"I was beginning to feel drowsy when my ears caught the faint click of metal against metal. I straightened, senses alert, and peered through the darkness toward the door. . . I slid my gun from its holster. The sound of the lock snapping back seemed as loud as the explosion of a firecracker. Then a crack of light appeared and disappeared. Someone had entered the apartment . . . I quietly slid out of the chair and circled around . . . The intruder sensed my approach and began to back away . . . Suddenly, with animal-like cunning, the figure sprang at me. Automatically, my eyes and brain registered the long, narrow glint of a knife blade aimed towards my throat."