Present Day
I sigh and gaze at the clock, the second hand ever so slowly ticking away.
Tick
Tick
Tick.
I block out my professor as she lectures on about something I don't give a damn about. The hour hand on the clock finally reaches two, marking the eighteen minute countdown till I leave. I inwardly groan, wanting this day to end, but despising the fact I must come back to attend another class.
College... Sucks…
Tick
Tick
Tick.
I rip my eyes away from the clock and decide to pay attention to the last bit of the lesson.
"Heron's Theorem… Alexandria… first century CE…" She goes on and on and I struggle to grasp the lesson, I jot down what I can in my notebook. The teacher lets the class out early so I pack up and leave, I hurry down a hall and turn a corner but I slam into something, my bag and I spilling onto the floor.
"Oh God, I'm so sorry. Are you ok?" A voice above me asks and I look up the see the outstretched hand of the tall, blond man.
"Y-Yeah." I say shyly and he helps me up then picks up my bag and hands it to me. "Thank you…"
He smiles at me, his light blue eyes glistening through the locks falling into his face. "Not a problem." He says and I start walking. "Wait!"
I stop and look at him.
"What's your name? Mine's Zeke."
I pause. "Rouge."
Zeke smiles slightly. "Well, Rouge, I'd like to make up knocking you over?" He thinks for a moment. "How's dinner, say…. Six-ish?"
I blush at his offer and he keeps smiling. "Thanks but," I sigh. "I gotta go to class at that time."
He clenches his jaw slightly. "Well skip it, c'mon, play hooky with me." He says and flashes a dazzling grin. "Skipping once isn't going to kill you."
I blush a bit more and mull it over. "Alright." I say for a while and his grin widens.
"Perfect." He says after I give him my dorm number. "I'll get you a little before six, Okay?"
"'Kay… See ya later, Zeke." I smile softly and walk down the hall, before I walk out the door; I look back and see that he's already gone. I sigh and walk out, going to my car, a dark green Mini Copper Clubman. I put my hand on the door handle then freeze, an unsettling feeling forming in my stomach, the familiar feeling of being watched. I slowly scan the parking lot but I only see cars. I open the door and throw my stuff in the passenger seat and quickly start the car and drive off. I go down a solitary road, trees and thick brush framing either side of the lanes. I begin to feel uneasy again and look into the rearview mirror, seeing only the road behind me. I take a deep breath and look back at the road, just as something darts onto the road. I gasp and slam onto the break.
The tires screech.
Everything turns white.
Small bloody prints trail the grassy ground. The creature he's hunting had run from him, and it kept running even when its feet blistered and bled. He continues to track it until he reaches a road. He looks and sees a small car in a ditch. He walks over to it and peers inside; the driver's resting on the steering wheel, her temple bleeding and her eyes closed, not wearing a seatbelt, but still breathing. He leans back and looks over the car, and then back to the road, he sighs. Whether he catches the creature or not, he has to stop by sunset.
He has a prior engagement.
I groan and pick my head off the wheel; my hand fumbles with the seatbelt release and realize I never put it on. "Fucking idiot…" I mumble as I cradle my pounding head, I open the door and drop onto the grass next to my car, crying and shaking. I continue to cry softly and a rustling noise causes me to open my eyes and see a ball of fuzz under me car. "Wh-What the..?" My eyes widen. "Oh-Oh God!" I cry, it dawning on me that I hit an animal. I use every fiber of my body to keep myself from moving the cover out from over it, fearing I'd hurt it even more, or kill it.
I push myself up and take off my jacket, shoving my hands in the pockets then lie on my stomach and reach under the car and gently grab the small form but it jerks and twists away. No-No!" I gasp, "Calm down!" I pull it to me and as soon as it touched my body it stills, I can feel its heart pounding against my chest. I stand, legs shaking and feeling like they could give out at any second, and look down at the ball of fuzz and realize is a rabbit, covered in dirt. I stare at the bundle and my heart sinks, its little paws are bleeding, but other than that it seems fine. I bite my lip and decide to take the poor thing home so I pop open the trunk of the car and place the bundle in the care my mother gave me, to keep groceries from sliding around.
I drive to my dorm and bring the crate up to my room; I place the crate down and meet the red eyes of the rabbit. I break contact and stand, a wave of exhaustion hits me and I drop to the floor. Before I black out, fear creeps up my spine as I see the silhouette of a man looming over me.