Together Tomorrow

Chapter Four: Stalked

The dull thud of her boots followed her as Lea browsed down the candy isle. She sleepy leaned on her cart as she meandered down the rubber floor, her eyes sweeping lazily along what was on display. She was exhausted by her active day. A morning run with Steve catching up with her after his initial run of the day, a full day of work, and an evening working with another group of ladies through the D.A.R..E program. She picked up a bar of dark chocolate and tossed it in her cart with the ground beef, loaf of bread, and balsamic vinegar.

            She turned down the aisle and strolled over to the produce section. As she passed the different walls of foods, she caught a glimpse of a dark haird man dressed in a light blue suit. Each time she noticed him he seemed to be looking at something on the shelf, but the shopping basket in his hand never changed items. She glanced over her shoulder as she passed by the ethnic food isle. He was now holding a container of cumin, still at her eleven o'clock.  Two more aisles down, the man was just looking at the shelf of cereal, positioned similarly to before; his front angled towards her, but face tilted away.

            A frigid tingle danced up Leas spine. She glanced down at what she was wearing, t-shirt and work out shorts; nothing too low, too short, to tight, or to sheer to be causing the subtle attention of the man in the blue suit. Still, as Lea continued to shop as casually as she could, she reached in and touched the gun in the holster in her purse. Adrenalin pounded in her veins as she mentally analyzed her situation. She glanced around, calculating how many other people were in the store, precious few at this hour of the night.

            The cold of the refrigerated vegetables bit into her fingers as Lea put them in her cart, only partially paying attention to what she was getting. As soon as she completed everything on her list, she strode off to the checkout lines, trying to maintain a bored and sleepy look about her. The man in the suit was as the end of the shopping aisle near her as she checked out. Lea thanked the cashier, grabbed her bag of groceries, and cautiously exited the store. 

            The brisk nine o'clock air nipped at her face and neck as Lea strode through the sliding glass doors and into the dark evening, one hand in her purse, resting on her pistol. She slid the security strap of the handle with her thumb as she walked to her car. She kept her eyes open and searching, glad that her hair was pulled back out of her face, the damp weather obscured visibility enough already. There were few cars in the parking lot, and only a little yellow bug was beside her red Toyota, on the driver's side. She took a deep breath, and swiftly approached her vehicle from the passenger side.

            Lea fingered the sharp edge of her key as the thud of her boots brought her closer to her vehicle in the dizzily weather. She quickly peeked through the foggy windows of the back seat, making sure that no one was there. When she found it empty, the pounding of her heart lessened slightly. She least part of her pent up breath, creating a small puff of white mist before her face. She hurriedly opened the door and dropped her bag in on the floor, glancing over her shoulder as she did so.

            Taking a deep breath of chilly air, Lea checked the front passenger seat of her little car before she climbed in on that side. She scooted over to the driver's seat, and rushed to start the engine, and window defroster. She checked each foggy, rain specked mirror for the blue suit or any other suspicious looking people as she released the parking break.

            With quick breath, and suppressed fear hammering through her veins, she pulled out of the dark parking lot and drove towards her apartment. She took several extra turns in side streets, her red car passing through the patches of rainy light that punctuated the evenings shadows. She kept her eyes wide and searching for any signs of being followed. When she was nearly certain that no one was lurking behind her, Lea finally let out her pent up breath, and started to shake. She wasn't sure what the intent of that man had been, but she hadn't liked it at all. He held all the signs of a kidnapper or rapist, and given her past, she was all too aware of how those situations could play out. Someone seems normal, but they could easily have the worst intentions for you. She let out a trembling breath and regripped the steering wheel tightly; she could feel all of her worst memories stirring, trying to resurface in her mind.

       Lea did not let herself relax until she had parked her car, made it into the lobby of her complex, and in the elevator. She was still shaking as old memories bubbled up in her head. She frantically tried to shove them away, not wanting to remember. A quiet tear slipped out of her eye and fell to the floor of the elevator before she could stop it. She could feel her mind starting to detach slightly from her grasp of reality, her vision dulling slightly-like someone had drained a portion of the color from the world. Another tear slipped out of her grey blue eyes. Lea reached up and brushed away the tail of moister it had left on her face as the doors slid open. She stepped out onto the darkly colored carpet and walked swiftly to her apartment door, focusing on just getting there and getting inside. She slid into her door as quickly as possible and closed and locked it.

      As soon as she was in her home, Lea dropped her bag, put her back to the door and slid to the ground, her face in her hands. She tried to reason with herself that it could have just been a creeper, the man probably didn't really want to kidnap her, as he hadn't even attempted to follow her. But the anxiety and fear kept circling in her chest. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, her head spinning. She leaned forward, placing her forehead on her knees, adrenaline spiking again. A strange weakness suddenly flooded through her limbs for the slighted fraction of a moment. Lea tensed quickly, jerking her arms back up around her sharply.

      Taking a deep breath, Lea took hold of her wild mind and forced herself to stand. She was fine. Nothing had happened. Pulling herself up right she strode into her kitchen and put her food away, still mentally battling the flashes of fear pulsing through her with alarming force. She focused on her breathing, and on facts. She was okay. She was at home. Nothing was going to happen to her. She was safe. Or so she thought....

Authors note:

Hey all, Sorry that this chapter is so short. Its just where the scenes broke apart naturally. The next chapter is longer, and definitely interesting. So check in next Friday for the exciting part!

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!

~GR

P.S. The photo for this chapter is not what Lea looks like. It was just the best one I could find that captures the concept.