The night was black without the moon, all of the townspeople were in their prospective homes sleeping but there was still a slight disterbance in the air, there was one horse in the livery that whinnied as the dew was just settling in.
Lily was sleeping soundly, dreaming of riding her horse as a young girl back home in Georgia at her family's ranch when suddenly a crackling noise woke her. She was still groggy when she looked over to her left where the sound came from. It was the sound of a match striking to light a pipe.
"Lily" was what he said in his heavy deep yet quiet voice.
"Stan?" Lily asked in a quiet and gentle voice. He was sitting at the table next to her bed with his leg crossed looking at her as he drew in a breath of smoke.
"Don't you say a word until I say, do you understand?", the man said. Lily nodded yes as she sat up wthout taking her eyes off his face. "I guess ya didn't expect to see me so soon, now did ya whore." Lily didn't say a word, she now saw that he had a large hunting knife in his hand and as he began to clean the edge with his finger he said, "You know I should be very upset with you right now but instead, I figure you think I'm of the ignorant type but I'd bout ta show you otherwise. I just happen to know that Lou had an envelope fer me and that now you have it. I spect you already know what it's about so lets cut to the chase."
Lily couldn't move, she knew her gun was under the pillow but she didn't dare go for it. 'I can't give it to him' she thought to herself, 'I'd better hear him out and then deal with the consequences when I have more help.' If she was still breathing in the morning.
"Now, this is what's gonna happen," Stanley said as he gazed at her with the look of a gambler. "I understand why you don't want ta give me the envelope, you wantin' to fix up yer town an all. But, I'm tellin' you now that you aren't gonna be the one who suffers if'n I don't get what I want. I will see the look on yer face when all the people you care about are the ones who I will be makin' pay. You'll know how ta make it all stop and me go away, it's yer decision. Now you think on it and I'll be back fer yer answer in twenty-four hours." Stanley stood up and walked toward the door, turning to look back, his last words were, "If you still decide not to comply with my request, you'll become nothin but my personal whore again, and that's a promise." He quietly shut the door and was gone.
Lily began to cry and then jumped up, locked her door, grabbed her gun and sat down at the table.