Sophie reacted quickly, backing out the door again, but the man in the dark jumped up from the chair and pursued her. She made it back out to her car though she nearly stumbled on some gravel as she hit the road. Luckily, she still had her keys in her hands and she was able to get inside and lock the doors. Thank God for the person who invented keyless entry. Dave chased her around to the driver’s side and beat on the window.
“Where have you been?” he screamed at her through the glass. She fumbled getting the keys into the ignition and dropped them on the floor. “It’s 3 am, Sophie. Who have you been with? That bitch Catherine? You been stepping out on me? ME? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?”
She finally turned the keys in the ignition and the little mustang roared to life. He rushed around to the front of the car, blocking her way. He slammed him hands down on the hood of the car hard enough to dent it. She revved the engine. He sneered at her knowing she would not run him over. Her eyes narrowed and she threw the car into reverse.
“I can go backwards, you stupid FUCK!” she yelled and squealed her tires. The mustang lurched backward and she roared down the street. She backed into a side street and turned around racing down the road before he even had a chance to get on his bike. The farther away she got the more she began to realize how lucky she had been. By the time she reached the police station, she was in tears.
Catherine met her at the police station just as she was finishing her statement. They were going to pick him up, but she would not hold her breath on how long he might be detained in jail. The system just didn’t seem to work for her and she was losing faith in it. A patrolman took her home to collect some belongings and she left there with Catherine. He followed them to Cat’s apartment just to check things out before wishing them a good night and departing.
Sophie was sitting on the couch with a cup of cocoa and a fuzzy blanket, Catherine’s cure for everything.
“They’ll put him away this time,” she was saying. “He broke in. He will definitely go to jail.”
Sophie didn’t think so. When he slammed his hands down on the hood, she noticed that he was wearing the driving gloves that he always wore on the bike. He probably didn’t leave behind any fingerprints for the police to find. She sighed and sipped her cocoa.
“You should call him.”
“What?”
“You should call Alex. You know he’d want to know.”
“No, it’s too late. I’ll call him in the morning. Besides, it’s not like we’re dating!” she claimed, her face flushing.
“Yeah. Right. Okay.” Catherine mocked her. She ignored her. She knew Alex would react badly even if they weren’t technically dating. When she first told him about Dave, he’d tried to hide it, but she could see how upset he was. She was a little afraid to tell him. She did wish he was here now. She felt safe with him, more safe than she had in months. When he held her, it was the first time she’d ever gotten the feeling that things might turn out okay, that she would one day be okay.
She had a fitful sleep that night, tossing and turning, jumping at every unfamiliar sound in Catherine’s little apartment. When she did sleep, her dreams were chaotic; Dave coming after her in the street, and running, just running from unknown pursuer. She stumbled over twigs and branches in a dim, cold forest. The trees stretched up above her for miles. There was a growl in the distance. Her panic made her run faster. Her hair was a mat of sweat and dirt from the forest floor as she had fallen numerous times. She was out of breath now, her heart beating furiously in her chest. The growl was closer. There was nowhere to hide. The trees could not help her. She couldn’t climb them. There were no branches that she could even reach. Closer again came the low growl. There was a rustle in the trees behind her. She turned to face it. A dark figure emerged from the trees. It was Dave, but his dark hair was long and he was covered in sweat. He sneered at her. He had drool at the sides of his mouth as the sneer turned into a terrifying smile. He laughed. It sent a cold chill throughout her small frame. He was not a man. He was a beast and she knew she was going to die. Suddenly, there was another growl from by her side. She turned to discover a huge brown bear was standing next to her. It growled at the Dave/beast who growled his own challenge. The bear bounced on his huge, front paws and rose to an enormous height, standing on his hind legs. Sophie could see nothing but a mass of hair, snarling teeth and long frightening claws. The bear roared and Sophie sank down to her knees on the forest floor in fear. The Dave/beast shrank back snarling, but clearly afraid. He took a step back and the bear roared again, his gigantic body coiled up ready to spring. The Dave/beast turned and ran in the opposite direction. The bear sprang from his back legs and into a run, but stopped short as Sophie screamed. The bear turned to her and slowly walked back to her side. There was no menace left in him. He put his face close to hers and she looked at him in wonder. She tentatively reached her hand up to stroke the mass of fur about his neck. He lay his huge body next to her under the trees. He allowed her to snuggled up to him and she closed her eyes. She felt warm and safe. She could hear the bear’s steady breathing next to her. She found herself wondering if bears really had blue eyes.
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