Remember Me?
Prologue
It's Not What You Think
I could hear him behind me and he was getting closer. My body was furious and screaming at me, telling me repeatedly that I couldn't run anymore. I was already practically crawling through the Michigan snow in my ripped jeans and the rag that used to be my favorite shirt. As horrible as this all sounds, it was very simple. If he didn't kill me, then the hypothermia would. Fresh shots of pain ran through me with every step I took. I wanted to stop. I wanted to throw up. I wanted this to end. My brain knew even better than my body that I couldn't take the pain. All the while, my heart pounded erratically in my chest as my breath escaped in random, harsh puffs, splitting the air in front of me.
This was it. I was done. The light sound of his footsteps pounded in my ears. He had slowed his pace. He knew just as well as I did that I wasn't going to make it. He paced himself with the patience of a decent predator. He was watching me, mocking me, and I could picture that roguish smile that was surely on his face. My body finally gave in to the fact that there was no sense in fighting anymore and it just seemed to shut off as I dropped. My lungs felt like they were about to burst as I could feel the tiny vibrations of his feet touching the ground. I looked up as he towered over me.
He knelt down beside me and traced the edge of my chin with his finger. His touch stung more than I would've thought it would. His finger was just as cold as the remainder of my body that had managed to keep from going completely numb. The world around me started to fade. He knew this. I felt my eyes close. I forced them open. He bent down and his lips brushed against the piece of ice that was my ear.
"Why did you have to make this harder on yourself?" he hissed.
"I …don't e-even k-k-know y-you."
"And that's why I'm doing this, love, you may not know me, but I certainly know you."
I took in my last breath as it burned its way through my lungs. One cold tear went down my cheek and my eyes closed for the last time.