"Hi." "I finished your book." "I finished your book." "You don't have to sign." "I know you can read my lips, but I am getting better." "Better." " I um..." "I want to practise." " Cool." "Taking another class with John." " John?" " It's fun!" "I am way better at understanding it than actually doing it, but..." "So, what did you think?" "What did I..." "What did I think?" " I loved it." " Thank you." "I um..." "I loved Riley." "I loved Erin." " Thank you." " They were great characters." "I tried to guess the ending." "I am usually on point with that sort of thing, but I was way off!" "How did you do that?" "How do you...?" "How do you come up with that?" "My mom calls it "writer brain."" "Makes me crazy." "Any possible outcome is like a movie in my head... with many endings." "A frustrating movie." "Hard to make the voices quiet." "A voice?" "I have a voice in my mind." "Does the voice sound like a kid?" "You were 13 when you got sick?" "It sounds like my mom." "Whatever is going on in your brain," "I think that you are a good storyteller." "What?" "This means... kisser." "This means storyteller." "Well, I'm sure you're also a lovely kisser." "Jesus!" "I'm sorry." "Fire alarm." "God!" "That is one hell of a fire alarm!" "I have to feel the vibrations." "That is why it is so loud." "When I am sleeping, the vibrations will wake me up." "Well, I imagine that would wake anyone." "Oh!" "Cat?" "She is fine." "Independent little bitch." "She's a..." "She's a what?" "B-I-T-C-H." "Bitch." "Bitch." "I am sorry about dinner." "Do you want to come over?" "We can order in and watch a movie." "John will be home in an hour, so he can join." "Have to work." "I understand." "I'm sorry." "Thank you for..." "for letting me borrow this." "Keep it." "I have got dozens upstairs." "Thank you." "I'll pop by tomorrow and brush up signs?" "I'm going to get good." "I'm determined." " Kissing." " Kissing." "Storyteller." "Bitch." "Bitch." "...clenching the book" "Riley to the church." "The church to Erin." "The church to Father Paul." "Bring in Erin." "Scratch that." "Try this." "The rage bubbled up, spreading into his head." "His ears rang." "His eyes felt hot." "She's happy." "...mysterious ways." "Nope, not working." "Not working." "Something brighter." "...looking down with her wide, endlessly patient eyes." "They would twinkle with red, blue and yellow light, just as the damned Jesus fish had when it pulled him out of the fog and into hell." "That's better." "It needs something more, something better." "Erin dies." "Can't kill Erin." "That would piss 'em off." "Didn't set it up properly." "Or scrap the whole book and find another career." "A better idea." "Maddie!" "Maddie, please see me!" "Maddie, please help me!" "Maddie!" "No!" "No!" "No!" "Hey, Squish." "Hey, Squash." "What are you up to?" "Abandoning the novel." "Joining the circus." "Going that well, huh?" "Are you still stuck on the ending?" "Which one?" "I have seven." "Glad I could distract you." "Distractions abound." "Craig texted me." "Talk about bad endings!" "Did you talk to him?" "No, but almost." "It's been a year!" "Mom keeps asking when you're getting back out there." "I signed up for an online-dating site for the Deaf." "Look at you!" "No." "There are four men in the whole area." "Do not want." "Miss the city yet?" "Never." "Too loud." "Seriously, Maddie?" "Maybe you could come back." "Live with me." "I worry about you." "It is not good for anyone to be alone, Squish." " Isolating yourself the way that you do..." " Isolation happened to me." "I didn't pick it." "Who was that?" "Behind you." "I thought I saw something move." "Probably the cat." "Bitch escaped earlier." "Thank you." "I have to find her." "I love you." "I love you." "Can you read my lips?" "Can you?" "You have seen it now, haven't you?" ""Seriously, Maddie." "Maybe you could come back and live with me."" ""You know, I worry about you." "It's not good for anyone to be so alone, Squish."" "I can come in any time I want." "And I can get you any time I want." "But I'm not going to." "Not until it's time." "When you wish you are dead - that's when I'll come inside." "Do you understand me?" "Nod your head if you understand me." "Good." "Then we can have some fun." "Enjoy it." "Not so easy, is it?" "Sarah?" "Sarah?" " On the ground!" " Whoa!" "On the ground." "Drop it!" " It's just a phone." " Drop it!" "Hands behind your head." " Take it easy." "I'm a friend." " Hands where I can see 'em." "I don't want any trouble." "Just do what I say." "My name is John Stanley." " I said, "On your knees," sir." " OK!" "I'm a neighbour, just looking for my girlfriend." " Show me some ID." " It's in my wallet, OK?" "Take it easy." " Hands where I can see 'em." " I'm just gonna go for my wallet." "I'm gonna put my phone down and reach for my wallet." "Take it easy." " You live next door?" " Yes, sir." "OK." "OK." "I am sorry to scare you." "There has been a..." "Phew!" "Jesus!" "Um..." " What the hell happened here?" " I don't know." "Um..." "I responded to a call." "I got here and found the place like this." "There was someone inside." "He came running past me and knocked me cold." "I woke up without my phone, my gun or my radio." "I need to call for backup." " Do you know who lives here?" " Yeah, it's Maddie." "Maddie Young." "She's a friend of ours." "Does she live alone?" "Yeah." "My girlfriend comes here all the time." "I thought maybe..." "What is her name?" "It's Sarah." "Sarah Greene." "OK." "Sarah." "I'm sorry." "Can I use your phone to call for backup?" "I should have called it in already, but I just started this job, and when I got here..." " Are you police?" " Deputy." "Just barely, though." "I can call the Sheriff, if I can just use your...?" "Here you go." "Thanks." "Yeah, I got a 7-19 here at 811 Fairhope." "Signs of possible forced entry." "Suspect is at large on foot." "No one else here, but a neighbour just showed up." "Yeah." "OK." "See you soon." "Hey, did you see that?" "Yeah, I did." "This girl, Maddie, does she have a boyfriend?" "No, I don't think so." "Hm." "Family nearby?" "Anybody else that could possibly have access to the house?" "No, she pretty much keeps to herself." " Is your arm OK?" " Oh, yeah." "The guy just ploughed into me." "He hit me like a truck." "He must have been..." "well, just about your size, actually." "You know, like a jock." "Linebacker type." "Scary guy." "Can I get that back?" "The phone." "Oh!" "Yeah, of course." "Sorry." "So stupid of me." "Force of habit." "You said you responded to a call." "Was that from Maddie?" "From the dispatcher... actually." "They said someone had called it in." "I just assumed it was the resident." "Yeah, because she wouldn't be able to make that call." "She's deaf and mute." "Huh." "Well, I guess it must have been your girlfriend who made the call." "So, deaf mute, huh?" "Pretty rough." "Has she always been unable to hear?" "No, not always." "Since she was a teenager, I think." "Meningitis." "Still, to live alone like this..." "she must be able to get by." "I can't swear to it, but I'm pretty sure she has a spare key in that planter on the porch down there." "Wouldn't that be great?" "Yeah." "Just...?" "Yeah, it's right down there, on that corner." "So, who do you think it was?" "Like, a burglar?" " I hope it wasn't something worse." " I am sure they are fine." "If they called it in, they probably got the hell out of here." "Trashed her car pretty good, huh?" "Oh, yeah." "Look at that." "Jeez!" "So, how long do you think it will take for the cavalry to arrive?" "About ten." "Fifteen, maybe." "Really?" "I'm glad you happened across me." "I could have been out here all night, bleeding." "Yeah, I'm glad I came by." "In here, you said?" "Yeah, I think so." "I'm not sure." "Easy." "Easy." "Hey, hey, hey!" "Hey, come on." "It is done." "It is done." "It is done." "I figured I had about a two-in-ten chance if it came to a fight." "You are just so damn big." "I'm actually pretty glad she showed up when she did." "Thank you." "Shh!" "It's OK." "It's OK." "It's OK." "Run!" "Run!" "You can't run." "You can't run." "You can't run." "You can't outrun him on that leg." " I can't outrun him on that leg." " The crossbow has to be a perfect shot." "In the heart or in the brain." "Anything else is not gonna cut it." "Perfect shot." "And that's a long-distance weapon." "It's useless indoors." "It's really tough up close, and you would have to be close to land a kill shot." "He will be moving." "You can't even figure out how to load it." " Go outside." " Get the power back on." "Go outside." "Get the power back on." "He could have flipped a switch or cut the wires." " Hiding." " Hiding." "Bedroom, bathroom, loft." "Windows in each." "All he needs is a rock." "All he needs is a rock." "The loft has no cover, no doors to barricade." "Best-case scenario, he doesn't find you and you bleed to death." "...doesn't find me and I bleed to death." " Outside." " Head outside." " Crawl space." " Go back outside." " Crawl space." " The crawl space." " I tried that once." " He knows you tried that." "There is little room to manoeuvre." "If he figures out you are there..." "If he figures out I'm there..." "I don't think you will last that long." " I don't think I will last that long." " You are cold, dizzy, and you're sweaty." "Your fingernails are blue." "Your vision is fading." "We are running out of time!" "How long before you can't even walk, or stand up, or see?" "Sooner or later, he is coming in here." "He knows I am bleeding out." "Once he is in this house, it is over." "He is bigger, stronger and faster." "And he has got the advantage." "He has the advantage." "He can hear you." "I can't run." "I can't hide." "And we can't wait." "You go outside, you are dead." "Too many endings." "They are all the same." "All the same." "Which means there is only one ending he won't expect." "Ending..." "If you can't run, hide, or wait what does that leave?" "Kill him." "Yeah..." "I never would have won that fight." "Oh, John, John, John." "These things will kill you." "What do you think, John?" "Hm?" "Should I go in there..." "and get this over with?" "Yeah." "You're probably right." "I should wait a while longer until she has lost more blood." "I don't want to tempt a shot in case her aim is any better than her judgement." "Oh, hey there!" "Hey." "Is this your house?" "Does your mommy live there?" "Let's check." "Aww!" "Welcome home, puss." "It's OK." "You're gonna see Mommy very soon." "Or, at least, she will see you nailed to the front..." "I'm coming in." "You know what?" "I think that you're holding out on me." "I bet if I hit the right spot I can make you scream." "You fucking cunt."