Introduction

Chloe awoke with a start.  There was something in her bedroom.  The light streamed in weakly from the streets outside, casting shadows around her sparsely decorated room.  She held her breath and listened intensely.  There it was, a low growl; a growl so low that she wasn’t sure that she had really heard it, however it was loud enough to send a tremble through her body.  Deep breath, she thought to herself.  Too scared to leave her bed she sat up and stared into the darkness and tried to make out of the shape of something looming in the shadows.  I’m not dreaming, I’m not.  Deciding that denial was the best way to go she buried herself deeper in her bed and tried to steady her racing heart.  The growling stopped, but the feeling that she was being watched didn’t go away.  Not only was something in her room, invading her personal space and walking around like they owned the place, it was felt as though the thing were looking though her.  She had had enough of that.  If I wanted someone to try and look though me, I would have stayed with Mom, she thought to herself.  Her mind digressed and her fear temporarily subsidized when she remembered her family.  Her charming, caring and overbearing parents.  She couldn’t help but smile when she recalled thrift store shopping with her mother on the weekends and listening to her father ramble on about the latest political scandal.  She could feel the shadow s moving around her.  And then- nothing.  It was as if someone hit the stop button.  Even the traffic seemed to stop.

The sudden quietness of the room bothered her more than the growling.  She wondered how long the growling had been going on.  A week?  A month?  She couldn’t quite remember.  “Go away!  I have to get some sleep!” she called into the empty room.  Seriously, I can’t deal with this tonight, maybe it’s the pipes.  Yes because pipes growl and make shadows move around.  I wonder what time it is.  Damn I’m tired.  Maybe if I can just keep my eyes closed I can talk myself into sleeping.  Chloe continued to argue with herself until she finally closed her eyes for a few minutes.  She tried to push away the images that danced in front of her eyes, faces she couldn’t place and figures that began forming in the shadows.  She inhaled deeply and tried once again to calm her nerves. 

            After what seemed like a blissful twenty minutes of rest she felt something damp on her toes.  Thinking that she was cold, she curled herself into the fetal position and tried to remain asleep.  Her uneasiness didn’t subside but she didn’t open her eyes until her phone began to ring.  She was greeted by the oppressive darkness and the uneasiness of being watched.  Annoyed by the fact that someone was calling her at this hour and the simple fact that she was afraid of dark, she took a deep breath as she jumped out of bed and tried to walk to her door.  Her legs were numb her and she tried not to stumble.  She never realized how far 10 feet could feel.  Taking another deep breath she reached for the door knob and pulled with all her might.  The door didn’t budge.  Trying not to panic, she pulled again.  The door resisted.  This is the beauty of living alone, no one to help you when shadows lock you in your own bedroom.  Fighting back tears of fright and anger and pulled again and kicked the door at the same time.  The low growl made her jump as she spun around to face the darkness.  Her bedroom didn’t even look like her bedroom anymore.  She could see her bed, but it didn’t look inviting any longer.  She could almost make out a shape crawling across it.  She reached for the light switch and hoped that it would work, yet she doubted that it would.  As the light came on, she was met by a shadow with teeth that quickly dissipated with the light.  She sobbed and tried to scream but all that came out was a yelp and she felt the door loosen against her weight.  Chloe tried to run out of the room but tripped over her own feet and crawled out to the living room skinning her knees in the process.  What do I do?  Who should I call?  Will anyone believe me?  I doubt it, no one believes in anything these days.  Maybe Jessica…maybe Sam, and maybe I should get a bigger cross?  Wait, do I even own a crucifix?  Why me?  Chloe couldn’t organize her thoughts as she pulled herself to her feet.  She collapsed into her worn couch and turned on the television and welcomed the noise of a laugh track to a show that didn’t deserve such a low compliment.  Her skin felt as though she had been attacked by a million mosquitos as she wrapped her couch blanket around herself.  She had managed to turn on a few more lights yet the light offered her little comfort.  The television droned on but she wasn’t listening or paying attention.  Her eyes studied the empty apartment and tried once again to control her breathing.  Silence.  There was no growling, no oppressive silence.  She felt her eyes growing heavy and realized that she probably hadn’t blinked in a few minutes and now she was also realizing how fatigued she was.  Deciding it was best to keep the white noise on, she tried to make herself comfortable as she fell into an exhausted sleep.       

            The sun streaked through the sheer sheets acting as curtains in Chloe’s living room.  Her coffee colored eyes; though a little blood shot, slowly greeted the day and a long sigh escaped her lips. Sighing again, she uncurled herself from the fetal position and arched herself back and wiggled her toes.  Flopping back on her pillows she tried to motivate herself to face the day.  As she stretched out her hands she felt a dampness on her blanket.  A surge of anger and annoyance surged through her as she pondered the exact date then onto her side to see the damage.  Damnit, its Tuesday- it’s a twelve hour day.  Chloe cautiously approached her bedroom and peeked inside.  Her bed looked as though a bad porno had made an appearance in her absence.  She noticed more damp spots and was even more surprised to see several clear circles.  She pulled back the sheet and discovered more spots which yielded a clear yet gooey substance.  Swearing under her breath she walked to her small bathroom and turned on the shower.  Waiting for the water to warm up, and for the rust to clear the pipes, she combed her long cinnamon colored hair and gazed at herself in the mirror.  Dark circles were beginning to form under her eyes,  what I would give for a decent night’s sleep.  Maybe I’ll bother Jessica and crash on her couch.  “And what the hell is up with those spots?” she wondered out loud.  When the steam began to accumulate on the mirror she turned on the radio, loud enough to drown out her still uneasy thoughts and tried to turn her attention to the day ahead.    

            Chloe stepped out into the bright and cheery day and tightened the scarf around her neck.  As usual, the day looked warmer than it really was.  Just like so many things in her life, nothing was ever as it appeared.  She smiled despite her runny nose and began the long descent down the stairs.  Okay, after work I’ll stop by the store to get some eggs.  Maybe I’ll make breakfast for dinner tonight.  Or maybe I can invite David over for a drink.  Better yet, for once maybe he’ll take me out…its cold out.  Do I have exact change for the bus?  Crap, did I forget my MP3 player again?  And seriously, what the hell am I going to use to get those spots out of my sheets?  That growling…no, don’t think about it.  As she shuffled though her impressively large bag, Chloe let out another stream of annoyed phrases under her breath.  She had indeed forgotten her beloved music.  She was now forced to face her thoughts alone and give some thought to the night before, the night before that one, and the one before that one.  She felt a chill colder than the air run through her veins as her mind dwelled on the events of recent weeks and possible months.  The Event, as Chloe began to think of it as, began after watching a horror movie.  Which one, she couldn’t quite remember.  As did most movies, she was entertained; however she would always be the first to point out the flaws and lack of flow in the plot; and like many young people she always felt a little lost after watching adventure and drama movies.  She and her friends had had several, and to her mind, quite sophisticated discussions about the topic.  “People have nothing better to do than think of new things to worry about,” she recalled Phillip saying this and it made her smile.  He’s totally right, but I want to see him deal with my new guest.  I think I have a right to be worried.  That sage stick thing didn’t work at all.  Chloe also recalled that her friend, Sam, had advised her to try burning a large amount of sage to ward off evil spirits.  What he had forgotten to mention was that it would smell like burnt gravy or that the smoke wouldn’t go away.  Jessica had scoffed at the comment and told her to save her time and energy.  The sound of steps startled Chloe out of her jumbled thoughts and memories and caused her to raise her head out of her little cocoon of warmth to look behind her.  She saw a man quickly approach her.  He nodded at her and continued his brisk pace.  She slowed even further and scolded herself for being so jumpy.  Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement- she quickly turned.  Nothing.  Blinking and continuing her pace, she tried to catch up to the man.  Please let him be taking the bus…he was.  He smiled again when he saw her.  He was smartly dressed in a wool jacket and black gloves.  His skin was dark olive and his eyes like ebony.  “It’s a little cold this morning,” he opened.  Chloe only nodded in agreement and pulled her now frozen braid around her shoulder.  She was still looking behind her; the same uneasiness from the night hadn’t left her.  “Do you take this bus every morning?  Does it run on time?” he tried again.  She looked back at him and shrugged her shoulders.  Her senses were beginning to bother her.  What the hell is wrong with me?  Why can’t I shake this feeling and he’s trying so hard to be nice.  And those eyes!  Amazing!  Come on Chloe, you can be nice.  Be nice, there’s nothing there.  Nothing is going to hurt you…taking another deep breath she said, “it should be here in about 5 minutes.  I try not to get here too early because it’s too cold.” She could feel herself shaking and hoped that he hadn’t noticed.  An easy silence engulfed them, the silence that comes when two people who have just met and have nothing to talk about.  Chloe blew into her double gloved hands and watched her breath condense into the air.  She felt herself relaxing a little in the company of this strange, this remarkably handsome stranger.  She knew that she should say something clever or amusing, but nothing came to mind.  Sighing deeply and digging out her cell phone, she couldn’t help but glance over her shoulder one more time.  As she expected, there was nothing there.   The sun grazed over the field, illuminating the blades of golden grass and weeds, prairie dogs were running around barking at each other like parents do to children.  Chloe imagined their conversations went something like this: “Dude!  Did you roll around in the dirt this morning?” “No!  I did it last night!  Have you seen my grass?” I told you need to constantly roll around to keep your coat warm and to hide from hawks!” “Mom for the last time, I told you, we need to stand up to the hawks!”  Chloe smiled to herself as she continued her monologue to herself.  “What’s so funny?” the man asked her. 

“Oh?  Nothing, I was just thinking about what prairie dogs might talk about.”

“I can safely say that I have never given those rodents a second thought.” He said smugly as he lit a cigarette. 

“You have no sense of humor, and the bus is coming.” She sighed as she looked down and tried to put her annoyance aside.  What was wrong with people?  Technically speaking, they were here first, she thought to herself as she kicked at the frosty rocks.  The silhouette of the bus appeared on the street as she dug through her purse for her bus pass.  She glanced over at the man with no sense of humor and noticed that he hadn’t lit his cigarette.  He was staring at her; Chloe blushed despite herself and tried to look away.

“What do you mean I have no sense of humor?”                                        

“Oh nothing.  Nevermind.”  She said more to herself than to him, the exhaust from the bus greeted her with a sound the reminded her of indigestion and a scent of burnt oil and grease.  She nodded at the bus driver and sat down with a heavy plop and looked up at her fellow passengers.  She looked out through the foggy window and noticed the man still standing outside.  He winked at her and strolled away.