Sheepskin

"I'm bac--" he stops mid-sentence. His gaze meeting unfamiliar faces sitting oh so comfortably atop the beige furnishing. Their dark draped silhouettes blended together, making it look as if they are a single being.

"Hey, Emma didn't tell me she's bringing friends over; I'd have dressed sharper."

"Any sharper and you'd blind someone." A laughter filled the room that seemed unbefitting for such a lame remark.

The man let out a polite exhale and inched closer to the kitchen. His wife's back & hands now visible to him; preparing coffee for the guests. Confirming that he had indeed entered the right house, he did a mental sigh and plopped on the couch.

"I'm Ray, Em's husband. And you guys are?"

"Oh, we know".

"So, how did y'all meet?" he asked, rubbing his sore hands together.

"The five of us go way back."

"How back?"

"Highs--" her pupils shift to the side, "Dang Em, took your time with the coffee huh?"

The wife set the tray down onto the table and handed the mugs, one by one. Her movements slow but precise. The clinks were the only sounds that filled that whitewashed living room.

"So, um Em, when did you meet these ladies?"

"I'm drawing a blank on the details, Ray." Emma said, touching his back.

The half-smile on Ray's face faded as Emma touch had an unfamiliar strength to it. He now knew something was definitely off. The guests had to go.

"Alright" Ray slaps his knees. "It's clear that neither of us know any of you, so leave before we call the cops."

"Make us."

"Sorry?"

"You heard."

Ray had had enough; he dialed 911 in front of them. They sat still, with proud widening grins. Six keen eyes gazed directly at Ray's while the last two fancied his lady's.

"... 174 Pine Street at Springfield - I have four intruders at my residence... I can't tell" Ray grabs Emma's hand out of concern, "females, mid-twenties... um-emerald overalls.... one brunette, one blonde, two jet-blacks." He shot a look at Emma.

Her face stood paralyzed, yet it maintained a steady jitter. Her ears were actively tuning every word into an unrelenting ring. Her fingers remained limp and numb within Ray's crushing grip.

Ray switched to speaker. "Two dispatchers are on route and will be there shortly. You are advised to remain on the line until they arrive." the shrill voice said on the other end.

"There. Happy?"

Not a word from the four.

"ETA 3 minutes." the phone buzzes.

Ray snatches his lukewarm cup and chugs it whole, spilling some on Emma. She didn't flinch. Her gaze had softened; her jitter subsided. Her eyes stood still, focused on nothing in particular.

"Springfield police! Open up!!"

Ray rushes the doorknob and comes face-to-face with the police.

There is a moment. A split second where something shifts within all three. It seems however that Ray had the severest one. He stood blank-faced, nameless and light-headed.

"h-HANDS IN THE AIR! HANDS IN THE AIR WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!!"

He complies in confusion and looks back for Emma but she's nowhere to be seen.

The officer speaks into the ongoing phone call with 911 "Bravo this is dispatcher 403 requesting immediate backup at caller's residence. The caller is suspect, Ray Penburg."

"Suspect?", interjected Ray "For What?!"

Ray is pushed into the backseat of a state trooper. A million questions raced at once. He looked back at the house and saw Emma being escorted to another Trooper, without cuffs.

Back at the house, the thumping of operator footsteps flooding the bloodied house sharply contrasted the silence of the garage. Therein lay bodies of four young women with strangulation marks. The handprints are fresh and of a male's.

The two cars take off at once and Ray finally gets a glimpse at Emma's face. The facade was off; her face donned a devilish satisfaction.