Stalker

 I was looking forward to the weekend.

All week I had a weird feeling that someone was watching me.

My friend Jill was having her first dinner party and I had promised I would come. I needed some down time.

Every time I had left the house to shop or go to work the last few weeks, the hair on the back of my head bristled. On the way home, I stopped to buy Jill flowers and out of the corner of my eye I saw a heavyset man walk past, when he saw me looking he hurried away.

I was surprised when I arrived at the party because I recognized the man who I had seen at the flower shop. He introduced himself as Jerry. Right away, he started to talk about himself, I had the feeling he was going to occupy my night with his nonsensical chatter. I moved away and slowly started to mix in with a group talking animatedly about politics. I began to have excessively too much fun. The time had flown by and it was getting very late.   

Jill suggested one for the road, she then would volunteer Jerry to give me a ride home.  Jerry gave me shivers up my spine, not the good kind. Jill looked so happy her party was a success.

I told her I wanted to walk in the warm night, to clear my head on the way. I slipped away without notice. The stars were bright and sparkled, the moon was full and danced off the lake and I was looking forward to a leisurely walk along the lake trail to enjoy the glitter of the water. A light breeze was starting.

I passed two lovers who giggled as they went on their way. An old man walking his dog stopped and said hello with a full grin and remarked about this beautiful night. I gave him a warm smile, patting his dog and continued along the path towards my place.

My senses felt someone behind me, turning my head quickly but saw nothing.  Must have been the trees twisting in the slight breeze. I neared home. I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see Jerry from the party coming at a fast pace his bulky body heaving with the exercise. His first comment was did I not enjoy his company? I had embarrassed him by not letting him drive me home. His face looked angry and distorted, his eyes closed to slits.

To cover my nervousness, I laughed and told him it had nothing to do with him, I wanted to enjoy my meandering alone on this glorious peaceful evening. He said he was not in the habit of being ignored and he knew all about me as he had watched me for weeks. Now I was scared as his demeanor changed and he became more hostile and aggressive towards me, saying goodnight I turned to leave.

He grabbed me and threw me down to the ground. He started to pull at my skirt, I was in total shock, I was going to be raped by this crazy person. He dragged me behind a large tree pinning me against it banging my head. Trying to pull away as he hit me hard on the face No sound came from my scream. He proceeded to yank at my clothing.

He was trying to get on top of me, when I raised my knees into his groin; he rolled off bending over in pain. I had surprised him, in the time it took him to recover I was up and running. He started after me just as the old man came towards us. He looked at my clothes and asked what was going on. The dog started to growl as Jerry moved closer to me, the dog sensed something was wrong and showing his teeth continued barking, straining at his lead.

I awoke in a sweat from his barking.

Visitors

I had visitors last night.

I had a long hot bath felt sleepy and tucked in under my quilt for the night. I had left the window partly open, with a cold breeze washing over my hot face from my bath. My pillows were propped up as I snuggled into them. Sleep found me quickly.

An old friend had come to visit, he perched himself at the side of my bed. We talked about all the fun times that we had many years before. Did I mention that he had passed many years ago and visits me regularly?

He mentioned another friend wanted to visit, when this man suddenly appeared at the foot of my bed wearing a huge smirk and stark naked. Laughing I told him he could have at least gotten dressed before he arrived. He chuckled moving up under the covers, asking me about the coldness in my bedroom.

Did I tell you he had been found guilty for murdering his wife many years before, and I was the only person to stand beside him as he went to trial? I knew he was guilty, but there where many circumstances on why he did it.

He ended up in a gas chamber for the crime and I was there to see his downfall from grace. He was naked then as he was now. He was now beside me under the covers as we reminisced about our lives then and now. He seemed much happier than he had been when he was alive.

I asked him why it took him so long to come visit me, he giggled like a teenager saying he had had a long journey from the place he had been. Laughing saying it was much warmer there. Where had my other friend gone?

Outside was getting colder the snow had started, it was coming onto the sill of the window. I got up to close the window and to snuggle back under the covers,

I found I was all alone.

My dream had ended.

Where am I?

The banging would not stop. 

My head was throbbing. 

I can never remember having such a bad headache. As I looked around all I could see were stairs leading up to a door, beside me a bench, two chairs and a table. Bits of old food left with flies all over it. The only light was a small bulb over the table. 

How long had I been here? Who brought me to this dismal place? Why would my head not stop hurting? I woke up shivering from lying on the concrete floor. My head felt like I had been drugged. I tried to stand, a wave of dizziness passed over my whole body. 
Voices arguing from upstairs, and then sounds like two people crossing the floor, a door slamming and then I heard a car starting up. Then silence. 

With my head pulsing, I moved quickly to the stairs. I started to climb on my hands and knees one stair at a time. The debris along with the splintering boards cut into my skin. I had to get out before they returned. I quietly turned the knob, scared someone would be on the other side. It would not budge. Locked. 

I had to find something to pry open this door and did not have much time to do it. I sat on my bum and inched down the stairs to look for something to help me. Finally found a piece of strong metal on the bench. I started my climb again moving faster this time. Wedging the metal between the door and molding until I could feel it move. My only thought was not to get sick with the excruciating pain in my head. I pushed all my weight on the metal and then the door clicked open.
I waited a few seconds, opened the door a slit, to listen, hearing no sound. 

As quickly as I could move, I was running towards daylight and a kitchen door. I grabbed a knife sitting on the counter. I could hear a car and peaked out to see it coming up the driveway. Two large men emerged. I dashed out the backdoor and started to run towards the trees, they stopped the car a few feet from where I had run past a few minutes before. I stayed still behind the tree and held my breath. If they came near, I was willing to fight with the knife in my bleeding hand. 
They entered the house, with bags and I knew that I did not have much time before they found me gone from the basement. It was dusk and growing dark. I had to get far away from this place as I was sure they would come after me. I stopped to catch my breath. 

I was so weak but kept pushing myself, I had no idea where I was but could hear water flowing. It was a small stream so I splashed cold water on my face, it was refreshing and my aching head started to clear a bit. I could hear a highway in the distance and started to run, tripping and falling over a tree stump. I was now bleeding profusely from my legs and hands. I could hear running and it was close. 
I looked around for somewhere to hide, why did these men want me. I racked my brain to try to remember how I got here in the first place. My mind was blank. 

Now the sound was close, walking quieter and slower, He was right there looking up the slight hill towards the highway, he did not see me between a crevice of rocks. He headed towards the hill in a run. If he looked back, he would see me for sure.
I quietly moved towards the bushes and waited. I could hear traffic from the highway and then a loud bang and brakes screeching. 

That woke me up.

Rude Wakening

I awoke with a start; feeling disoriented, from a dream, but could not remember what it was, which is unusual for me. Sometimes when I dream and wake I can go back and restart my dream and it carries on till I am ready to arouse and analyze it.

A sound from next door sharpened my senses. I heard a soft moan coming through the wall. My first thought was that she had company stay over. Then came a low thumping and the moaning grew louder. Yes, it sounded like a good time was happening.

I always slept with my windows open with a lock on each one. The curtains did not move and I felt clammy all over my body and the day had only started. Her moans kept seeping through the wall.  The heat was blistering already, far too early for me to open my sliding door and interrupt my neighbour and her friend.

I was now wide-awake, needed to shower. I turned the water on full to cold, standing with the stream pulsing down my body and started to come alive with goose bumps. Turning off the water I could still hear the banging coming from next door, it was getting louder.

The moaning persisted, but sounded more like a whimper now. I could hear someone moving about and the shower go on. A small noise again, I was getting annoyed and went out on the patio and peeked through a crack in her drapes.

I saw a body lying with blood all over and it was my neighbour lying there with her back to my wall hitting it with her foot. She was trying to get my attention.

Someone who did this was still there and in the shower. I ran back to call the police before I returned to help her. She looked up and her terrified eyes went towards the bathroom door. I quickly helped her up and we slipped out the door as I heard the shower go off.

She was bleeding from her mouth and had cuts all over her body. I hoped we were not leaving a trail of blood. Inside my place, we heard shouting and swearing. I helped her to my bed. We were both shaking with fear. I could hear sirens a distance away.

Then he was at my door banging, swearing and calling her name. A crash as the window smashed into pieces. I reached for my bedside drawer as he came pummeling through the window with his knife and a contorted grin on his face. I grabbed my gun from the drawer.  

He stopped dead in his tracks.

Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight.

His smile disappeared as I pulled the trigger.

Are we ever safe?

I found myself in a prison cell with five other women. They looked so hard I thought I would never last through the night alive. They all stared at me as if I was a gourmet dinner for one and they were not willing to share.

The lights had dimmed since I arrived; the long night was just beginning.

A guard with his belly hanging over his belt wandered down the narrow aisle, a smirk on his face, softly whistling between his teeth. He stopped to crack a joke at the blonde-haired women who must have weighed over two hundred pounds and was at least six feet tall. She smiled at the guard; her two front teeth were missing. She scowled over in my direction.

Another dark haired man-women, I was not sure which, started to sing in a deep voice, a love song I remembered Tom Jones singing years ago.

Two of the skinny women swayed to their imagined beat. I could tell they where high on something. The fifth women, who had a scar running down her face from her eye to her chin, said nothing, just watched me from the corner of the room, rolling her eyes towards me. She inched over in my direction clucking her tongue and clenching her hands in frightening tight fists.

I would not be sleeping to-night, wondering when my lawyer would arrive. This was one huge mistake. I had not done anything wrong. I was told everyone says the same thing when arriving in this god-awful place.

Chanting, screams and crying were everywhere through the halls, the echoing sound of metal doors clanked as I could hear that food was coming. Catcalls howled about the slop that was being delivered. I could feel my fear and started to shake. The huge toothless Amazon moved closer and put her hand over my mouth.

The scream was coming from me as I awoke, not from a dream but a nightmare.

My unconscious mind

I went to bed early, fell asleep when my head hit the pillow and plunged into a dream sleep of a warm place.  

        

My subconscious mind heard a click, and I wondered what the noise was? My body tightened as I felt a slight breeze over my face.

I slowly moved my eyes towards the sliding door, not showing my face above the covers. Then a small creak as the door slid opened another crack, then nothing. I waited.

Someone was on my patio waiting very quietly to make sure I was still sleeping. Was my imagination playing mind tricks or did I see a dark shape move. I was wide-awake now and started to tremble.

My hand inched towards my bedside drawer. I faked a snore to cover my movement to the drawer. Another scrape as the door slid opened further allowing the breeze to ruffle the curtain. I felt for my gun and I slowly picked it up and clicked the safety off.

Whoever was there must have heard me as the door burst open with a crash and a tall dark movement was coming straight at me. I could now hear his breathing, My instincts took over.Taking aim at the dark figure who was just about upon me, so close I could smell his rancid breath. I pulled the trigger. 

The bang woke me up. Was it a car backfiring out on the street? Or was it a gun shot?

Are dreams the truth?

I dream most nights, now I have started dreaming of my old relatives who have been gone for years, another as recently as a year ago.

I look down, see a rushing steam along the cliffs edge, and wonder if I drive over the edge will I be dead before I hit water. As I round the corner, I see a small village that looks deserted at first glance. I near, and make out a face I recognize and wonder if I am seeing a mirage of my cousin.

 

His hair was long and unkempt. He wore a robe, the belt tied tightly around his waist. My first thought was he looked lost. As I stopped the car, he bent down to the window and thanked me for coming.

He took my hand as I got out and led me to an open building that looked like an old barn with no doors. There were pieces of furniture spread around, a bed at the side, a chair with glasses on a table with loads of newspaper spread over the floor. The place looked so cold. Someone was living here. My cousin realized I had asked him who, he told me it was my uncle who had died two days earlier, and they had buried him under his favorite tree outback.

 He wanted me to meet his friends who lived two lanes over and he just started to walk and tell me how they had come to live in this old broken down deserted village a few years ago. None of the buildings had doors but had fires burning in the middle of the dirt floors.

 We came upon three people sitting at a table ready to eat a meal, a man who I thought at first was a women started to unwrap a bag of food. I was introduced and offered some by another long haired man whose eyes were so dark they looked black. I knew at once this was the only food they would see for sometime and they had been willing to share with me. My cousin talked in a low voice and explained that I had come to pay my respects to his Dad and he thought I must have felt my uncles passing through his spirit.

We wandered through the village and he told me stories of my uncle being so happy here. They caught fish and game and traded with others for what they needed to survive, taking small jobs in the town ten miles away for their liquor that they both needed to keep warm inside, I was told.

 Are dreams a starting or ending point?  Or a fragmentation of your mind?