So many notifications. Shit.

Alice wiped her bleary eyes as she hauled herself into a sitting position. Her boss would only call her on her sick days if it was an emergency, especially given the current situation. To have four missed calls before nine AM indicated that maybe it was worse than an emergency. Maybe it was a disaster? She headed through to the bathroom, dialling the office as she walked.

Three calls went unanswered. Perhaps it might even be a full-blown catastrophe.

An internal crisis warred within Alice, but eventually the need to help overcame her fear of heading out. After all, it had been several days and there had been no sightings of the stalker arsehole who had been lingering outside. It was also early(ish) morning and bright outside. Surely nothing untoward could happen to her on a short trip to the office. If she drove, she could be there and back within the hour.

She told herself that the fresh air would do her some good as she grabbed a pair of jeans out of the wardrobe. Her boss had always been so supportive of her. It wouldn’t be right to just ignore them in their hour of need. Would it?

A casual blouse was then selected from a drawer and Alice threw on a navy, woollen jumper over it. Best not to look too business dress. If she walked in wearing casual clothes, no one would judge her for it. She wasn’t supposed to be in work, and she didn’t want people to assume that she would be staying for the full day.

It was just an errand. She would be in and out like a shot.

Alice crept down the stairs with a pair of running shoes in one hand while her other held the banister. Jess would be somewhere downstairs, but if Alice could avoid her this morning, it would be for the best. She didn’t want to worry her friend, not after everything that was going on. Jess was worried enough about her last night that she had woken Alice in the night by opening the door a crack to check on her.

The feeling had been an unpleasant reminder of the past, but Alice knew her friend only meant to help. She shook off the thoughts and tiptoed around the bottom of the stairs. The realisation that she couldn’t just sneak out dawned on Alice in the form of a loud growl from her stomach.

The shoes were left by the front door and Alice stealthily made her way towards the kitchen, popping her head around the corner of the door to the living room. As expected, Jess lay sprawled upon the sofa. She wore only a pair of briefs and an old t-shirt and there were no covers to warm her. Alice shivered on her behalf. As Alice turned to leave, she realised that the curtains were also wide open. Not a great start when even the local postman could catch an eyeful just by walking towards the front door.

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Three steps into the room and Alice froze. She stood, poised mid-step as a groan wheezed from the direction of the sofa. To her surprise, there was no further movement and so Alice continued her mission. The curtains were pulled with slow precision to avoid making a racket that might wake her friend. The metallic hiss of the rings on the curtain rail set Alice’s teeth on edge, but she was thankful that the noise had no effect on the sleeping beauty behind her.

A quick preparation of buttered toast and Alice was soon ready to leave the house. She had considered making a cup of tea to take with her but decided against it. The kettle rumbling had put her off the idea. A decision that she wholeheartedly stuck with after the sound of the toaster popping had just about made her jump out of her skin.

With her buttered toast gripped between her teeth and her car keys in her hand, she stood for just a moment by the front door. No sound. No stirring.

She locked the door behind her, without completing her customary wiggle of the door handle just to make sure it was truly locked before she hopped into her small car. There seemed to be no one lurking in the shadows around the house. No hidden offenders jumped out as her as she pulled away from the curb either.

A neighbour waved cheerily as she reached the end of the road and Alice smiled, giving quick lift of her hand from the wheel in a returned greeting.

It was only a short drive across town to get to the office where she worked, yet despite the brevity of the journey, Alice felt her anxieties melt away as she drove. It was as though they had been left at home with Jess to babysit them. Alice supposed that they would be in good hands; it took a lot to ruffle Jess’s feathers – if she had even woken at all. She would definitely be annoyed that she had gone without warning, that went without saying. A brief pause at traffic lights gave Alice the opportunity to pull down the car’s sun visor and pop open the mirror. She should have worn makeup. She pulled at the dark circle beneath her left eye with her pinky finger with a grimace.

Perhaps it would work in her favour, she mused. Poor Alice with her dark circles and her pale face. Poor Alice who should still be at home after all that’s happened. Isn’t she a saint? She locked eyes with her own reflection and blushed. It wasn’t a saint that she saw in the reflection.

The sudden blare of a car horn startled Alice. She realised that the light had turned to green without her noticing. With frantic motions she released the handbrake and moved to drive, almost stalling the car as she did so. The small car juddered uncomfortably into motion as Alice regained her composure. She glanced once more in the mirror before slamming it shut and flipping the visor upwards with more force than the task would normally require.

Once she had turned a few more corners and the car that had honked was no longer behind her, the panic in her chest stopped fluttering. She gave an exasperated sigh at the next set of lights, but this time remained focused on them. What else could possibly go wrong today?