“Did ya miss me that much?” Bob Davidson stood in the foyer, his clothes a disheveled mess. He looked like he drove straight through from Florida, which he no doubt had done. There was no mistaking the crazed look in his eyes. They were that of a wild animal. His brain had clearly checked out. The man before me was not a man at all, but a shell of his former self. His clothes lay limply on his thin frame. He had clearly lost a lot of weight. 

“How did you find me?” I stammered, backing up slowly.

Fear knocked my heart against my ribs. I needed to get as far away from this man as I could. I needed to escape. My eyes darted wildly across the room. There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. There were no weapons laying out casually to defend myself with.

“I tell ya, it wasn’t easy. Thankfully my time in the Marines taught me a lot of tricks about tracking people down.” His wild crazy eyes were trained on me, making my skin crawl.

I wanted to remind him that he couldn’t make it a week in boot camp but refrained. There was no good to come from telling a crazy man he was delusional.

“How did you know where I was?” I asked again, stalling for time as I tried to plan an escape.

“Well, word around your office was you liked to buy land. Thought you were some big shot, better than everyone else. So, I decided to do some digging. After talking to a few people at the office I heard you were dating your attorney, Devon.” Bob sneered at the name.

He clearly had distaste for Devon. I could reason with him there, if there was any reasoning with the man. By his cagey expression I could tell anything I said would fall on deaf ears. I was the enemy. I was the one who helped his wife escape. He would have no mercy on me. I could only hope he kept talking. I needed him to be distracted.

“Seeing as there was only one attorney named Devon in real estate I found his office. I explained to the little old lady that I was your uncle and have just come into town because of the fire and that I was trying to locate you. That old gal could do nothing but sing your praises. It didn’t take her long to give me an address. She told me all about your trip and the lovely home you had purchased.” His lip drew up in disgust.

I wondered if that’s the same look I had when I thought someone had money. My stomach rolled at the thought of me and Bob Davidson having any similarities.

I felt the wall at my back, dread pooled in my stomach. I had no way out. I had effectively trapped myself in a corner. Internally I rolled my eyes at my own stupidity. Perhaps I deserved this, to be caught by a mad man and destroyed for all the mistakes I had made in my life.

Stalking me like I was his prey, Bob tracked my movements; his footsteps bringing him closer and closer to where I stood. I could smell the stench of him. The hair in my nostrils curled. He had not showered in days. He reeked of fast food and body odor.

“Because of you that bitch of a wife of mine served me with divorce papers. She slapped so many restraining orders on me I can’t see straight. Because of you she won’t let me see my fucking kids.” Spittle flew from his lips as he raged on.

“I’m going to fucking kill you and when I’m done I’m going to kill the red-headed bitch too.” He sneered, his eyes forming evil slits.

My pulse quickened. I knew the minute he was about to spring. Like a snake he coiled back before charging forward.

Bob lunged at me. Ducking swiftly I avoided his grasp. His hands missed me by just a hair. His body collided with the wall. I took advantage of his disoriented state and ran for the door, flinging it open.

Chicken and Waffles took up my fight, the two of them angrily tugging at his pants leg. I ran out toward the open desert. I didn’t know where I was going, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting away. The painful cries of my pups ripped at my heart. I hated leaving them behind. The fact that they took on Bob for me warmed my heart as their cries crushed it at the same time.

“And stay down, you mangy mutt.” I heard Bob roar as the pups went silent.

Hot tears streamed down my face. My lungs burned as I ran barefoot across the desert floor. The hot sand felt like a molten lava beneath my feet but I didn’t stop. I continued to run. I could hear Bob cursing as he trailed me.

Half crazed and running on practically no sleep he followed on, just a breath behind me on my heels.

The rough desert floor battered my bare feet; I could feel the discarded needles from the prickly shrubbery digging into the tender flesh. I continued to push forward, ignoring the protest of my body.

Bob cursed as he trailed behind me, his hands grabbing at my hair. I could feel each time he landed a handful in his grasp. He would pull, yanking the threads from my scalp. I could hear them snap, the tiny popping noise was enough to propel me forward.

I knew the instant I was had. It was like the world stood still for a pace of time.  My heart seized in my chest. My foot gave out the moment I stepped down. I had no idea what I had stepped on. It didn’t matter. My body collided with the hard desert floor. Pain radiated up through my leg. It felt like the fires of hell, licking at my flesh as I writhed in agony.

Bob’s body soon collided with mine, his heavy body sending a whoosh of air from my lungs as it landed brutally on top of me. His hand wove in my hair, jerking my head back. I gasped for air, my lungs burning with need. I felt the cool touch of his blade against my neck, halting my movements.

“Falling for me already, are ya sweetheart?” Bob’s voice oozed with disdain as fear coursed through my veins.

“Fuck you.” I screamed through the pain traveling up my leg and the burning of my lungs.

“I’ll fucking kill you bitch.” He spat out, spittle flying from his mouth.

I saw movement from the corner of my eye. The sand looked to be moving. I knew it was over for me. Already I had begun to hallucinate.

“Are you fucking hearing me, bitch? You cost me my family. You cost me everything.” The blade was removed from my throat.

I couldn’t answer. My leg was on fire, my vision blurred. My lungs begged for air.

Bob tightened his grip on my hair. With a quick yank my head was slammed down into the desert floor. Dark spots clouded my vision. Unsatisfied with the results, Bob pounded my head into the ground again and again. I had lost count of how many times my head bounced off the desert floor. My vision had gone black. I lingered just at the cusp of consciousness. With a few more slams of my head darkness took over, the pain disappearing. Soon I felt nothing.

I was floating on a cloud. My body weightless, suspended through time. My heart lay heavy.  My only regret was not telling Luka that I loved him. I felt horrible for laughing at him. I felt horrible for misjudging the conversation, for misjudging him. I wished I could turn back the hands of time; tell him how sorry I was. It was too late for regrets.

 

-

 

 

“Stay with me, Ducky.” I smiled at the voice.

Ducky. What a silly nickname. It was the name he gave me. No matter how silly it was I longed to hear it again from his lips.