead of me in school, like five years ahead but, he never knew me and I never spoke to him. So for our first real meeting, Matt asked me out on our first date over the fresh vegetables. His pick up line was ‘So you come here often?’ and then he smiled crookedly letting me know it was lame and he was partially joking.

Back then, I thought it had been adorable. That night he took me to see the new Rocky movie, then to the local all night diner for an omelet. We talked about school and work. He was a personal trainer and he bragged about his clientele, though I’d never really heard of any of them. Some were the Ultimate Fighting Championship competitors, bouncers from Chicago’s Vision night club and such. He was nice and talkative and well mannered. He didn’t even try to kiss me at my door that night.

The next date though, it changed. He was a little bit more open with his opinions and even commented on how I shouldn’t wear ‘that skirt’ anymore, because he thought it was a little too pleated and did nothing for my figure. Yeah...

When he dropped me off that night, there was a very demanding kiss. One where you’re pressed against the door and just kind of hang on and wait for breath. It wasn’t my first kiss, but my first kiss like that. I was so wrapped up in the novelty of some big handsome guy vying for my affection that I couldn’t do anything but let it all happen.

He called me ‘girly’, like every other word was ‘girly’. What grown woman wanted to be called that by a grown man? Maybe it only upset me because it was coming from him and it wasn’t really a term of endearment but more of a derogatory nickname.

Every since he hit me, I had been avoiding him like the plague but he was resilient and had lots of tricks.

It should boost my ego I guess, especially since he started stalking me. Nothing like a stalker to tell people that your desirable, however, it had the adverse affect. I felt worthless of someone who could actually feel anything for me. Only buffoons wanted me as a mate, primal instinct to possess and control and scare, beating their chest and sometimes beating on me.

Also, the virgin thing had been a little much for him. That was the first time he laughed at me, really laughed
at me.
He told me I was ‘the silliest girl he’d ever met’ and that he’d wait for me to warm up to the idea but he wouldn’t wait forever and he meant it.

The night he hit me was the night he’d tried to force himself on me and I had to bite his ear to stop him and then run for it.

Arriving home tonight, there was no indication if Danny was home or not as he still had no car to be in the driveway. With the assumption that he was inside asleep I stepped out of the car and checked the mail. The B on my apartment mailbox was broken, making it look like an R. How I still got my mail was beyond comprehension and my laughable landlord could care less.

I headed up the wooden creaky steps to the upstairs apartment. The door was unlocked, surprising me as we always locked it. As I entered cautiously, I saw Danny asleep on the sofa and let out of sigh of relief. Idiot! He knew to lock the door. He couldn’t been killed five times before he’d known someone was in here with him.

I turned on the television and almost sat on Danny’s feet. Breaking News was playing as always. It was beginning to be the boy who cried wolf around here.

Every day was news of the visitors or whatever was going on in the world that no one still seemed to actually see with their own eyes. This had to be the biggest hoax / exaggeration gone wild I’d ever seen. There probably wasn’t anything going on at all, some trick with the upper atmosphere that obscured the moons view or something and people just panicked and started putting pieces together than didn’t fit.

Was H.G Wells reading ‘War Of The Worlds’ aloud somewhere? Maybe people were disappearing because they wanted to. Maybe they were scared or saw an opportunity. Whatever the reason, watching the news was pointless, yet there I found myself tuning in as I did every night like some mindless follower.

“The new visitor sighting today came from downtown. A women, who’s name we won’t release for fear of her safety, claimed she was driving home when her car spun out of control and her husband’s side of the car was slammed into a telephone pole. She also claimed there was a visitor in the road and that’s why she had to swerve and lost control on the car, to miss him.

“She stated her husbands body was mangled and bleeding and that there was no way he could’ve survived. Once she was out of the car and trying to flag someone down, her husband climbed out of the window, without a scratch and walked away from the scene, not speaking a word to her.

“No one has reported seeing a man on the highway near the accident and after a look at the car from officials, they say there is no way this man could have survived that crash. The pole had come cleanly through the passenger side of the vehicle...”

They showed what appeared to be an elderly woman who’s face was blotted out as the reporter asked her the dumbest question ever.

“Ma’am. How do you feel about what’s happened here tonight?”

“Well...my husband didn’t even speak to me. He just walked away, didn’t even look at me. He didn’t ask me if I was okay, he just didn’t care...” the woman answered in barely a whisper and then let it drift off as she turned to hide her face from the camera.

Wow. Things were getting stranger and stranger.

The knock on the door startled me.

As I pushed Danny’s feet off my lap and marveled at how that kid could sleep through anything, I pulled the door open but kept the chain latched. Matt. Dang it. What I wouldn’t have given for a peep hole.

“What Matt? Do you know what time it is?”

“It’s only 8:30 Sherry. You haven’t turned into a grandma on me already have you?”

“What do you want Matt?” I said crossing my arms over my chest and looking out beyond him into the parking lot.

“I saw one of those things, a visitor. I wanted to give you the scoop. You can write a story about it.”

“No thanks. I’m not a journalist, I’m a photographer.”

I started to close the door but he wedged his foot inside.

Was that alcohol I smelled? Again.

“I know that! I just thought you might want to talk to me about it. Talk to someone who’s seen one for real.” His slurring wasn’t as bad as usual.

“Nope, I really don’t. Can you move your foot please?”

“Come on, Sherry. Don’t be like that! I just want to talk. I miss ya, girly.” He paused and gave me the pout lip for some serious dramatic effect. “Let me in. I want to talk, please?”

“You’re drunk Matt and-”

“I’m not drunk!” he yelled, pounding his fist on the door jam. “Let me in! I just want to talk, that’s all. Don’t be a-.”

“Shh! You’re going to wake my neighbors. I’m not letting you in when you’re like this, just leave.”

“Sherry, baby, come on. You know you miss me. Nobody treats you like I do. We were good together weren’t we, girly?” He tried to grab my arm through the crack, almost falling in the process.

Why was he using that conniving voice on me instead of brute force? He must have been more drunk than I thought.

“We are not good together. You hit.”

“You bite,” he growled.

“You tried to force yourself on me.”

“You owed me after six months of dating!” he spouted and banged the doorjamb with his fist to drive home his point. “It’s not my fault I snapped when you went all Mike Tyson on me!”

“Five months of dating,” I corrected. “I didn’t draw blood anyway and no I didn’t owe you anything, especially not that.”

“Your not religious, Sherry, ok, you’re just a tease. You just wanted to toy with me and jerk me around just like you’re doing right now with this whole hard-to-get act.”

“Matt, if that’s true then why do you want to be with me? Hmm? If I’m such an evil tease then why? Leave and be rid of me!”

Once again I tried to shut the door, in vain.

“You still owe me. You know how many dinners I shelled out for? How many movies tickets I bought? I could’ve been out with tons of other girls, but I picked you. I don’t think I’m asking too much in return here.”

“I’m not a hooker, Matt! I don’t get paid or give payment as sex and I’m not a tease. I never led you on to think that’s what was going to happen. I chose to stay a virgin and I’m sure as heck not gonna give that up to someone like you! I deserve something better than that and you do too. You deserve someone who wants to put out every chance you get so leave and start your search for such a girl.”

My blood was boiling. If I knew I could’ve slammed the door on his foot and had it closed shut, excusing the pain I would cause him as a casualty of war, I would have done it. Instead I was stuck in a banter of stupid and drunk.

“I didn’t say you were a hooker, don’t be so dramatic. Just let me in. Please, girly, please...please?” he crooned and begged sweetly.

“No, Matt. Leave or I’ll call the police for real this time.”

“Go ahead! I’m sure Barney would love to watch this!”

Barney, the one standing in the picture beside Matt while he wore his ‘I’m With stupid’ t-shirt under his gown at their high school graduation. He was no better than Matt and somehow had managed to finagle himself onto the police force and they both used that to their advantage at every turn.

“Danny is here.”

I was reaching then, goose bumps running themselves down my arms, betraying me, making me shiver in front of him so he could see me afraid. Matt drunk was much more persistent than Matt not drunk. He wouldn’t leave on his own. Crap.

“Ha! I’m five years that boys senior and I’m bigger, not to mention better looking. Go ahead! Wake him up! Danny! Daaanny!”

“Idiot! Shh!”

“Hey! Watch it! Don’t talk to me like that. Do I need to break down the door, Sherry, or are you done playing games?”

Think quick. Think.

“Ok. Ok. You know what, Matt, you’re right I guess. I do kinda miss you too. I just didn’t want to say you were right. I’m sorry. Back up and I’ll open the chain.”

“You’re not tricking me are you?” He eyed me but I could see the relief on his face.

“Matt, you know I can’t lie. You said so yourself.”

“Alright, that’s my girl. You won’t regret this. You know I love you, girly, and I’m gonna make it all up to you.”

I saw his foot move back and waited until it was all the way out because I only had one shot at it. As soon as I saw it was free, I slammed the door and pulled the deadbolt home.

The banging and cursing and idiot speak and empty cycles of apologies went on for almost two hours. Why was he so persistent? What the heck did I have that other girls didn’t that he couldn’t resist?

I was short and awkward. I’d seen plenty of better bodies. My hair was brown, mud brown no less. My boring brown eyes didn’t scream starlet, they whispered movie extra. I was a nobody. What was it with him and what was with Danny? I hadn’t been able to get a wink in since I got home and he was still snoring.

I was surprised the neighbors hadn’t called the cops themselves making the situation worse. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d encountered Barney in cop mode. An idiot with a nightstick and a gun and a donut gut with no brain. I’m not cop bashing, this guy ate donuts long before he was a police officer.

All of a sudden the noise stopped and I couldn’t help but wonder what he was up to. As I pressed my ear to the door and tried to peek out the gap in the door jamb I fully expected him to jump out and scare me laughing but I saw no one.

I wouldn’t test my theory by opening the door, and though I was certain he had given up, I knew I wouldn’t get a wink of sleep tonight.

I’m on the ridge. The moon is back and the city is buzzing with life beneath me. I have a letter from ‘Travel Journal’ in my hand but I’m afraid to open it. I also have a crappy cup of Coffee Place coffee in my cup holder. Danny’s jacket slung across the backseat where he forgot it, where he always forgets it.

My cell buzzes. I check it, a text from Matt saying he’ll be late picking me up for dinner and a movie tonight. Then I realize, I’m dreaming. I’m rewinding my life back to the way it was before the bad news, the hit, the visitors or beings or phantoms.

I try to wake myself up but I glance up and all I can see is a dark shadow figure walking in the road as I turn my head to survey the area.

He is a silhouette under the street lamps. I can’t tell if I know him or not but somehow I feel like he’s familiar. Like I shouldn’t be afraid. I say hello and wait for an answer but receive none.

He’s still walking, though it seems like he’s not making much progress for someone that isn’t that far off. Again I say hello and he stops. He points up to the sky. As I take my gaze from him slowly and reluctantly I see what he’s pointing to. I gasp as I see the red moon slowly eclipsing over and is no longer visible, making the stars shine brighter than ever.

It’s so dark, I can’t see anything around me. Pitch black now. I hate dark. No sound. Utter silence and darkness except for my suddenly quick breaths.

Fumbling quickly for my keys to turn on the car lights, I gasp as I hear the strangers voice right next to my ear and feel his extremely warm breath on my neck.