No Escaping My Love

It was a long, grueling day at work so I was relieved to take a steaming hot shower. I needed to wipe away the stench of failure. Business at the firm had been intense lately, and seemed to be going all wrong. It was like I was under a black cloud. But, I was the newbie. I think they wanted us to fail in the beginning to season us. At least that was my hope anyway.

Wrapped in a towel, I drug myself into the kitchen, feeling only slightly less beaten. I broke out the bottle of merlot that the firm had left on my desk at work today for “all the hard work this week.” They were such a wonderful bunch of people. Though they worked me to the bone, they were the most supportive group of coworkers I had ever met. So supportive, I revealed my secret to them. So supportive, they swore to protect me if the time ever came. I hoped it never did. No, I prayed it never did.

I had taken every precaution, looked at every detail. If moving across the country was not good enough, I had changed my name as well. No longer did I sport flowing locks of gold. Instead, I had the shortest, blackest bob cut possible. I was a new woman. A woman he could no longer stalk.

Thinking about the crazed man who hunted me like prey gave me chills. They were the worst three years of my life. Everywhere I turned, he would appear. It started simply enough with a hello, a card, a flower. He seemed sweet at first. God. What a fool I had been to date him, and for two months! But I thought I would chalk it up to a bad experience when I broke up with him. That only made it worse though. He called me relentlessly. He showed up at my house, at work. I begged him to stop. He didn’t.

Finally, in a fit of anger, I slapped him and told him he was crazy. He grabbed me, and pulled me close. Through his teeth he told me, “You are mine bitch. You will always be mine. So YOU are the crazy one if you think you can just dump me and walk away.” Then he dug his hands into my arms and threw me to the ground. People on the street just stood there staring at the scene, afraid to get involved. Each time after that, his “visits” got more intense and violent. When he had broken into my house and pleasured himself in my bed, leaving me a video of it. I got a restraining order.

That didn’t stop him though. Nothing did. Stalking laws were clearly inept at protecting people. For years, the police could do nothing. He became good at leaving his “gifts” as untraceable as they were unwanted. The final straw was his “promise” to me-a video of me sleeping while he pleasured himself next to me. Apparently, he had drugged me that night. So I lay there oblivious of his revolting presence. At the end of the video, he kissed my unconscious body and then looked right into the camera with his creepy mask, and whispered, “Next time, you will be awake my love, and I won’t entertain myself.”

I packed up and left the next day knowing the police could do nothing, yet again.

It had been a year now in this new life. How wonderful it was to begin to breath and relax. With that thought, I took another gulp of merlot. I could feel my tension fade away. You are free of him, I told myself.

Maybe, I’ll watch a good girly movie tonight, or maybe just go to bed. I was feeling pretty buzzed already. Yeah, maybe bed was a better idea, I thought. But first, I’ll read the mail that the mailman had handed me earlier when I came home.

I grabbed the pile I had thrown on the counter. In the middle of the bills, ads, and magazines was an odd envelope. I didn’t think much until I read it. I dropped to the floor trembling, uncontrollably. The room started to spin. I felt dizzy. I reached for my phone, but I couldn’t help  stare at the message.

“It took me a while to find you my love. But I did. When you wake up from your wine nap, I’ll be next to you waiting for our night to begin.”

 

Prompt for Challenge

You’ve just been handed a message that makes you drop to the floor, trembling uncontrollably.

• No more than a Word Count of 600. (SUGGESTED)
• Using the above scenario, create a scene of what the note is about, and why it makes you react the way you do. (REQUIRED)
• No external dialogue for this scene. (SUGGESTED)

 

---