The Night He Returned

“You were supposed to be dead!” Her scream bounced off the ceiling and dropped to the bare floor in a puddle of defeat. He had returned.

The storm had awoken her, drawing her into the kitchen for a glass of water. As she fumbled for the light switch, dismayed to find the squall had knocked out the power, there he stood by the sink in a spot of moonlight. He was massive – a sinister shadow that loomed over the compactness of the house’s gathering place. Just like the last time she saw him. Uninvited, unnerving, and now very clearly undead.

“Wh…why are you here?” Her voice wavered despite an attempt for strength. The rain was coming down steadily now, pelting the metal roof like gunfire. It spurred an anger within. How dare he return? She repeated herself, louder and with more conviction, “Why are you here?” Only thunder answered her. A quick scan of the dark room revealed no immediate weapon with which to arm herself. She cinched the belt of her pink satin robe tighter as if she could close herself off from both the wicked weather and this dangerous intruder, but the silky material was no match for the menace before her.

The fast figure moved closer, seizing her breath. This nightmare cannot be repeating itself. Not tonight. Not with the storm. Not while the electricity was down. She wouldn’t let him get away with this. Not again. Indignation rumbled like the thunder. “Get out of here! Leave me alone, you monster!” She had to act before he did. 

With both fear and fury, she lifted her right foot out of its fuzzy slipper and raised the hard rubber sole high above her head. Lightning seared through the wet sky, spurring the beast into his own frenzied action. Like Thor with his hammer, she found her strength and brought the slipper down directly onto his armored back. No false asphyxiation from chemical spray this time. Upon impact with her plush pink slipper, the cockroach’s guts squirted out like inky toothpaste onto the kitchen counter. “You were supposed to be dead,” she said and sauntered back to bed with one bare foot.