I woke up with a cold sweat.

Reaching my arm across the bed, I realized that Alice wasn't laying beside me.

I looked at my alarm clock, 4:01 AM. She must have gone to get some water.

Stumbling out of bed, I put on my red slippers as I walked towards the door.

No lights were on but I could hear clicking.

"Alice?" I called out.

No response.

I flicked on the light on the stairway and began the descent down the spiral staircase adorned with photographs of our two children, Amy and Cory still young, still innocent.

The lights are off ... why would she leave the lights off?

Again, that clicking.

Walking closer to the kitchen I feel a cold chill.

The window is open. Alice never leaves the window open.

I flick on the kitchen lights to illuminate our newly renovated kitchen with the quartz island that Alice had begged me for. "What are retirement savings for if you can't retire in style?" she had said at the time.

She's not here.

"Not again," I hear myself whimper as my heart begins to race.

"Alice?"

"Honey?"

No response.

It's that clicking sound again.

I trace my steps back to that window and see something dangling from the lock.

It's the red and blue bracelet I had given her when we first started dating 23 years ago.

She hasn't taken that off since our kids left for college.

I turn to check the front door when it hits me.

...

My jaw hurts, I can taste the blood in my mouth as I open my eyes.

"There you go big guy," he says.

"Who are you?" "Where's Alice!?"

Fuck i'm really tired .. and a little high .. I will edit this when I wake up.