Alice staggered as she was forcefully pushed into the room towards Jess. The sharp item was removed from her neck, and she felt her phone being pulled loose from her back pocket. A clattering noise down the hall indicated that it had been tossed away.

£50 excess. The thought rose unbidden.

A forceful shove and unexpected release of the strong grip on her sent her sprawling to the floor. Pain seared up her side as her hip and elbow hit the ground hard. She scooted back, away from the towering figure in the doorway. The strong, nauseating scent of petrol hit her senses, leaving her confused.

“Now that I have your full attention,” the man growled through gritted teeth, “Where is the money?”

“Money?” Alice repeated, bewildered.

The man smiled in a predatory way, then raised the knife he held so that the sharp blade pointed in Alice’s direction. It was a brutal looking thing that reminded Alice of hunting knives. The serrated edge gleamed wickedly in the light.

“You’re good. I’ll give you that,” the man chuckled. “Got that innocent doll thing down to a tea.”

His face then hardened. Alice lay trembling, unsure of what to say. Jess wasn’t far behind her, and Alice could hear her struggling against her bonds. Muffled words peppered the air, indistinct like background noise.

“Where is the money?” the man asked again. His voice was staccato, each syllable formed as though he meant to wound Alice with them.

“I don’t… I don’t know,” wailed Alice with wide eyes. The room felt too hot, like the thermostat had been turned all the way up. Her hands felt clammy, and her head was swimming, making it difficult to concentrate. Where was the smell coming from?

“I’m running out of patience,” the man growled. Alice could believe it from his steely expression. He was all hard lines with zero sympathies.

He took a step towards her, and she shuffled back to stay out of his range. Her shoulder blades connected with Jess’s knees, and she was unable to retreat further.

She realised belatedly that the carpet was wet beneath her. The overpowering smell of petrol was stronger as well. Jess was sobbing.

“No!” Alice exclaimed, raising her hands off the floor in panic. She could see two empty plastic canisters laying on their side beside the door. Her eyes flittered between them and the unyielding face of her aggressor. It felt as though her lungs were slowly clamping shut.

“Now you get it, right?” the man said, tilting his head to the left. “Two choices. Two outcomes.”

Alice sat, dumbfounded. Who would even do something like this? How much money had Austin owed this lunatic?

Her panicked mind ran through her limited options. She couldn’t possibly fight her way out of this. If she tried to reach the window or scream, she’d probably end up bleeding out on the floor before help ever arrived.

Unless…

He’s never answered during the day before.

“Tick tock,” warned the man, taking yet another step towards Alice.

“Help!” Alice yelped, looking past him towards the doorway.

The man scowled. “Pull the other one. You think – “

Alice cut off his words with another plea, louder this time. “You have to help us!”

“Game over,” the man answered, but then froze in place. A noise from upstairs had grabbed both their attention; A door handle rattled.

He looked back to Alice, pointing the blade at her threateningly. “Stay!” he ordered, half turning and walking back towards the doorway. Alice was frozen in place. Her legs felt like jelly, and she was sure that she couldn’t run to escape even if she dared leave Jess behind.

He stayed there for a few moments, listening. Alice listened too but she couldn’t hear any other sounds from outside the room. The man shook his head and turned back to Alice.

“No more funny business. Where is it?” he spat at her.

Alice couldn’t speak. Terror flooded her, rendering her mute. She raised her shoulders and shook her head. Tears began to track down her cheeks. It was all over and there was nothing that she could do.

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With a snarl, the man moved to stride towards her but staggered. His foot caught on something.

Time seemed to slow as he looked down and saw his foot caught in Alice’s blanket. His face contorted in confusion as he studied the obstacle that had mysteriously appeared.

Alice forced herself to speak. In a voice that threatened to crack, she begged, “Don’t let him hurt us.”

The man shook his head in disbelief and moved to kick the blanket away.

“What the fuck?” he uttered as the blanket refused to come loose. He grabbed the doorway with his free hand and kicked again, harder this time. Again, the blanket refused to come away. Instead, the bottom billowed out as though blown by invisible gusts of winds.

A sudden strike and suddenly the heavy material wrapped around his other leg, twisting around his ankle and lower leg like a python. The fabric writhed and bulged as it moved with sinewy grace. He lost his footing and fell to the ground backwards, still kicking his legs.

The knife bounced on the carpet and both he and Alice locked eyes, realising that each of them would grapple for the weapon.

Alice scrambled but the man was quicker, having the advantage of less distance to cover. As his hand went to grab the blade, he was suddenly yanked back away from it with a yelp. The blanket gripped the doorway and his legs tightly, twisting to pull the two together. Alice didn’t waste the opportunity and grabbed the blade, scurrying back to Jess and relative safety.

The man was thrashing desperately now as the blanket slowly wound its way up to his thighs, threatening to engulf him entirely within its soft folds. The motion reminded Alice of that of a snake, gulping at victims much larger than themselves until they were swallowed by their expanding maw. She turned her back on him and started cutting at Jess’s bindings.

“We have to get out, Jess,” she squeaked. Jess’s wide eyes were fixed on the writhing mass before them. Alice wasn’t able to tell if her friend had even heard her.

“Make it stop!” the man cried out.

Alice tensed but didn’t turn around, continuing to cut at the cords at Jess’s wrists.

“Please!” he begged in a breathless, strained voice.

Alice clamped her jaw shut. She would not. She could not. Not now.

Jess jolted as her hand was suddenly free. The spell seemingly broken, she started pulling at the gag in her mouth, working to remove the duct tape while Alice started on her second wrist.

The door behind them slammed shut, causing both Alice and Jess to jump with fright. Alice realised that she’d nicked the skin on her friend’s arm and swore, cutting with renewed care at the bonds. Jess’s muffled cries suddenly became more intense, and Alice’s tears began to flow again.

“I know, I know! I’m sorry, I’ll –“ Alice apologised, trying to stop her hands from shaking so violently. Her words were cut short as a hand curled around her ankle and gripped tightly.

Alice shrieked with fright and slipped, twisting to face her attacker. He was covered in the dense fabric up to his waist now but had a determined look in his eyes as he snarled wordlessly at Alice. She kicked at his hand, sobbing, desperate to be out of his clutches.

“Let go! Let go!” she screamed at him, continuing to kick.

The blanket billowed once more, releasing the waist of the man and flicking out away from Alice like a whip, twisting around the doorhandle and gripping tight. It wound together like a coiled spring, dragging at the man and poising to strike. Alice pulled in the opposite direction and with another well-placed couple of kicks, the man lost his grip with an angry shout.

“Fucking bitch,” he growled, struggling to haul himself back towards Alice.

“Alice!” Jess exclaimed, “The knife!”

Alice looked up to find that Jess had managed to free herself from the gag and was tugging desperately at the ropes that still held her to the chair. Still panting, Alice struggled to her feet and grabbed the chair itself. The loosened ropes looked like they had just enough slack that Alice could wriggle the smooth legs out with a bit of force.

“Grab something. Lean forward!” Alice ordered between laboured breaths.

Jess complied, leaning awkwardly against the wall. She cried out in pain when Alice shook the chair hard, but a few bruises were a small price to pay for freedom. The chair begrudging came free and was promptly dropped to the ground.

Now for the problem of getting out of the house with the ongoing battle blocking their only exit.

The attacker realised that his prey was now free, and his face contorted. Not just angry, but pure fury seemed to pour from him. He stopped trying to pry the blanket from contorting around his limbs and instead, reached for something in his denim pockets.

Alice stood watching in horror as the flash of something silver and rectangular appeared in his hands.

“No!” she cried out.

“I’m not the only one going down,” he roared, twisting violently as he lost his grip on the smooth metal lighter.

A heavy thud drew Alice’s attention and she wheeled around to find Jess hitting the dining chair against the window of the room. The curtains were still drawn shut, making aiming difficult. Alice scrabbled to pull open the curtain nearest her, exposing the glass for Jess.

“Legs first!” Alice shouted, hoping that Jess would understand her meaning.

Jess was also panting heavily now but she nodded, turning the chair so that she could strike at the plane of glass. The first hit bounced off but left a tell-tale crack. The second hit shattered the pane and she set to work hitting at the more dangerous shards to move them.

Alice darted and grabbed a cushion from the sofa, leaping over the angry mound of fabric and kicking limbs and stuck it over the worst of the broken shards. There was no more shouting from him now. The blanket’s seemingly limitless stamina was no match for a mere human, and he was beginning to lose the battle. His face was covered by the fabric, smothering, and attempting to subdue him.

“Out! Out!” she ordered, screaming the words. Jess began to climb through but not fast enough. A quick glance over her shoulder and Alice realised that the man had regained hold of the lighter. All that was left uncovered were his two arms, groping and flexing in the quest to ignite his last line of defence. Alice panicked, shoving her friend roughly through before falling out on top of her.

Alice never heard the lighter, not over the crunching glass as they landed. What she did hear was a whooshing noise, like a giant inhaling deeply and afterwards, the world seemed to shake and all she could hear was a ringing in her ears.