Devil May Care

The Incident

The road was wet, it was hard to tell in the darkness but she knew because she could almost smell the rain hung in the air, which had stopped a while ago. The tall looming buildings on her either sides were a hazy, gray against the dark. She stood in the middle of the road not knowing how or why she got there.

She was trying to make sense of her surroundings when she heard a thick resonant snap to her right.

She hadn't noticed the pitch black alley to her right before. It was like it had just appeared out of thin air. Her heart started hammering in her chest and she knew something was not right.

She noticed the neon blue lights blinking in the distance reading "Papa Joe's Café". It was the very café that she visited every morning on her way to work for a steaming cup of coffee. Her home couldn't be that far. She decided to make a run but the concrete below seemed to grow and hold her feet in a vice like grip.

She tried to scream for help but no voice came out.

This couldn't be happening. She always knew in her heart that she would die young but never thought like this; mugged or killed by a serial killer.

There was another snapping sound followed by a deep twisted, unnatural growl that froze her blood.

She looked towards the sound which seemed to be coming from the alley and found a pair of red glowing dots. She narrowed her eyes to look closely, only to realize that there were two fiery red eyes staring back at her.

She gasped, her hand flying to her chest as if to contain her heart from bursting. A warm wetness clung to her chilled fingers and she felt it thickly dripping down her arm.

It wasn't rain water. No. It was blood; crimson, warm and thick flowing.

Then she saw her own form from above, staggering in the middle of the slick road surrounded by tall buildings, with her throat neatly cut open.

But that wasn't what made her scream; the sleek glinting knife in her other hand coated with her own blood, did.

****************************************

The beeping of the alarm that I loathed with all my heart, turned out to be a blessing for me today. Again.

I startled awake, my hand immediately flying to my throat half expecting to find it open.

A relieved sigh escaped me and I turned to turn off the annoyingly loud alarm.

I was still shaking from the too real fear when I peeled off my clothes to have a shower. The searing hot water managed to calm me down a bit but I was still disturbed by the nightmare. It was too gruesome, too real and too out of the blue.

Had I been the one to use that knife? I was a happy, content person, why would I dream such a hellish dream?

I quickly finished getting dressed for the day, in plain blue ankle length skirt with white tank top and made my way downstairs, apple green cardigan in one hand.

My dad was sitting around the breakfast table clad in dark jeans and a crisp white dress shirt, gray hair perfectly made. I never understood his obsession with being dressed up all the time.

"Hey pumpkin! You look terrible."

And neither his desire to be painfully honest. But it made me love him even more every time, if that was possible.

"Thanks dad! And here I thought you'd make your only daughter feel precious." I leaned down to kiss his cheek.

He chuckled waving me off.