by Kari Chaplin
I was lost in my thoughts, not paying much attention to the road. On a clear night, the night sky was bright, providing enough light for my drive home. This far from town offered little in the way of street lamps. But tonight the night sky was black from clouds covering the moon. It was too dark to see anything other than what was directly in front of my headlights. I brought my attention back to the road. My favorite song came on the radio. I sang along as I focused on driving.
“What the…?” In the dim of my headlights stood what seemed to be the shadow of a person. Letting my foot off the gas, I blinked several times, convinced my eyes were playing tricks on me. Hallucinations aren’t uncommon on a dark drive through the country. As the car drifted closer, the figure turned into a real person in my headlights. My heart skipped a beat. “Why aren’t they moving out of the way?” I slammed on the brakes as hard as I could. My car squealed.
Another set of headlights was headed in my direction in the other lane so I couldn’t swerve to my left, and to my right stood a collection of construction equipment. The road was in the middle of a massive expansion, so both sides of the road were closed off by cones and aligned with big heavy machinery. I was literally between a rock and a hard place. I either had to hit the person, the other car, or the massive machinery. I was flustered as I finally came to a grinding stop just a couple of inches from the person. I blinked several times in disbelief. In the brightness of my headlights stood Psycho Guy. His eyes bore into mine with an intensity that demanded my attention. What the hell? As he got closer, I saw his eyes were now gray, not black like when I met him at the bar. Eyes can’t change color.
The other car stopped parallel to mine, but I barely noticed.
Tap, tap, tap. I jumped. I didn’t even look up to notice the other driver get out and approach me.
I cracked my window, “Hello?”
“Ma’am, I’m Officer Spencer, Are you okay?”
“I-I-I’m fine,” I stuttered.
“You swerved and stopped suddenly.” I looked up at the person standing by my window. He was holding up a police badge. That was when I realized the other car was lit up with flashing lights.
“I had to stop so I didn’t hit the person in the road.” I stuttered.
The cop stared blankly at my face and then allowed his eyes to explore the interior of my vehicle. “License and registration, please.”
“D--d--did you see that? Did you see the guy?” I asked breathlessly. “I almost hit him.” My hands were shaking. My voice was cracked and raspy.
“License and registration,” he repeated.
I obeyed by fishing out the papers as requested.
“Vanessa Scanlon. Can you tell me where you are going?”
“I’m headed home.”
“Do you need me to call someone for you? Have you been drinking or taking any drugs, err, Ms. Scanlon?”
“What? No… no. What kind of question is that?”
“Where have you been tonight?” he asked, ignoring my question.
“Work. I’m a waitress at the bar.”
“You’ll have to forgive me. I’m not from ‘round here. Where is the bar?”
I pointed behind me. “Where is the man?”
“Ms. Scanlon, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s the guy walking in the road that you should be talking to.”
“What guy?”
“There was a man straight in front of me on the road. He wouldn’t move. I almost couldn’t stop.” My voice was hysterical.
“There wasn’t anyone out here.”
“Yes, there was. I mean, I saw him.” I couldn’t believe his questions. Of course, there was someone in front of my car. “I’m not crazy. I know what I saw. I almost hit him.”
“No, there wasn’t. Ma’am, please step out of the car.” He opened my car door, and I stepped out.
“I’m not on anything and I'm not crazy.”
“I understand. Tell me about your day.”
“To be honest, I am exhausted. I’ve had a really long day.” Officer Spencer’s held worry in his blue eyes. “It’s been a long week.” I repeated in a strong tone.
“Walk this line,” he ordered. I did as he said. “Breathe into this.” He handed me a breathalyzer. Again, I did as he said. He had me do a few more sobriety tests, passing them all. “Well, nothing I can detect.” He took a deep breath. “Are you sure you are just tired?”
“This has been an ungodly twenty-four hours. I was called in to work a double tonight. So not to be rude, but yes, I’m exhausted and just want to go home.” I spilled out in a matter-of-fact manner.
He studied my face with a brotherly eye. “At least let me follow you. If you’re this tired, I’d feel better knowing you arrived home safely.”
“Thanks, but I live only about five miles from here. I’ll be fine.” He started to object, but I said, “Really, I’m almost there.”
“Are you sure? I really don’t mind.”
“I’m sure, but I do thank you for the offer. If it were further, I’d take you up on that,” I said to make him feel better.
“You’re the new cop in town,” I said to distract him. It worked.
“Yeah. I guess word travels quickly.”
“This is true. Where are you from?”
He softly laughed. “I’m surprised you don’t already know.”
I returned his laugh with a chuckle. “Oh, I’ve heard rumors that include a lot of scenarios.” The rumors in town didn’t give his good looks enough credit. He stood a little over six feet and was well built. His eyes were baby blue. Any girl, including me, would be jealous of those dark eyelashes. I took a quick glance to observe a naked left hand.
He laughed. “Of course you have.” He nervously cleared his throat. “I’m from Chicago.”
“Chicago? Really?”
“Yes.”
“That’s quite a distance from excitement to boring. What are you doing here?”
“I’m still trying to figure that one out.” His words were cautious but playful.
“Hmph. Okay. Well, I’m going to head home. Thanks for,” I smiled. “Everything you do.”
“And what did I do exactly?” he said, flirtatiously.
“You know, keeping your town safe and all.” A giggle accidentally escaped.
“You are welcome, Ms. Scanlon.” His smile was warm. He was definitely flirting with me.
“May I go now?”
“Of course. Here’s my card in case you need anything. Have a good night, Ma’am.”
Ugh, I really wished he wouldn’t call me that. We both got into our cars. He waited for me to get a waze down the road before heading the opposite direction.
That ended well, at least, I thought. I’m sure he thought I was mental or on something that he couldn’t detect with his fancy tests. I was too tired to care. I knew there was someone in my lane.
“It’s my sister’s fault. If she’d just left me alone, then all this weird crap wouldn’t be happening,” I said aloud to no one.
Our entire life Shannon could generally be blamed for everything. After all, she was the black sheep. Mom used to come bursting into my bedroom at two in the morning looking for her because she hadn’t come home that night. I had to endure the random midnight checks given that she had a bad habit of sneaking out. She had caused me nothing but frustration and anger. Some sister I was blessed with. I could pin all this crap on her somehow.
“Great. Shannon turned the light off. See. It’s her fault,” I grumbled to myself. I fussed about it in my head until I reached my parking space. I always left the light on because I lived in the middle of nowhere, ten miles outside of civilization. It was really dark without city lights.
The house had sprouted up in the middle of seven acres surrounded by huge trees. It was a mystery when the house was built. No one claimed to have known about its construction. It was a small town, which made the entire scenario that much stranger. People still questioned the events surrounding
the mysterious way it just appeared. One day it was empty land; the next day, a house sat in the middle. The owner of the property was so disturbed by it that he practically gave it to my parents. Imagine your house being the highlight of all the ghost stories growing up.
The trees concealed the already pitch-black sky, casting an even darker ambiance around the house. I fumbled out of my car, and headed for the front door. In my peripheral vision, I noticed a figure scurry past trees deeper into the woods. I instantly froze. My senses turned on high alert. The only part of my body I could move were my eyes. I looked to the left and then the right. I heard wispy shuffling in the woods. The noise didn’t belong in the forest. I knew the sounds of the night; that wasn’t one of them. It wasn’t footsteps but more like frolicking. My head heated; blood pumped faster. A tingle of fear ripped through my body. I tried to not make a sound, but a slight screech managed to escape. Slowly sliding open my phone, I pressed and held down the number two on the keypad. I really hoped my sister was still up or at least could hear the phone ringing.
“Who is calling at this hour?” Shannon protested under her breath as she picked up the receiver.
“Hey, it’s me. Turn on the living room light, and then come to the door to let me in. There’s someone in the woods. Turn on the porch light. Hurry… hurry,” I wailed in a whisper.
A few seconds later a light came on from inside the house. Then the porch light came on.
“Vessi, hurry, get in here.” She motioned with her hand.
I ran into the house. Surely, whoever was out there wouldn’t make a move with my sister as a witness.
“Oh, man, we need to call the police. I heard someone out there.” I didn’t make an attempt to hide my anxiety. I rummaged through my bag to find the card the cop gave me. I rushed to the phone.
“It’s just Jake,” she said calmly.
“Jake?” I asked as my heart slowed slightly. “Why didn’t he say something? Why is he out there so late anyway?”
“He likes to exercise outside. He’s doing his kickboxing or something,” she said, rolling her eyes. “He’s in his zone.”
Well, that explains the shuffling noise. My heart calmed to a normal pace. I hadn’t realized my nerves were shot so much that a little noise in the woods would freak me out so badly.
“Oh…” I took a deep breath. “Well, if that’s all it was, then I’m going to bed. I’ve had a crazy few days. You wouldn’t believe what’s been going on,” I said dawdling, too exhausted to hurry or fake much enthusiasm.
“What’s been happening?” Shannon asked.
“I don’t even wanna get into it. I really just want to go to bed and forget this entire day ever happened.” I slowly made my way upstairs and got ready for bed.
What a day, I thought. I was more than prepared to pass out in my oversized, ultra-plush bed. If I spent too much money on anything, it would have to be my bed. I shopped for bed accessories like other girls shopped for shoes or clothes.
I plopped down on my cloud of softness and closed my eyes to the warm smell of my favorite flower, Queen of the Night, which was a very rare orchid. It only bloomed once in its lifespan, during the darkest part of night. Aww, the most beautiful smell in the world, I thought. My sister must have refilled the plugged-in air freshener at the foot of my bed. It was sweet of her, was my last thought.
Six
I woke up to see the clock staring at me, which was glowing “04:35.” I slapped my hand to my forehead in frustration. “Ugh.”
“I didn’t mean to disturb you.” The familiar voice said.
“Oh, you didn’t,” I replied. “What are you doing all the way over there?” My tone was soft and welcoming as if I had been waiting for him.
“I was watching you sleep.” He pushed his foot off the wall and walked to the bed.
“Real exciting,” I giggled. I stretched my body like a cat.
“I think so.” His barely-there smile held a hint of orneriness, which broke his earnest front.
“Thanks for the flowers. Queen of the Night are my favorite,” I said, as I noticed them on my nightstand. I must have been too exhausted not to have seen them earlier. I took in a deep breath, enjoying the aroma that filled my room. Such was their rarity; I had only seen them in dreams and books. I could smell their sweet essence just by looking at the picture. It was like the flower was embedded in my soul.
“Of course.” His eyes softened from black to cool amber.
“What are you doing here?”
He sat next to me, and I placed my head on his chest. “Dreaming that this could be true,” he whispered gently.
I was too tired to even question what that meant. He kissed my forehead just before I fell to sleep in his soft, velvety embrace.
The next morning the sun was peering through my window, leaving me momentarily blinded. When my focus came back, I saw someone slowly drop down from the bedroom window. That was impossible. I was on the second floor. “I need to stop imagining things before I go crazy,” I said aloud. I walked to the window and looked out, seeing no evidence that anyone had been near my house. The lock was intact. I relaxed and sat back on my heavenly cloud. I stretched the sleep away while admiring the beautiful morning.
“Morning. I thought we could go to lunch today,” I heard my sister say as I walked out of the bathroom, rubbing my hair dry with a towel.
“I have to go to work early today.” I yelled to the bottom of the stairs.
She held her head down. “Maybe some other time?”
“Um, sure.” Okay, so I lied. I didn’t have to be at work until much later, but the last thing I wanted to do was hang out with them.
She climbed the stairs. “Um, someone came by the house for you this morning.”
“Really? Who?” I asked, surprised. No one ever came to visit me, except Myra. She would have called first and then let herself in, so I knew it wasn’t her. Besides, Shannon knew her.
“I don’t know, but it was a guy.” Her voice turned low and excited. “He was cute. I’d like to sink my teeth into him.”
“Ewe… gross... Aren’t you with Jake?”
“That doesn’t mean I can’t look. Who is he?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Did he leave his name?”
“Name? No… I guess he didn’t.”
“Oh, what did he look like?”
“Black curly hair, rock hard body… Mmmm,” she moaned with desire.
The pit of my stomach sank to the floor.
“What’s the matter, Vessi? You look sick. Here, sit down.” Before I knew it, I was in my room. Shannon had guided me to the bed. It had to be the guy from the bar. How did he find my house? Why?
“How did he find me?” I murmured to myself.
“Ves, what’s wrong? Who was that guy?” The concern on my face was worse than I intended.
“How did he find my house?” I mumbled.
“I doubt it was much of a challenge. Who is he?”
I composed myself. “Nothing’s wrong. I—I have to go to work.” I stammered. “It’s fine. Everything’s fine.” I was attempting to convince myself more than her.
I hopped in the car to head to pick up Myra. Spotting her on the porch, I realized that I had arrived. I had no recollection of the drive.
Myra hopped into my car. “Hey, I can pick you up, you know.”
“Well, good morning to you too, Sunshine,” I sarcastically replied. “Yeah, I know, but it gave me an excuse to leave early.”
“I see you’re in a pleasant mood.”
I ignored her. “Where to?” I headed to the main road.
“Well, we have five hours. And it’s a beautiful sunny day. I say.” She pretended to think as if I didn’t already know what was on her mind. “Shopping and then lunch.”
“So predictable.” I rolled my eyes. “I’d feel better if we grabbed lunch in Springdale. Shannon suggested we go to lunch today. I don’t want to be too close to town in case she still decides to go out. An accidental
run in would not be a good thing today.”
“Oh, good. I want to stop by Brown’s and get a dress. There was this certain sequin number in the window the other day.”
“ Yeah? This ought to be good. Go ‘head.”
“Well,” she began excitedly. “It’s super short. I mean like really short. Black. Sparkly. Did i mention it’s really cute?”
“And by cute you mean sexy,” I interjected.
“Of course,” she sang.
“Myra.”
“Yes.”
“Do you ever feel like you’re being stalked?” I asked, trying to seem nonchalant.
“No. What kind of question is that? Are you stalking me?” She leaned toward me, nudged my shoulder, and giggled. “I am stalkable.”
“Ha… ha… ha… real funny. I was just asking.”
The truth was I normally felt stalked. Ever since my dad died when I was a kid, I could feel a presence. I had always imagined he was still watching over us. Most kids imagined their absent parent was still around. It was never a bother until the last couple of weeks.
“Well, do you want to elaborate? What’s been going on that makes you feel stalked?”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on,Vessi. Dish,” she begged.
“I’m sure it’s just the stress of having unwelcome guests in my house. That’s about when it all began. I’m imagining things.” I didn’t elaborate to save her from freaking out on me.
We walked into Othello’s Italian Eatery. The hostess provided a warm welcome, immediately seating us in a booth. “Is this okay, ladies?” she asked with a polite smile.
“Sure,” we both agreed.
“Your waiter will be with you shortly. Enjoy.”
“Do you know what you want, Myra?”
“Nope.” She held up the menu. “I haven’t opened it yet.”
“Hello, I’m Noah, and I’ll be your waiter.” I looked up to see a blond, curly-haired, green-eyed guy standing in front of our table.
“Hello,” I said.
“Today’s special is Salmon Basil Pasta. May I start you off with drinks?”
“We will have Dr. Pepper and one order of Italian nachos, please,” Myra said, flirtatiously.