Again

The large man stood by the magazine rack. The corners of his mouth curled slowly. Ann knew that smile. He had smiled like that when he killed her.

***

A woman screamed. Ann jerked upright, staring into the dark.

Was it a dream?

A man lunged at her from the shadows. A large gloved hand grabbed her face and covered her mouth. The man forced Ann’s head back down to the pillow. His heavy body pinned her to the bed. He held a large knife to her face.

"Move and I'll kill you." 

The knife's edge touched Ann's throat.  Ann stayed silent.

He tore at her clothes. She pushed against him and kneed him in the stomach. 

Exhaling sharply, he loosened his grip.  Ann struggled to get free. A large fist smashed into the side of her head. Her vision grew cloudy. Her head crashed back onto the bed. She felt the cold blade as the man slid the knife across her throat. 

Smiling, the man watched her die. 

***

That smile.

Crying for help, Ann bolted out of the bookstore. No one reacted to her as she fled. She ran through the door, not realizing it had never opened. 

Running toward the parking lot, she was stopped when her foot hit the pavement. She leaned forward, but something held her in place. Struggling against her invisible bond, she begged for help. Everyone ignored her. 

A dense fog crept over the parking lot. Ann watched it expand toward the bookstore. Cars and people were swallowed by its darkness. The fog enveloped her.

She was pulled backward.

The fog faded. Ann stood in the bookstore, facing her killer.

Ann ran again. The fog dragged her back.

Why? 

Why am I trapped?

Why with him?

The man looked at Ann. Her stomach dropped.

Can he see me? 

Can he still hurt me? 

She backed away. His eyes didn't follow her. He was staring elsewhere.

Ann glanced over her shoulder. A blond woman had just finished paying for a book. The man walked to the door and held it open for the woman. She thanked him. He smiled.

That smile.

Oh, God! He's going to follow her.

Ann raced toward the woman's car. 

"Stop!" she hollered. "Don't leave!"

The woman opened the car door. Ann grabbed at the door. Her hands passed right through it. The woman started her car and pulled away, leaving Ann standing in the parking lot, staring at the ground.

She heard another car and looked up. The man was behind the wheel of his car and coming straight at her. She braced for the impact. It never came. The car passed through her.

Alone in the parking lot, Ann watched the man’s car follow the woman. 

The fog returned and swallowed her. When it faded, Ann was not in the bookstore. She was in someone's kitchen.

Where am I?

A leather badge wallet sat open on the nearby table. Ann stared at the badge.

Susan M. Acer

Ann heard breaking glass to her left. The window in the door shattered. A large hand reached through and unlocked it. The door swung open and in walked her killer.

No! 

Can't be!

She dashed out the door and into the street.  

"Somebody, anybody, please help!" 

She was swallowed by fog and yanked back into the house. The man was no longer in the kitchen. He was creeping up the stairs. Bolting up the stairs, Ann followed him into a bedroom. A woman lay sleeping on the bed. The man crept closer. 

"Wake up!" Ann screamed. "Susan, wake up!"

***

A woman screamed. Susan jerked upright, staring into the dark.

Was it a dream?

A large man lunged at her from the shadows. She leapt from the bed as he grabbed for her.  She drove her foot into his jaw. He staggered sideways and Susan raced to the nightstand.

She yanked the drawer open just as his arm wrapped around her waist. Her fingertips brushed cold steel but she couldn't wrap her hand around the grip.

Susan fought to break free but stopped struggling when the man pressed a knife against her throat.

He whispered in her ear.

"I will kill you if you don’t settle down." 

Susan smashed the back of her head into the man’s face. His head rocked and he stumbled backward. Lunging toward the nightstand, Susan grabbed her gun, turned, and fired. 

The gunshot cracked and the bullet struck the man's throat. He crashed to the floor.

***

Ann stared at the man. She watched as blood pooled around his body. 

Ann smiled.