I was running. I felt my heart racing in my chest faster with every steps and I felt my lungs were about to explode. I felt the tiredness in my legs, but I couldn't stop. Not until I can't get rid of those hunting images, my personal torment ... the echoes of my past. I didn't even realised that I was already in the middle of the forest. I stopped and looked around as the darkness fell silently around me. It was darker by every only thing I saw was a burned down house. Some of the walls were still standing. I went one step closer tried to imagine what happened here and I have sworn that I saw a flickering light for a minute in one of the windows. I watched too many horror movie about abandoned houses, ghosts, murderers to know that this is not a good sign. Especially when –shall we say – an attractive woman standing in the middle of the forest, alone.
Ladies and gentlemen that's how a good horror movie starts. As I tried to back away, a slight breeze brought the heavy scent of the scorched wood. The house, the forest and the smell was so familiar, that I immediately closed my eyes - I know, stupid choice - and tried to pull out the memory. Blurry images flashed across my mind. I almost found the right one when I heard something behind me.
- Sh*t. –I murmured my regular ladylike comment as I turned over to see the source of the sound.
I opened my mouth to say something, but the stranger was faster.
- You are not supposed to be here. This is private property. MY property. Please –he clenched his teeth as he said that, as it was some sort of cuss –word - get out from here.
And he started to walk away from me.
- You live here. – It was more like a question, but it came out as a statement.
- It's none of your business. Go home, it's very dangerous out here –and he looked at me despisingly, like I was some sort of self-helpless, stupid little child.
Oh that's exactly the way how to piss off the woman like me.
- Oh I'm sorry sunshine, next time I try to find another lonely douche bag with male chauvinism.
By the time the last word left my mouth I had already regretted it. I saw that every muscle in his body tensed, he clenched his hand and turned to face me.
- I'm sorry! – I sad right away.
I didn't say that because I was afraid of him, but I saw his eyes. His greenish brown eyes filled not with anger but deep undefined sadness.
- Go home. And don't come back, at least not alone and not in the middle of the night.
I nodded and started to walk away, when the memory what I was looking for a couple of minutes ago find me.
I breathed out slowly and looked over my shoulder to see him one last time to impress his face upon my mind.
- I found you. The man I have to stop. The man I have to kill if there's no other way.