A Stalked Trophy

I tracked a slow, ticking vibration across the hardwood floor. Beneath the draped fabric of the armchair, half-swallowed in shadow, a red toy car sat waiting. I stepped forward, deliberate and heavy, until my foot pinned its miniature plastic bumper against the floorboards. Slowly, I reached down and dragged one claw along the glossy roof, leaving a dull white streak across its tiny hood. It shuddered once, then rolled quiet under my grip. Every small thing in this room will learn where the dark gathers.