It always followed the same pattern.

Middle of the night. Panicked phone call. Incoherent story.

She always ended up agreeing to go over.

This is different. Door wide open. Probably just a neighbour didn’t close it right. Out of habit she checks the mailbox. Empty.

Up the stairs, lit by flickering halogen. Along the corridor. Knock on the door.

Door gently swings open. Creeping unease.

She calls out her name. ‘It’s me. Where are you?’

No answer. Unease turns to dread. Bed lies empty.

She finds the scrawled note on the table: ‘This time they found me.’

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Written for Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (more details HERE). The idea is to write a short story of 100 words based on the photo prompt (above).

To read stories of 100 words based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.

Also linking to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge for today: Pattern.

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For those who haven’t yet read my trilogy of novels, The State Trilogy is now available on Amazon in one collected volume on Kindle and in paperback. Three books in one (with a modest saving compared to buying them all individually!).