Bound & Down

Chapter 01

He was after me. Never ceasing to find my hiding places. My heart raced, thumping, thumping, thumping, as I heard the cracked mahogany floor talk under his footsteps. "Coming, coming, coming for you." the flooring told me as pure panic set into my body. "It's over darling." I heard his scratching voice say just around the other side of the wall.

I wake with a start, drenched in my own sweat, from the nightmare. I haven't had one in a exactly 43 days. After scanning my bed seeing it a complete mess from my thrashing around in the night, I grabbed my journal to record the nightmare.
My stomach growls like a bear in hunger. I haven't eaten much due to anxiety swallowing me, so I force myself up off the bed to change from my tank top and pajama shorts into something else to go out in. Lately temperatures have been very warm which unsettles me, being that it's November. I scan my closet and decided on capris made out of an athletic stretchy material and a tank top and sports bra made out of the same fabric. I'm going to be a runner today I think to myself attempting to ignore my slightly elevated heart rate.
I grab my phone and earbuds and headed out the door.
"Good morning, Ms. Lana. Jogging this morning?" I hear Mrs. Norma, my next door neighbor say.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Better watch for Mr. Harry's dogs. They were out and about this morning and came sniffling down our way and came after Bitsy." She says sternly as she reached down to pet her tiny chihuahua.
"I'll keep a watch out, Mrs Norma. Thank you." I continue down the road and turn on my music hoping to drown out my worries.

Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.

I shake my head, internally pleading for the voice to stop.

You don't know what is in store for you, little lady.

"No. Please stop. Please.", I plead out loud, quietly as I continue on my set jogging path.

I'm closer than you think.

"Stop! Please!", I begin to breathe heavily, not from my current physical shape, but because of my rising levels of panic.

Soon. Soon you will be encapsulated in MY world. I hate to keep you waiting so long, darling, but I must. The snide voice continues to torment my thoughts.

"No! Leave me alone!," I scream out as I break down into less of a jog and more of a staggered walk, "Please!" I continue to sob. "Please!"

I hear a genuine voice attempt to reach out to me, and it sounds strangely soothing, bringing me back to reality.
"Excuse me, Miss! Are you-uh- are you alright?"

I turn over my right shoulder, seeing an attractive male figure standing at the edge of the sidewalk.

"Oh, yeah. I'm, I'm fine."

"The pleading and tears running down your beautiful face tells me otherwise." He states as he somberly walks to my position on the jogging path.

"No, really. I'll be okay. I should be getting home anyway. Just, uh, delirium from this heat, right?" I say with an awkward, inward laugh.

"Yeah, I guess so", he replies with a small chuckle. Standing a couple feet from me still, he runs a hand through his dirty blonde hair. "I guess I'll see you around sometime?"

"Yeah?" I reply, accidentally sounding more like a question.

With that, he strides back towards what I assume is his house, leaving me in the street.