text: I felt something stir in me and my eyes snapped open. ‘No.’ It was only a whisper against the stark silence of the night. This couldn’t be happening - not right now. I’d taken steps to make sure this didn’t happen at a time like this. I wasn’t ready and it was already too late. My muscles were already starting to clench and I doubted I could make it out. I had to try. I rolled off the bed, taking the duvet with me as it wrapped loosely around my waist. Fuck - that could be a problem but I could always replace it. I got onto my hands and knees, not trusting my legs to carry me. I could already feel my feet starting to spasm and I gasped when one of my calves started to cramp. When the cramp eased, I crawled toward the door as quickly as my stiffening muscles would allow. When I got to the door, I lifted my hand towards the handle and dropped it as an electric shock shot down my spine and held me down for what felt like minutes. I writhed and groaned as my body contorted - nerves wildly firing. Trying not to fight it, I tried to breathe but my chest felt as if it was held by iron bands. My mind raced to explain how this could have happened but to no avail. I just needed to get out. I screamed and howled in frustration, frozen in front of the bedroom door. I reached up, grabbed the door handle and pulled it down. Thankfully, the door swung out and I started to pull myself out. My legs had become useless now and sweat beaded on my forehead with every painful movement I made towards the front door. With every panting breath, every passing second, I inched closer and closer to safety. All I could think about was getting out before it was too late. For a second, I pictured what this would look like to anyone who was looking in - me crawling slowly across the floor, drenched in sweat, helpless, but using every ounce of strength I had. It was almost out of a B-horror film. I had to stop when another jolt in my back stopped me dead in my tracks. It felt like I’d instantly turned to stone and time halted. If it wasn’t for the blinding white-hot pain pulsing through me, I could have laughed at the ridiculousness of this. Years! It had been years since I’d been caught off-guard like this. I did everything I was supposed to and took my meds every day until they ran out every two months and I had to find myself in the woods to allow this to happen. I was sure I wasn’t anywhere near the end of this round, but here I was, in the middle of the night, straining against my own body’s change. Something was wrong but I couldn’t think about that now - I had to get out. A gasp escaped from my mouth as I regained control over my ever-useless body. The door started to blur around the edges and it took me a moment to re-focus. It was close but I could make it before I passed out. Nearly there. With arms and shoulders screaming at me, I closed the gap to the end of the hall. I felt the fire in my bones and all I could hear was the blood pulsing in my ears. My mind started to drift and the door got further and further away with every second. The darkness in the edges of my view was closing in fast. I wasn’t going to make it. I got this far, only to fail. I had been so close. I reached out - frustrated, desperate - before the blackness took me. ====================***==================== From the rooftop across the road, Lewis had watched it all unfold. The bugs he’d planted in the apartment told him when it was complete and he made his move. He crossed the street and made his way to the apartment and let himself him in with the key he’d copied a few weeks ago. Amazing how easy it was to clone the building and door passkey in a restaurant - dressed as a waiter, standing by a jacket for up to 2 minutes, while taking the orders of a very indecisive date. Natasha had played her part perfectly. A smile spread across Lewis’s face - it was unbelievable how easy this had all been. Considering what he was getting paid by his client, he had expected more of a challenge. A week of sugar pills and it was only a matter of time until his target was vulnerable. Lewis stepped into the hallway and approached the black cat. He looked deep into the cat’s amber eyes, looking for anything human, but, as he’d been told, there was none. He stroked the cat’s head and the cat leaned into his palm; eyes closed in pleasure. A quick movement and the tranquiliser dart was deep in the side of the feline. It let out a gentle yowl but it was already becoming drowsy. Minutes later, Lewis was walking out of the building, holding the sleeping creature. He knew how rare werecats were these days and his client had amassed quite a collection, maybe the largest ever seen, but in the end it didn’t matter - protected species or not, there was money to be made when dealing with exotic animals.