Kimberly looked at her wrist watch and sighed.
Okay, maybe deciding to finish work before going to her father's house was a bad idea. It was her father's birthday and he had invited a few friends to a party at his house.
The last thing she had wanted to do was miss her father's birthday. But from the look of things, she was going to be late. But at least she had bought a gift.
She groaned as her phone rang. She checked the caller ID. It was her father. He was obviously calling to know where the hell she was. She picked the call and held the phone to her ear using her shoulder.
"Hi dad" she said, trying to sound cheerful as she tried to concentrate on the file in front of her and listen to her father at the same time.
"Where are you, pumpkin?" her father sounded unhappy and Kimberly groaned again. She hated when he sounded like that.
"You are not really going to miss my birthday, are you?" her father asked.
"I will be there soon, Dad. I promise" Kimberly said. "Has the party started?"
"Yes it has," her father replied. Sounding even more distressed -if that was possible. "And you should have been here before it did".
Kimberly nodded. She knew he was right. "I'm on my way, Dad. She said."Just give me some time"
When she hung up she sighed and looked at the papers scattered all over her desk. She couldn't even remember why she had made the decision to finish with work in the first place. She shouldn't place anything before family. And her dad was her only family. He should come first. Especially today.
She began to pack up. She arranged the files and stacked them on top of her table. Then she grabbed her jacket, which was draped on her chair headrest. She grabbed her bag and headed downstairs.
Most of the staff had gone home so the premises were almost empty except for the security guards around. She waved goodbye to one of the guards, Philip as she got into her car.
She had to hurry home and get dressed. She didn't mind showing up at the party in her work clothes. She didn't care about such things, but her father did. And it was his birthday. It wouldn't cause any harm to do things his way tonight, especially now that she was late.
She got to her apartment and parked her car. Then she rushed upstairs. Searching her bag for her keys all the way to her door.
"Ha, found it" she said with relief as she withdrew it from her bag.
But as she reached forward to slide her key in the lock, she paused.
Something was wrong.
-----------------
She wanted to scream. But she didn't.
Her door was slightly open. The lock had been tampered with. It wasn't too noticeable and she only noticed because she had pushed the door when she tried to slide her key in. Kimberly lifted one hand to her mouth and bit her lower lip. Someone had gotten into her house.
She pushed the door open and looked inside. Everything looked fine... Just like she left it. Perhaps the thieves had taken what they wanted and left. What could they be after? She asked herself.
She walked inside and looked around. Everything was intact. She rushed to her room... Still intact. She went to the drawer beside her bed where she kept some cash. The money was still there.
She stood upright, clearly confused. Then she walked back into the living room. If the person or people who broke into her house didn't take anything. What could they have been after? She wondered.
Her mind drifted back to the weird feeling that she had been having. Maybe it was a stalker. She thought. Finally showing himself or herself.
She picked her phone from the table where she had dropped it, intending to call the police. A noise behind her made her start. She turned to see a man standing behind her. His hair was dyed green and he had narrow, wicked eyes.
Kimberly looked at him closely. She had never seen the guy in her entire life.
"Drop the phone, pretty" he said with a wicked smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Kimberly didn't move. Her phone was still in her hand and it was still locked. The man wasn't holding a gun, but that didn't mean he couldn't harm her. She looked to her right. Her door was still slightly open, so she made a run for it.
Only she hadn't taken more than two steps when wicked eyes grabbed her. He pulled her down on the couch and fell on top of her. Her phone fell from her hand and he shoved his knee between her legs.
"Where the hell is this mother fucker?" he said and Kimberly wondered what the hell he was talking about. The man was definitely crazy. She thought. Well she wasn't going to let him do whatever he planned to do without a fight.
With massive effort, she brought her knee up and jabbed him in the groin. He groaned in pain and let go of her. But apparently she didn't hit him hard enough because as she jumped up from the couch, he caught her and hit her across the face.
While she was still reeling, he slammed her back down, pinning her with his hand.
Barely conscious of her face anymore, she stared wordlessly. Blackness threatened, the room seemed to tilt.
"Bitch" wicked eyes said. He grabbed the front of her shirt. Buttons flew. Kimberly screamed. A loud, blood curdling sound that filled the space between them. Kept on screaming until he shoved a hand, the one he had been using to pin her down, across her mouth. She bit him, hard, and struggled into a sitting position.
"Listen to me, damn it" she said. He pushed her, but she shook herself free. "Just listen to me. Look, I have money, okay? My dad has money. And I can give you any amount you want. Just leave me alone and I won't even try to call the cops"
"Oh for God's sake." Wicked face swore. He hit her again. "Shut up, Bitch. I said shut up" He looked around. "Where the fuck is that bastard?"
Kimberly felt something warm trickle from her mouth. Her lip was starting to swell. She saw his distraction as an opportunity. She jabbed him in the groin again, using all the strength she could muster this time. He let her go as he groaned in pain. Then she got up and ran to the door.
She yanked it open, but she ran straight into another strange man. She was about to scream again when the second man put something over her nose and mouth.
The last thing she thought before she inhaled the sweet, sticky smell and everything went blank was that her Dad was going to be so, so worried.