First Impressions

“Com’on, work you stupid key!” Ashley muttered under her breath as she tried to jam the key into the lock again. The door finally unlocked, and quickly moved aside with the young girl’s forceful shove.  The small, eight month pregnant, mid-twenties girl waddled across the floor of her and her husband’s apartment.  She tossed the Wal-Mart bag that was in her hand onto their cheap table and walked to the counter to get a plastic cup. As she turned around she took a quick glance around the small apartment.  From where she stood she could see the whole place.  Just before her was the table with her few recent purchases on it, and right beside that was their low, dirty, and old “sofa”.  To her right was possibly the world’s first electric fridge, with very likely nothing in it.  She glanced to her left to see a small carpeted area where their twin mattress lay, beside a small room that was a bathroomcloset.  She sighed heavily as she surveyed all this. For the first eighteen years of her life daddy had paid for everything.  Anything she ever wanted was hers, but ever since she had married Ben…  She loved him very much, and she couldn’t remember ever being happier than when he was around, but he was still in college, and she could barely walk, much less work as big as she was.  That thought brought a smile to her face as she poured a bottle of water into the cup.  Soon she would be a mommy, her heart filled with joy at the thought of raising a little girl.  Well really they didn’t know if it was a boy or girl yet, but she had her dreams.  This pregnancy had changed her tastes so much.  Before, she couldn’t stand the taste of the Sam’s water that they drank, but now she loved it.  As she brought the glass to her lips she detected a strange odor.  Something that smelt like gasoline and formaldehyde combined.  She took a gulp and tried to swallow, but struggled, coughing it down the wrong tube.  She gasped for air, and fell back into a chair. 
“That water is horrible!” she declared to no one really.  That was strange, normally she was fine with the water, but now it was suddenly worse than before.  As she reached for the small dish of cough drops and mints to soothe her now burning throat she felt a sudden unyielding longing for more of that horrid water.  She quickly retracted her hand to her mouth, grabbing the cup on the way, knocking over the dish of mints.  She gulped three or four large mouthfuls of that enticing liquid, spilling half of it down her chin and on her large belly.  She reached for a napkin and quickly wiped her mouth and chin, then back for more.  What was so enchanting about this disgusting water?  Or rather what was so disgusting about it?  Really when she thought about it, what wasn’t great about it?  All this raced through her mind as the room began to spin and a few things briefly changed colors.  Out of the corner of her left eye she saw a tall dark figure open their bathroom door and glide across the room towards her.  She paid them no attention until they tried to pull her away from her nearly empty cup.  She screamed reaching for the cup, whoever pulled her away slapped her hard.  She fell to the floor, hitting head first, making her neck scream in pain. Her head reeled and before her several more identical figures appeared, then vanished in a black cloud.  Her neck was on fire, searing her scalp and shoulders.  She threw her hands up and realized that the cloud was a heavy blanket.  She tossed it aside reaching for the table. Just as her hand landed on the table, someone from behind jerked her away quickly.  Her hand came away with only the Wal-Mart bag, her head banged hard against the floor again.  She spun around to see only one figure now.  She laid still staring into his face, unable to move if she wanted to, and trying to remain conscious.  She could feel her heart pounding out of her chest.  He then bent down, and pulled the bag out of her hand, she willing released it.  Without even thinking, and with all her strength she punched him right in the middle of his forehead.  He looked at her, closed his eyes briefly, and then sat back hard by her feet.  She tried to relax and regain some of her strength, but this break didn’t last long. Within seconds the strange man was struggling to get back to his feet, while rubbing his head. 
Before he could get to his feet she put both her legs on either sides of one of his knees, clamped down hard, and turned over sharply.  Ashley heard a loud snap as his knee popped out of place.  He screamed as he tried to pull his leg away, as he did so his shoe slipped of, but he seemed not to notice.  She lay there helpless, wanting more water, wanting this man to leave, wanting Ben to come home.  She heard shuffling behind her; she lifted her head slightly and twisted it around.  She saw the man half-way out the door, clinging to the wall trying not to fall, he glanced back at her.  For a moment their eyes met, Ashley felt a burning chill all over her body as he turned and hobbled away slamming the door behind him.  The floor below her was cold as ice, and felt good against her burning cheek from where he slapped her.  She tried to get up, but decided that she would take a short nap, and then get more water.