Deviation (bwwm) *Mature* Completed

Six

A soft whining woke Tania from her sleep. The darkness of the room let her know it wasn't morning yet. Flint's heavy body laid strewn across her stomach and thighs- his arms wrapped around her waist.

"Penelope." She whispered hoping not to wake him. The dog whined once more in return followed by the sound of nails scratching on the door.

Moving his arms, she cringed as he let out a grumble and squeezed her body closer. His hair had once been tied back but had escaped the band to lay haphazardly across his head. Pushing it back, she smiled at his relaxed face- his mouth hanging open slightly.

"Flint, move. I have to let Penelope in." In the silent room her whisper seemed to echo off the walls before reaching his ears. With another grumble he finally released her and rolled to his side of the bed.

The floor was colder than she remembered as she tip toed to the door to let the dog inside. Instead of entering, Penelope stared up at Tania before pacing the doorway.

"Come in." Tania waved for her to enter the open door. Penelope returned an inpatient whine before pacing the doorway once more.

"Gotta pee?" The phrase immediately peeked her ears up and she let out an excited bark. "Alright, alright. Come on."

Penelope shot down the stairs and Tania silently followed. Downstairs was darker than she thought and she found herself constantly bumping into furniture on her way to the back door. Penelope sat patiently at the door, her tail wagging as she watched Tania trip over the rug.

"You could have helped instead of just sitting there." She fake scolded the animal. Penelope smiled up at her, her tongue out and her tail zipping back and forth.

As soon as the screen door opened, she shot out into the large yard. Tania could tell the land went on for miles so she simply waited by the door until Penelope returned. A chill ran down her spine as the night air nipped at her exposed legs and arms. Wrapping her arms around herself, she leaned against the door frame and watched for Penelope's white fur.

The sound of the floor creaking caused her to hurriedly spin around. Only darkness met her eyes. Immediately her heart beat wildly in her chest and she readied herself to run outside at the first sight of trouble. Once more the sound filled the darkness yet she could see no movement.

"Relax, Tania. It's probably just an old house. You're fine." She chanted to herself despite not taking her eyes away from the looming darkness.

"Everything okay?" A blood curdling scream left her as she fell away from the door. The broad figure of a man sat outside the screen door, his features concealed in darkness. Her body went crashing into the floor as he pulled the screen open causing her to scream once more.

"Get the fuck away from me!" She screamed as she kicked at his legs. Footsteps came speeding down the stairs before she was snatched up from the floor and tossed on to the couch.

"Flint, it's me!" The figure cried out as he aimed a double barrel shotgun at him.

"Jesus Christ, Trey." The relief in his voice was nearly palpable as he set the gun down. Tania was shaking like a leaf as she watched from the couch. Setting the gun beside the couch, Flint sat next to her and pulled her into his chest. The embrace served to calm them both.

"You scared me there." He whispered in her ear.

"Your friend nearly gave me a heart attack." She chuckled, relieved the man was someone Flint knew.

"What are you doing out of bed? Everything okay?" Pulling back, he examined her face in the low light before pulling her into his chest once more.