Chased

The faster I ran the faster he would as he kept gaining on me. Nobody was around. It was close to two in the morning. I was in my bare feet because as I had kicked off my heels a couple of blocks back, still clutching them in one hand. The soles of my feet felt raw and every time my feet set down a piercing pain ran up my legs. I could not keep this pace up much longer. He was a large man and as he grew closer, I could hear him gasping harder as he closed the gap between us even more. He was running on brute strength and the will to catch me.

I thought if I could reach the tree line up ahead where I could lose him more easily. I knew the area well and hoped he did not. I gave my last burst of energy and reached the start of the bush that led to the park, running into the darkness of the trees. Many different trails branched off in all directions. If I could just get a head start on him, I could lose him in the maze of trees. That was the ideas in my addled brain from one too many glasses of wine with friends earlier.

He was slowing as I entered my first trail and quickly headed into a blackness of trees. I could hear him breathing heavily as he passed within inches of where I stood holding my breath. He was muttering to himself that he would find me and when he did, I would pay for him having to chase me. I could see him pick up a large stick as he started to thrash the bushes around him. He was getting angrier with each step. The only thing I had was my stiletto heels for protection.

He went about a hundred yards ahead of where I was and then started coming back towards me. Pausing often to listen. Had he heard me breathing? I was very still, behind a small tree, not moving a muscle as he came closer towards me. I started to wonder if he could see my body protruding from one side of the tree. He passed again within inches and went towards the trail to my right. I hoped he thought I had gone that way. I was afraid to turn on my phone as I always had the volume turned on high and he would hear it crackling.

I shifted my weight off my foot that was throbbing, making the smallest sound. He turned back, listening. He had heard something and started walking slower.  A mouse skittered towards his direction and he must be thinking that was what he heard and kept moving away. If only he would keep going, so I could move. Mosquitoes where starting to feed at my legs.

His movements were fading. Slowly moving one foot at a time towards the trail I took off as quietly as possible. Not silent enough I could hear him running back, heading in my direction fast. I heard a loud crack of a tree falling, crashing to the ground then swearing, loud moans vibrating through the trees, he sounded like he was in a lot of pain.

I stopped and hid again behind a bigger tree and listened, was he faking it and creeping up to find me? Slowly and as quiet as possible I went towards his moaning. There he was, blood dripping onto the ground a large dead tree had fallen and pinned him under it, he lay at an odd angle and was wreathing in pain. One eye closed shut and the blood and bruising looking a hideous black. It would take a bulldozer to get him out from under the tree trunk. He was not going to be chasing anyone soon.

I approached and now saw fear in his eyes. I stared down into his distorted face with a smile spreading on my own. Without help, he was going to die a slow miserable death. I turned and walked away.  All I heard was a feeble cry for help.

Then silence.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Second scenario 

I crept silently back to see what had happened to the monster that had chased me. He lay face down beside a rock with blood running down from his head, it covered one eye, which was swollen shut, and his leg was bent at an odd angle, pinned under the tree. It was broken for sure. He heard me approach and looked at me through his one good eye. His face now showed fear as I neared and kicked hard with the flat of my heel right between his legs. I was furious with him for the fear he had caused me! He howled and tried to grab at me as I brought down my stiletto, hitting him on his head and neck repeatedly. The rubber tip had broken off. I hit an artery and the blood spurted onto the rock and ground. I backed away as his heart pumped out his lifeblood. His body shook and then he lay lifeless.

He would not be bothering anyone else again.

Lesson learned, I would never leave home without my gun again.

But weapons are where you find them.

Serial Killer:

After five years on the police force, I was transferred to a special unit to catch a serial killer that had been stalking young women, raping and slashing their body parts so it was nearly impossible to identify them. We had to find dental records and fingerprints to match up the bodies when we could. Sadistic was a word that we used often through this investigation. 

One of the girls had survived his attack, giving us a description of a man with sandy colored hair, blue eyes and a scar down his left cheek, around forty years of age. We had the sketch artist come up with a reasonable simile and published it in every local paper. We put her in protective custody around the clock as we thought he might try to finish her off. He now knew that we knew what he looked like.

We had gone beyond trying not to scare the public as the count was at ten and we knew there would be another one soon as his pattern was to wait until the weekends to find his next victim. Most of the girls lived alone, no boyfriends on the scene, so we knew he did his homework stalking them before he went after one. Usually he broke into their place late at night. Catching them sound asleep. Two girls had been found in a local park under branches off the trail that runners used. These two girls had their hair cut to the scalp with a cross cut into their forehead. This one really stumped us as to why the difference in his procedure. 

My boss came to me, and now I knew why I had been picked to join this task force, all the girls had red hair that he had killed, and yes, I was a redhead. They wanted to use me as bait and put my picture in the paper announcing a promotion for selling the most houses in the city. The picture would show my condominium inside and out and that it was on the market as I now planned to move to larger accommodations.

They moved me into this place before the picture was published and I was now the target for this crazy serial killer. My boss said I would be under surveillance at all times and would wear a wire 24/7.  All I had to do was wait for him to make his move and we would put him away for good and our city would again be safe.

The weekend was only three days away, he did not have much time to decide if I was going to be his next victim. I carried on as I was a real-estate agent and all my calls were recorded and checked out. Nothing happened when the weekend came and went. No new body appeared and we thought maybe he had been scared off with his photograph in all the papers.

The next week I felt like someone was watching me, but could never see anyone that looked suspicious. I only spotted my backup occasionally. I hope the killer would not spot him too. I told them to back off.

Friday night arrived and I had just opened a bottle of wine when the phone rang. I let it ring three times so the recording would start and we might find his location if it was him. I picked up. No one at the other end. Was this the night he was going to come after me? I poured a glass of wine and then dumped it down the sink, leaving the glass in view. I needed my head straight tonight. I started to light candles in the bathroom, running the water as if I was going to enjoy a leisurely night if he was watching from outside. My backup was one street over and my partner was next door in a vacant suite.

I waited an hour then emerged from the bathroom with my housecoat over my clothes and walked in front of my bedroom window. I had not closed the curtains so I was in plain view. Switching off the light I got under the covers and waited. We had radio silence and my partner would call the backup as soon as he heard me use our code and would be inside in minutes.

Two hours passed. I was about to abort when I heard the kitchen glass window tinkle softly. He was in and I sent my partner our code, shrinking farther down in my covers trying to breathe normally. My gun in my hand aiming at the door. My heart was beating twice as fast.

We had to be sure this was the killer and not just, someone trying to rob me, so I waited until I heard a scrape on the stair coming towards me. He slowly opened my bedroom door as I switched on the flashlight his sandy blond hair and scar on his cheek told me this was our guy. He showed surprise but recovered quickly moving towards the bed to grab and swing at my head missing only by inches. I lifted my gun and got off one shot as my partner crashed through the door. We had him handcuffed before backup was on the scene.

 

As he was taken away, he swore he would get me. My only comment was he would not be getting anyone again.

Unfortunately, he slipped on my stairs falling to the bottom step, while being taken out and broke his neck. Nobody asked if he was pushed or fell. We were just glad there would never be a trial.

So we never found out why he had carved the cross into the girls foreheads.

I will leave that to the shrinks to figure out.

Afraid

I was in the trunk of a car and by the sound of the tires squealing and my body hitting both sides of the car, we must have going at high speed. I had a smelly cloth tied over my head. First thing I did was get it off and away from my nose. Thankful they did not tie my hands and legs.

I had been walking to the store when a car pulled up beside me asking me directions. I stopped walking answering as best I could, not knowing the street they were asking for. If it had been a van, I would not have gotten as close to the window, but before I had a chance to yell or run the passenger was out and had me around the neck pushing me into the trunk. How many times had I told my pupils never to go near a car if they did not know who was in it.  

I started to bang the rear lights. After what seemed like hours, I kept my feet right on, the light and hit it as hard as I could. My ankles and feet were getting numb. Finally it popped out. They had slowed down some and I wondered if they could hear my noise. I was afraid of what would happen when they stopped the car.

It sounded like we were on gravel and I could hear voices, I started banging on the lid of the trunk. I heard a strong voice telling someone to open the trunk. A gun shot. 
Then the trunk opened and all I could see was one of the men lying on the ground bleeding from the chest and the other in hand cuffs. A policeman gave me his hand to help me out. I wished it had been me who fired.

I had to go to court and testify. The fellow who had been shot died on the way to the hospital and the other one was charged with kidnapping. He was sentenced to ten years as he pleaded no contest and said he was only the driver and was not aware of what his friend had in mind. His brother got on the stand and gave a raving report of how good a person he was and had never been in trouble with the law before.

I did not know at the time that the brother had many charges against him and had spent a few years in jail. That did not come out at trial. 
However, he came to visit me and told me to recant my statement in favour of his brother as they were going after a re-trial and he would be paying me a visit late one night if I did not.

Was I going to have to live in fear for the next ten years or more? Should I go to the police and file a complaint or handle this myself? I lived alone in a small house on a dead-end street, no neighbours close and trees surrounded me. I had always enjoyed my privacy and was not going to let this criminal change my life.

The phone calls started late at night and continued for the next month. The phone would ring and when I picked up silence and heavy breathing.  Then a rock came crashing through my kitchen window in the middle of the night. I phoned the police and they came and looked around in my garden. They thought it might be kids just trying to scare me until I told them what had been happening since the trial. They boarded up the window and said they would try to get footprints the next day. Then would send patrols past through the night. 
On the other hand, would I like to go to a hotel until they got who was doing this? I told them I knew it was the brother and why did it not come out in the trial that he was an ex-convict?

I started to believe the police could not protect me. Being summer, I was off work and a plan began to form in my mind.  The re-trial neared. 

The next day the phone rang, a whispered voice told me I should not become involved with the police and this was my last warning. I was going to pay for doing it.  I was sure he would come late at night and try to get into my house, killing me so I could not re-testify in the morning.  The police told me they would come by every hour that night but I had seen them cruise by, hardly looking at my house.

I prepared for the night ahead, taking my sleeping bag and hiding it between the trees of my house where the brush was thick. Using some wire, I attached some tiny bells to my plants at the back and front doors. I would hear him arrive. I hid all my kitchen knives, and potential weapons that he could use against me, only putting my new gun in my hip holster. I would never be without this until this man was gone from my life, one way or another.

I made two thermoses of coffee and some snacks inside a pack sack. It was going to be a long night. I dressed in dark cloths as the sun went down and dusk settled in. No moon tonight. I was sure he would make the move soon to stop me from testifying  tomorrow.

My watch just reached three o’clock when I heard the bells. and a murmured curse from him.  He was carrying  a red can and had started to splash it around the front door then moved towards the back. He was planning to set my house on fire!

I ran from the bush as he came back towards me and I shot the can from his hand. It burst into flame as he tried to distance himself. I let another shot off so he could not move. He did not know where I was I pressed 9-1-1 as I changed my position. He was stuck beside the burning gas can.

Then he made a big mistake taking out a gun and started aiming into the darkness randomly hitting trees as I moved behind the trunk of my big weeping willow. I could hear sirens closing. He would be caught in moments, but I was not prepared to go through another trial for this man.

I aimed and hit him right through his head. Lucky shot.

They called it self defense. No trial for me either.

Grandpa

A dark figure appeared in my peripheral vision, the footsteps stopped when I did. Then started up when I resumed walking. A scraping sound went along with what sounded like a cane and whoever was using it tried to subdue its noise.

I quicken my step, trying to reach the subway and get on a train before whoever it was caught up to me. Reaching the last car before it left the station, I jumped on, looking around to see if I could get a glimpse of the people who were behind me. Several, two women and three men arrived, getting on just before the doors closed.

An elderly person who carried a cane sat three rows from me. Another dark man in an overcoat had sat down before I had a chance to look if he was carrying anything in his hands. Watching him from the corner of my eye, he paid no attention to me or anyone else,  just sat looking out the window. The old man sat talking to a woman beside him. He reminded me of a grandpa.

Maybe I just had let my imagination run wild and nobody had been following me after all. I settled down reading my book as my stop was last on the route. When I looked up only a few passengers were left, dark man and grandpa and one woman. Dark man got off at the next stop, leaving the remaining three of us. He had a walking stick.

As the train neared my station grandpa smiled over as the last woman got off the stop before mine. A slight chill ran through me, shaking off the feeling I ignored him, got up, and moved closer to the exit door. When the train stopped I would jump up, surprise would be on my side and run for the stairs and would be gone when he emerged. He got up moving closer to the door as the train stopped. I was through the doors as they opened.

Taking the stairs two at a time, I looked up to see the dark man coming down towards me, how had he gotten to this station so quickly?  I only hesitated a second and turned to run back down the stairs, tripping as I reached the landing. The old man was starting up the stairs towards me and caught me before I fell. The shadowy figure appeared on the stairs coming towards us. I had nowhere to go as his walking stick came down and hit the old man across the knees, losing his balance he fell backwards towards the platform missing going over onto the track by inches. I bent to help him when I felt a hand grab my neck and pull me away.

Dark guy was sneering, his teeth showing a yellow tinge. His sinister brown eyes boring into my face sent shivers up my whole body. He started to drag me into an alcove, pulling at my coat as I struggled to get free. No one was around to hear my screams and this man was going to rape or kill me. 
As he turned at a sound behind us, I was able to kick him hard in his groin he bent over from surprise as grandpa came up and smashed his cane into the mans face. He was in frenzy now coming at us slashing his stick wildly. Moving us closer to the platform, I could hear a train coming. Hoping someone would come and help us from this maniac.

He grabbed hold of the old man's jacket. I grabbed the cane and hit him over the head and heard a loud cracking sound like I had broken a bone, he staggered losing his balance as I lunged towards him pushing him onto the track as the train came screeching into the station.

He would not be bothering anyone again as he lay dead under the train.

Grandpa picked up his cane, checked it for damage, turned towards me telling me he had to go now as his dinner would be waiting. He shuffled away. 


As passengers got out of the train to stare at the mangled body I melted into the crowd and went home.

Just Business

When do you know when enough is enough?

My latest employee had been around for six months, lately he had started to get on my nerves.

Every time we were out on a business venture, he always had to stick to me like glue. I told him to find someone else to talk to as I wanted to work the crowd,  I needed to get more backing for a new project that I had been working hard on for several months.

Most of my clients were wealthy men who had to be seduced into opening their wallets. To me that was part of the game we played and I knew I had a mooch hooked to give me a large cheque when I flirted back and led them on.  A woman in this fast pace lifestyle had to work her wiles to have them coming back with every new project that I brought to them. I loved living on this edge as in my business I walked a fine line between legal and not so legal. I brought big dividends to my clients. I had made millions but so had they.

Salvador is what he called himself. His real name was Sam, but he thought that was just not suitable for his self-esteem it was too plain according to him. He thought he could play with the big boys. And girls. 
He had started showing a jealous streak especially if one of my clients came on strong towards me. He didn't seem to get that I was actually playing that game for my own benefit. He was only my window dressing and bodyguard when I needed a big man to serve as my messenger for any unpleasant tasks.

I had decided Salvador had outdone his usefulness and after tonight, he would be sent packing, as he had started to think he was a big part of my business that I alone had built. He was starting to remind me of my last employee who was still bothering me after I had fired him over a year ago. Why did men think they were smarter than I was?   
That is where they made a big mistake.

Arriving at our home after a very successful night, I poured myself a drink and one for Sam. Then wrote out a severance cheque. Handing it to him, he tore it up and told me that I was not going to get rid of him that easy, he was now part of my empire and was staying as he had lots of information on me and had no problem telling the tax department or the police.

I told him he did not know who he was dealing with and he would be smart to take the cheque. He laughed saying he was in for the long haul and expected more money to keep his mouth shut.

That is when my mind started to plan on how to get rid of him. Nobody was going to blackmail me and get away with it. I had worked far too long and hard to get where I was. I told him I would sleep on his proposition and let him know in the morning. Pouring him another drink, he smirked, downing it in one swallow and left for his room boasting that he had big plans for us being together as a couple so for me to think on that through the night. 

I waited for him to go to sleep and quietly I slipped into his room. The pills were defiantly working that I had slipped into his drinks. Tying his arms and legs and putting tape over his mouth, he never stirred. My intuition was right on knowing he would not leave quietly without his own nefarious plan. His breathing was a bit slow, but nothing that would show when he woke up. I left with his watch and his glass from the drinks, making sure not to leave my fingerprints. I also took one of Sams shoes to leave an impression on the dirt outside my ex-employee  house.  Heading out to visit Greg.

He let me in when I rung up, looking happy to see me. The first comment out of his mouth was he knew I would need him back. 

I shot him with my Beretta. 

Messed his place up making it look like a fight had happened, leaving the watch and glass near the body.

Heading home, I looked in on Sam who was still in a sound sleep. Wiping off the gun I placed his hands around it laying it beside his sleeping body. Took the tape off his mouth and undid his hands and legs. He remained in a sound sleep.

I waited for another two hours, then lifting the phone, I explained to the operator at 911. I had heard my employee come in. He came into my room waving my gun around and yelling about killing my ex-employee out of jealousy. 
Please send the police right away. I was afraid for my life. Sam awoke already in handcuffs and is now serving twenty years.

Talk about killing two birds with one bullet.

Soul search

My soul was feeling ethereal, I could not recognize why.

I had fidgety nights, waking and not able to get back to sleep. My psyche was out of balance, as much as I tried to figure out what was erroneous I could not. My symmetry was definitely off and the sensation kept creeping in that someone watched from above the universe.

 

Voices came in waves, I could never understand what they said, but it was continuous through the night. When I finally slept, my dreams were indistinguishable of what had transpired, never remembering what my imaginings had been. That was strange for me as I always remembered when I awoke. My body felt that I had been out in a cloudburst as I was drenched and quivering. Something was happening in the cosmos, until I could find out what I would not be at peace within my core.

I had not taken to the skies for any extraterrestrial travel and wondered if that was my problem. I must admit the last trip had left me uncertain of what I would encounter on my next undertaking to visit my friends. The last twice I had only run into my angels and devil like creatures. They had been waiting for me on both trips. None of my human friends had ventured to the skies for sometime. Did they have a shocking incident as I had come across and were fearful to return?

I was a person who faced my fears and decided to try to travel tonight.

The skies were full of foreboding dark clouds, not a pleasant night. Should I put off my travels for a brighter and more pleasurable time? Was I just procrastinating? Looking for an excuse not to go tonight?  My body trembled as I lay in bed waiting for sleep to come. My spirit felt heavy as a brick as I lay willing myself to go, nothing happened and I was about to give up when I started floating high above the clouds. They seemed to part as I rose higher with every movement I made. Yet I still had a laden down feeling within.

I could only see streaks of light flying through the clouds as darkness surrounded me. I felt vulnerable and alone, not a friendly face, just mysterious space invader like figures swirling around me, coming closer every time.

I moved away going higher into murky space. No stars shone and I could not see clearly, so I decided to return to earth. As I floated downward, a gust of wind kept pulling me higher above the clouds. Some terrestrial life form had control of my body not giving me a chance to break free. I could feel their power as I was under their magnetic pull. They wanted me to see what was transpiring in my universe.

What I saw directly in front of me was complete carnage. The devil spirit figures were being eliminated, one by one, as they tried to sweep away these small creatures from outer space. They had more power than the evil devils.  Now I wondered if these aliens wanted to be our friends. Or showing us what they were capable of.

My angels floating in groups came into view looking unsure, not understanding what had been happening. The devil spirits were all gone, but for how long?

The sky opened up as the last space invader disappeared from sight as the stars shone brightly and lit up the white clouds.

My equilibrium felt centered once again.

Thought Process

The last few weeks I have had time to review my life and wonder in what direction to take as I turn a corner in my destiny.

I have spent hours trying to decide in which direction to go .Since I can remember I always took the path less traveled.  Since I was a kid, I always sided with the underdog, it always got me into trouble. That is why I am sitting in jail now.

Even my parents called me trouble from an early age. I really tried to be normal, but it was so hard for me to stay focused in school or any job that I applied for. Eventually they would fire me saying I just was not suitable for the position. One job I kept for a whole month, I think they felt sorry for me or just desperate at the time to fill the space. It was as if I was on a treadmill trying to stay on but always falling off. 

My thought process changed after my last job, I started to look around and see what would benefit me, not them. I started slowly pilfering small amounts of money, then walking home handing out what I had stolen to the less fortunate. I was loved in my neighborhoods everyone had a wave as I passed. This went on for over a year with many jobs in-between from cleaning houses to working in department stores but would finally get caught taking something that did not belong to me. I would never admit to any theft and was never charged.

I hit the big time when Brinks hired me to count money in their dungeon of what they called an office.  Cameras everywhere even in the washrooms. I sat at a table with bags stacked high with a machine automatically sucking and counting, putting them in piles, thousands of bills that went through all day. I loved the feeling of touching it and of the power, I felt surrounded by all the color of the bills. I felt exhilarated for eight hours when I was there.

 
My brain started to burn with all the possibilities that I had in front on me. However, knowing my record of accomplishment, I had to devise a system quickly to get as much out of there in a matter of days. Going home, I sewed expandable pockets into my skirts. My boss was a pudgy bald man in his fifties; he was overweight and swallowed a doughnut in one bite. I brought him big homemade cookies every day and was his friend for life.

I started my day off feeling very confident that I could beat their system. After lunch, pudgy always stayed in his office and had a nap. I had moved my chair closer to the air conditioner knowing I was on the edge of the camera. The other girls really did not talk much through the day. I was not the chitchat type anyways. On a trial run I accidentally dropped a pile of bills making a big deal, saying sorry and continued to put the money into the machine,  when pudgy looked up winked and closed his eyes again. One pile stayed on the floor, as I slowly slipped them into my boot. Back to counting, then left to go to the washroom, closing the door as I slipped the pile into my pockets with my back to the camera. Easy, so I thought.

I looked forward to going to work daily, the thrill of getting more brazen every time. I had started out with small amounts, it only took a few days before my boots were filled and I was deciding whether to get a larger size boot. Every time I headed to the washroom, my spirits rose and the excitement of it all was overwhelming. Only one glitch happened as I was stuffing the money into my pocket on the second day, a bill fell to the floor. Dropping my purse over it quickly, trying to do so making it look natural for the cameras, I scooped it up as I went back to work.

This went on for another week. They were very slack and did not seem to notice any money missing, I had hit the jackpot. Feeling jubilant and so were the homeless along my route home. Arriving to work the second week, which was a miracle in itself. I knew something was very wrong, as Pudgy had a sad look on his face telling us money was missing. The books did not balance with the cash that was entered. The discrepancy was over five thousand dollars. My thought was did I really get that much in such a short time.

The police were there to question us all. They could not know who it was as I was careful around the cameras and knew exactly the places they were situated.  They questioned us all separately so I knew I was not the only suspect. I would just cool it for a few days and then carry on.

They asked me being the newest one hired, if I had seen anything irregular amongst the others and said no, and told them I was shocked to think I was working with a thief. That was when they showed me the video of me dropping the money on the floor and slipping it into my boots. The sneaky bastards had a pinhole camera mounted under my table. Pudgy looked very sad as they took me away in handcuffs. I wondered if he was sad because he would not be getting any more cookies.

 

I was charged with theft over five hundred dollars, I pleaded guilty because of the video. The judge asked me where the money was and if I returned it, he would consider that with my sentencing.  I told him what I had done with the money and so they pegged me with the name Robin Hood’s helper in the newspaper.

As I said, I had been renewing my life as I have only two more weeks inside and have to decide what journey I will be taking when I get out. Jail was not as bad as I had been led to believe. I finally had made a few friends and we plan to get together and brain-storm when released.

I honestly do not think I will ever lead a normal life.