Starting At Shadows

Starting at Shadows

by Krista Heiser

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Star ting at Sha do ws by Krista Heiser

I couldn’t wait to get off work and have that drink I had been fantasizing about all afternoon.

What had started out as a

bad day had only gotten worse with each passing hour.

I had

forgotten to set the alarm clock, which had made me rush through a shower and miss breakfast altogether. flat tire.

Then I discovered the

After plugging in my dead cell phone so I could call

for some assistance, I had listened to the three voicemail messages that had been left on my phone overnight. were silent.

All of them

Creepy silent.

Work hadn't been much better. Another had gone home sick.

A co-worker had quit.

Then there were the shoppers.

More

than one blamed me personally for her frustration with a stubborn zipper.

As if I had made the damn clothes.

Please.

We couldn't close the doors soon enough as far as I was concerned. “So where are we going again?” Jana asked, dipping the mop’s ropey threads into the murky gray water.

There had been

suds in the bucket when she had started. I folded a tank top, grinning skull and red letters face up, and placed it on the shelf. “The Galleon,” Kari answered.

She dumped the final batch

of dirt into the trash near the back counter where rows of black 2

lipstick and fake eyelashes adorned the counter.

“We haven’t

been there in forever.” Of course, there was a reason for that.

I hated the

Galleon and usually refused to set one foot inside its cursed walls.

But tonight I had given in to Kari’s pleading and

agreed to join her and Jana at our old haunt.

A lot had changed

over the last year and I figured the Galleon wouldn’t be the same hole I remembered.

And even if it was, at least I’d get

that drink I wanted. “I’m done,” Our boss said, appearing in the archway leading to the back office and staging area of the store. you girls?

You ready to get out of here yet?”

I glanced around the store. place.

“How about

Everything seemed to be in

Clothes hung in neat rows or sat on orderly shelves.

The floor looked decent, although I thought a wax wouldn’t hurt. “Looks good to me.” Jana put the mop into the bucket and headed toward the back room, pushing the contraption in front of her. “All I need to do is dump this water out.

Give me five minutes. Tops.”

While Jana did her thing the rest of us grabbed our purses and waited at the gated entrance.

Kari tried talking the boss

into joining us but the mother of two insisted she needed to get home to her irritable husband;

apparently one of her kids had

the flu and daddy wasn’t handling the situation very well.

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“Okay, let’s go.” Jana had her purse in one hand and her car keys in the other. The boss unlocked the gate, lifted it high enough for the four of us to dip under, and then locked it behind us.

We waved

goodbye to her as we headed toward the opposite end of the mall. When Jana and Kari angled toward a hallway leading toward the back parking lot, I hesitated just long enough for Kari to notice. “Where are you parked?” I motioned in the opposite direction. spot I could find this afternoon. She frowned.

“I took the first

I’m down by Sears.”

“You want to walk out with us?

I can give

you a lift to your car.” I shook my head.

“No, that’s alright. I’ll meet you at the

Galleon.” “You sure?” “I’m sure,” I said.

I wasn’t thrilled by the idea but I

figured I could handle it. When they just stared at me I gave them a cocky smile and a jaunty little wave before walking away.

Seconds later I could

hear the rhythm of conversation and the sound of their footsteps echoing through the hallways.

As I turned a corner the noise

faded and only a shadowy silence kept me company. I pushed out of the entrance doors and into the warm summer night.

My car sat at the end of a distant row, faintly

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illuminated by the amber glow of an overhead parking lamp some distance away. Now, as much as I hate to admit it, I am not a fan of the dark.

A year ago it wouldn’t have bothered me.

But it bothers

me now. Standing on the sidewalk under the canopy of the lights from the mall entranceway I scanned the lot and the few remaining cars.

They looked abandoned.

Forgotten.

I glanced

down at the heeled boots and leather mini-skirt I had chosen. It had been sassy in the daylight, now the ensemble looked restrictive and foolish.

Wishing I had jeans and tennis shoes,

I stepped off the sidewalk. I looked in every car I passed, searching the darkness within for any sign of life.

I walked as fast as I could,

wondering if I could outrun any madmen who might suddenly appear.

My car grew closer but my hyper-vigilance didn’t fade.

My heart pounded in my ears and I hated the fear propelling me faster and faster toward my goal. Once the night had been my friend.

My element.

I glanced in through the windshield of an adjacent car. breath caught in my throat. A pair of eyes.

My heartbeat accelerated.

My

A face.

A cruel twist of lips into a mocking smile.

The face of my nightmares. I raced toward my car, forgetting the awkwardness of running in shoes not designed for this type of punishment.

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I

could feel his hot breath on my neck. I pushed myself to run faster and prayed the heels on my boots would not break or cause me to trip and fall.

I felt as if I were flying, the pavement a

blur beneath my feet.

I could also feel his breath on my neck,

his hands reaching for my hair. I unlocked the car from a few feet away with the remote, desperate to beat him to the car.

I yanked on the door handle,

pulled the door open with a vicious jerk, and lunged into the car, pulling the door closed behind me.

I hit the locks even as

I glanced up through the window. The moon and stars looked back at me. I searched the parking lot for his tall, lanky frame.

My

gaze probed the dark interior of the car I could have sworn I had seen him sitting in. wheel and dashboard.

I could just make out the steering

If someone sat inside the car, I couldn’t

see him. I took a deep breath and told myself to calm down. imagination had gotten the better of me.

My

I had panicked.

I

could live with that. Damn, I needed a drink.

The bar was crowded and loud.

Kari, Jana and I pushed

through the gyrating bodies spilling off the dance floor.

I

must have looked as freaked out as I felt because Kari had taken one look at me under the neon lights outside and insisted on

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buying me my first drink.

Considering I had kept looking in my

rear-view mirror, certain he hid in my backseat and would come up smiling that pitiless smile behind me, I had handed her my keys. It took a few minutes to get our drinks.

I took a quick

shot, welcoming the burn of straight vodka down my throat.

The

sugar-coated lemon I bit into dulled the rough edges. The rock music pouring through the speakers forced us to talk louder than normal.

I leaned in close to Kari’s ear.

“Thanks. I needed that.” “No problem.

What had you so freaked?”

I noticed Jana had already found a man to keep her busy. Not a surprise.

Any girl who looked that good in next to

nothing deserved a few free drinks. I leaned in close to Kari’s ear, trying not to yell but raising my voice anyhow to be heard over the pounding music. swear I saw Jeremy in the parking lot at work.

“I

Got a little

spooked.” Instant concern pinched my best friend’s face. think it was really him?

“Do you

I thought you had a restraining order.”

“Yeah, like he’s ever paid attention to that,” I said, signaling the bartender.

That lemon drop hadn’t been enough.

“I think I was imagining things, though.

When I drove by the

car I thought he was in, it was empty.” The bartender leaned forward, “What can I get you?”

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I glanced a Kari, “What do you want?” “Miller Lite.” I grimaced but ordered her the beer and myself a Captain and Coke.

As I dug out the money I had stuffed into my pocket,

careful not to dislodge my driver’s license, I looked into the mirror behind the bartender. pair of dancers.

Jeremy’s face flashed between a

I swung around, pushing Kari aside so I could

have a better view of the dance floor.

Jana waved at me over

the shoulder of the guy grinding on her; her grin said she was having fun.

I searched beyond her, my instincts telling me I

had not imagined him this time. He was in the bar.

Messing with me.

“Mel?” I glanced at Kari.

“He’s here.”

She did some searching of her own then.

Together we left

the bar and pushed through the crowd, searching for the man who had ruined my life. “I don’t see him anywhere,” Kari said. I frowned.

“Are you sure?”

I felt certain I had seen him but the more I

searched the less convinced I felt.

The crowd had swelled.

“He was here.”

People were everywhere.

filled every void and rang in my ears.

The music

I smiled at the cute

frat boy I had been dancing with for the last few songs.

I

stared up into his bright blue eyes as his fingertips brushed my

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bare midriff.

I put my hand on his shoulder, swinging my hips

in time with the beat. I could see Kari and Jana on either side of us. new boy now.

Jana had a

They flocked to her and, while some people would

find reason to hate her for it, I didn’t mind in the least. wasn’t above enjoying the fall out of her admirers.

I

Just like

my current dance partner, their friends always seemed more than happy to dance with me and Kari. The dance ended and another began but I couldn’t wait any longer. ago.

I had made the mistake of breaking the seal some time

Nature called.

“I’ll be right back.”

He leaned in, his cologne tempting me. “What?” “I said I’ll be right back.”

I motioned him toward the

table where our drinks sat. He nodded in understanding and followed me off the dance floor.

I left him there with our half-filled glasses, thinking

I’d have to buy us girls a new round since we had left our drinks unguarded. I made my way toward the rest room, the alcohol making me feel light and more than a little giddy.

A body pressed against

mine from the side, an arm snaking around my waist.

I tried to

pull away, too intent on my bladder to notice the guy hitting on me, but found I was trapped in an unrelenting embrace. “Hey, baby.” At the familiar words I froze.

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Fear burned away the alcohol. focus.

Things came into sharp

The bright red letters hanging above the door adjacent

to the bathrooms freed me of my paralysis.

I twisted in his

arms, tangling our legs and threatening his balance.

“Let me

go, you bastard!” He flinched and stepped away from me as if I had pushed him, his eyes wide in surprise.

He held his hands up as if in

surrender but I knew better than to trust his innocent act. I hit him. I hit him as hard as I could, hoping it hurt even half as much as it had hurt when he had hit me.

I clawed and kicked.

I

screamed until the only thing I could hear was the sound of my voice.

Not the music.

Not the people around us.

Just my voice.

He tried to fend me off, to push me back. Caught in a frenzy of emotion, I twisted out of the hands attempting to keep me away from him until I couldn't escape them anymore.

I panted in the grasp of some stranger, spent.

I

glared at the man who had ruined my life in so many ways.

He

spat blood on the floor and raked a shaking hand through his dark, spiked hair, trying to return it to its normal smooth wave. He ignored the people asking him if he were okay, their eyes flashing to me with a wariness I found oddly satisfying. "The crazy bitch tried to kill me!"

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The man holding me gave me a brief shake and put his face in front of mine, leaving me no choice but to focus on him instead of the man I had once loved. "What's going on here?" "I have a restraining order against him," I began, ignoring a comment about how he should have one against me. messing with me all day.

Following me.

"He's been

He was probably the one

who gave me a flat this morning!" "Wait just a damn minute!

I don't even know her." He wiped

a hand across his bloody mouth. her a drink.

That's it.

"I was going to offer to buy

Then she went all psycho on me."

The bouncer put his arm out, a barrier meant to keep us apart.

"Let me get this sorted out."

Kari pushed her way to my side, her eyes scanning me for damage.

The bouncer warned her to back off, to keep out of it,

but she refused to leave. a terrible mistake.

"Please.

It's a mistake.

She's made

Just let me take her home."

I shook my head.

I hadn't made a mistake.

she of all people would cheer me on.

I had thought

She'd been there through

the worst of it, through the hospital stay and the therapy sessions.

Yet her expression was jubilant or gleeful.

looked downright guilty.

She

Although why she would feel that way I

couldn’t guess. She held my gaze.

"Look at him, Mel.

You made a mistake."

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It's not Jeremy.

I shook my head. have.

I hadn’t made a mistake.

I knew Jeremy.

I shook my head again. "Look, Mel.

Please."

I couldn’t.

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I couldn’t