She was the first to notice their presence
Something in the air
Maybe it was the smell of cologne and cigarettes
Or the stillness that engulfed the area
Even the birds could sense it
It was then that she began to count
With each passing second the sound of iron footsteps reverberated from the floorboards
Steadily getting closer
Six
Seven
Eight
The others could feel it too
Their half naked bodies pressed against each other
Men holding women
Women holding children
Children holding each other
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
The dogs were out now
Surely they would get caught
Only a thin layer of plywood stood between them and death
Their luck had run out
It was time to let go
Twenty
Twenty-one
Twenty-two
A man was on top of them
His tailored pant legs rustled with each step
She could make out his silhouette between each slat
Thin
Tall
Lanky
Like her father
Almost a minute
Still nothing
Were they playing games?
The smoke was going to fill the space any minute
She was sure of it
Forty-nine
Fifty
Fifty-one
Soon they would be scrambling over each other
Like a herd of sheep
Gasping and gagging on air
The smell of burning flesh would overtake them
But that didn’t happen
The man walked away with his dogs trailing behind
The threat was gone
But the paranoia remained
It was enough, she thought, to drive someone mad
Perhaps it already had
Maybe that was their plan all along
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