a little bit of black with a little bit of pink

Flame of the west

The sound of the lock on the door scraping open was what woke her.

Always a light sleeper, Jennie jolted awake in her muggy bedroom, satin sheets twisted around her bare legs as her skin prickled with sweat in the mid-summer heat. Even in the dead of night, with the windows wide open and the curtains fluttering in the warm breeze, it was hot, and she pulled the sheets up to cover her bare chest as her skin prickled with unease. She wasn't sure what exactly had woken her, only that there had been a sound in the empty apartment that shouldn't have been there.

Heart pounding in her chest, she lay back on her elbows, body taut, waiting. And then she heard the unmistakable squeak of her front door being pushed open, even through the closed door of her bedroom. Heart leaping into her throat, Jennie tumbled out of bed, naked limbs covered in a now-cold sweat, and her mind quickly ran through her options. Someone was already inside her apartment, she was stark naked, and she had the choice to scoop up her discarded silk robe or reach for the razor-sharp sword that hung on her wall.

Forsaking modesty, she scrambled for the sword, hefting it in two hands, the length of metal heavy as she held it out in front of her, the tip dipping dangerously toward the floor as she shook with nerves. Yet at least she had something to protect herself with, if threatened, and seeing as the blade was only a few inches shorter than she was, Jennie was confident that it could keep someone at bay long enough for her to push the silent alarm button hidden on the underside of the kitchen counter, or perhaps reach for the gun she kept strapped beneath her dining table as a precaution.

Confident in her chances, and managing to shake off the last lingering haze of sleep, Jennie was collected enough to silently open the bedroom door. Hovering in the darkness for a moment, sword tip nearly grazing the floor, she took a deep breath and stepped out of the room, making a sharp right, staring into the darkness of her apartment, and directly where she knew the mouth of the hallway would be. Right where she could hear heavy footsteps making their way inside.

With hurried footsteps and a hard look on her shadowed face, Jennie rushed toward the intruder, swinging the sword back over her left shoulder, gaining momentum, before she swung all five feet four inches of gleaming metal, slashing the air before her as light suddenly swept through the apartment and she let out a loud shout.

An even louder shout split the night as the intruder took in the sword point arcing towards her, booted feet swept out from underneath her on the marble floor as she scrambled backwards and her knees gave out at the same time. Already in full swing, with too much momentum to stop, Jennie stared at the stranger with wide eyes, while the sword kept moving and cut right into the plaster of the wall to her right. A shower of white powder rained from the whole she'd gouged into it and Jennie stood open-mouthed, holding onto the pommel of the sword stuck in her wall as she looked down at the woman lying on the floor.

"Who are you?!" the blonde woman yelled, ashen-faced and wild-eyed as she held her hands up in front of her.

"Who am I?" Jennie spluttered, voice loud with outrage as she wrenched the sword from the wall, plaster crumbling to the floor and sword clanging heavily against marble with a tinny sound. "Who the fuck are you? This is my apartment!"

Gasping breathlessly, the woman had a hand pressed to her chest as her owlish eyes were fixated on Jennie, standing fully naked with the sword still gripped in both hands, the point now resting on the floor as her weak arms trembled with the effort of holding it aloft.

"I-I'm from the Seoul F-Fire Department!" the woman shouted in explanation, voice shaking and words coming out as a slight stutter. "My name's Lisa Manoban. Your landlord gave me a key!"