POV - Catching the Cat Burglar

Tori is a cat burglar who recently received a tip on a big score hidden inside of a home. Dressed in a black cat suit, she breaks into a home and slips through the front door after picking the lock. Once inside she quietly closes the door and studies the clean, sparsely decorated living room. She looks around carefully as she quietly moves through the room, up the stairs and to the bedroom to search for valuables.

She enters a bedroom and closes the door behind her. The room is tidy with a bed, and a dresser. Tori begins quickly searching through the drawers, finding jewelry, rings, and gems which she stuffs into her bag. She finds a small locked box and opens it, expecting more valuables. Instead she finds newspaper clippings, small personal items, cords, ropes, and garments. Confused, Tori begins examining the clippings. The headlines describe several missing women who vanished after nights out. One article suggests possible abductions connected to the same nightclub. As she looks through the box she finds a disturbing photograph of one of the missing women unconscious in a flash photo. Realizing she has broken into the home of someone connected to the disappearances, Tori becomes frightened. She hurriedly closes the box and slides it back under the bed.

As Tori turns to leave the room with her bag of stolen valuables, the door suddenly slams open. A calm man stands in the doorway, blocking her exit. Tori backs away toward the wall, frightened but trying to stay cool, her hand moving toward a tool in her bag. She apologizes and offers to return everything she stole, claiming she did not see anything. The man steps toward her slowly. Tori pulls out a knife and warns him to stay back. The man lunges forward. Tori slashes at him but he catches her wrist and twists it until she drops the knife. He slams her against the wall and punches her in the stomach, doubling her over in pain. When he tries to strike again she slips past him and rushes for the door, but it is locked. Before she can escape the man grabs her by the hair and pulls her back. Tori curses and struggles, but he slaps her repeatedly and punches her in the stomach and face. The blows leave her dazed as he continues striking her while holding her upright by her hair. Eventually she collapses to the floor. The man kicks her hard in the side, knocking the air from her lungs. As she tries to defend herself he pins her down and punches her in the head until she loses consciousness.

The man studies Tori’s unconscious face and lets her head fall to the floor. He runs his hands over her body and searches her bag, finding her smartphone. He begins taking photos of her while she lies helpless on the floor. After photographing her body he reviews the images while standing over her. Tori slowly regains consciousness and begins backing away across the floor, raising her hands defensively as she struggles to stand. The man approaches calmly, forcing her against the wall. He produces a wire and holds it tightly between his hands. Tori pleads with him to let her go and promises she will not say anything. Without responding the man rushes forward and wraps the wire around her neck, pulling it tight. Tori desperately claws at the wire and punches his ribs as they struggle around the room. The man continues tightening the wire while forcing her against the wall. Her legs weaken and she collapses to the ground face first. He stands above her pulling harder while she struggles to breathe. Eventually her strength fades and her arms drop as she loses consciousness and collapses on the floor. The man continues pulling until her body goes completely still.

After releasing the wire, the man lifts her limp body and places her on the bed. Using cords he binds her wrists behind her back and ties her feet together. He studies her closely and runs his hands over her body before taking photographs of her with a polaroid camera. As the photograph develops he compares the image to her motionless form. Tori slowly wakes up on the bed and realizes she is tied up. The man quickly gags her with a garment to stop her cries. She struggles and whimpers through the gag while he photographs her again, capturing the fear in her eyes. After briefly touching her hair he suddenly punches her in the head until she loses consciousness again.

Tori wakes up tied to the bed while the man stands nearby. He wraps the scarf around her neck and begins pulling it tight. Unable to move because of the bindings, Tori struggles desperately, kicking and twisting while gasping for air. Her eyes roll back and her tongue sticks out from her mouth. After a prolonged struggle her body finally goes still, her eyes staring blankly ahead. The man continues holding the ligature tight for several seconds before releasing it. He sits beside the bed and examines her lifeless body, running his hands over her before taking another photograph with the polaroid camera. The photograph slowly develops as he compares it to her body. He places the photo inside the box with the other disturbing items and closes it. Then he lifts her limp body and carries her away.