The Neighbor

"Shhh, don’t make a sound."
The words slither into my ear, sending ice down my spine. His grip tightens around my throat, his breath hot against my skin. Then, a sharp sting-a knife pressed against my waist, just deep enough to break the surface. My heartbeat hammers against my ribs, my breath coming fast and shallow.
We stand in my bedroom, just feet away from my sleeping husband. I want to scream, to wake him up-but I know I can’t. Not with the blade at my side. Not with this man-this stranger-pulling me closer, leading me out into the hallway like a shadow guiding its prey.
We stop at the top of the staircase. His lips brush against my cheek, a twisted mockery of tenderness.
"You’re mine," he murmurs. Then-darkness.
The crack of metal against my skull. The world spins. The floor tilts. My vision blurs.
And just before I slip away, I see the staircase beneath me-the last thing I remember before everything goes black.