15 for 15 Contest --- Closed

Ew! She shuddered and stamped on yet another of the repulsive multi-legged creatures. It squished under her boot and she scraped it off on the tile with another cringe of disgust. What was with all the freaking bugs that had invaded her apartment? It was gross beyond belief. Last week, it had been spiders. This week...millipedes? What the hell?

No matter, she decided as she went into the bathroom for a quick shower before her lover arrived. Her boyfriend thought that she had a late meeting so he was going out for poker night. Little did he know, she snorted as she undressed and stepped into the shower cubicle. He was a poor lover, all protuberant eyes and clammy hands, and he didn't pay her near enough the attention she deserved. No, instead he lavished attention upon his stupid little hobbies and left her behind.

Well, that's what Rick was for, she thought, turning the spray to warm and leaning into it, her eyes drifting closed. Rick was a man who lived on the floor below. She'd met him while getting her mail one day, and he'd immediately impressed her. Tall, strong, not too bright, but his eyes had drifted over her body in a way she recognized intimately. Her boyfriend, Dalton, would never know.

Hell, she thought derisively. Rick and her could probably do it in front of Dalton, and he wouldn't notice. The man was oblivious.

She stepped out of a shower and her bare foot nearly came down on another millipede. She shrieked and jerked back, nerves jangling.

"What the HELL?" she yelled, squashing it with a stray shampoo bottle. Her heartbeat sped up. "I am sick of these infestations, I'm calling the landlord tomorrow," she muttered as she snagged a towel and carefully inspected it for insects. Nothing.

Humming, she wrapped the towel around herself and went out to the bedroom to pick out something sexy to wear for Rick's arrival.

"Hello, Sheryl," a voice said in the darkened confines of the room, and she about leaped out of her skin.

The light clicked on. It was Dalton.

"Oh, god, you scared me," she said breathlessly. "My meeting got over earlier than expected, honey, but I thought you'd already gone to poker..." She babbled her explanation out quickly. He'd believe her. He always did. The man was clueless.

"I know about Rick," Dalton said flatly, and her breath stuttered to a stop. She stared at him, her jaw dropping open.

"What? I don't know who you're talking about," she attempted to defend herself. Her stomach cramped. The towel slid to the floor, unnoticed by either of them. Millipedes rustled in the corners, but Sheryl didn't notice.

"I'm not stupid, Sheryl," Dalton said, his voice still curiously blank. He took a step forward and Sheryl backed up, bumping against the wall. "I know. All the late meetings. All the secretive phone calls. You're seeing someone else and you have been for months."

"Well, guess you aren't as stupid as I thought," Sheryl said, beginning to regain a bit of her spirit. Color flared in her cheeks. "I'm sorry, but a girl likes to know that she's important. You were always too wrapped up in your stupid poker and your stupid bug hobby and your stupid...everything!"

"I never cheated on you," Dalton said. "And you shouldn't have cheated on me." He raised one hand and a millipede curled around his index finger. Sheryl's skin crawled in revulsion.

"What are you doing with that thing?" she cried. Dalton smiled.

"Giving you what you deserve," he said calmly. The rustling around the room intensified. Sheryl looked around and a scream spilled from her throat. The walls, the bed, the floor...all were crawling with millipedes.

"You wanted attention, didn't you?" Dalton said, mild. He leaned down and carefully set the millipede on his hand on the carpet by her feet.

"Have a nice life, Sheryl," he added, as he turned to leave. "Well...what's left of it."

The door closed behind him, and the millipedes advanced.