lavender soothe some of the tension from her tired muscles. Lack of sleep always made her body ache, and this was the only way she could get a little relief. She undressed and slipped into the fragrant water, a groan of contentment slipping past her lips as her eyelids instantly grew heavy and began to slide closed.
***
Katherine woke with a startled gasp, sitting up in the now cold water with a shiver. What had woken her? Her eyes darted around the room frantically. Had she heard a noise? She stood and hastily dried herself off, slipping on her robe as she stepped from the tub. She quickly cinched the belt and cautiously walked toward the door leading to her bedroom, her body tense as she listened for any sounds whatsoever. Anything out of the ordinary.
She pressed her ear to the door, her heart jumping to her throat. Finally, she breathed a sigh of relief when there was only silence. She must have been dreaming. Shaking her head at herself in disgust, she walked into her bedroom and stopped cold, her body beginning to vibrate with the fear that was rippling up her spine as she saw the white lily lying across her pillow, it’s heady, sweet fragrance wafting across the room and making her feel instantly nauseated.
Feeling as if her feet were rooted to the spot, her eyes darted around, desperately searching for any sign of Him . Oh, God! He had been here while she had slept in the tub! Another wave of nausea swept over her at the thought, and she tried to think of what she needed to do. Cole! Her mind instantly screamed at her. She needed to call Cole! He would keep her safe.
Panic hit her full on when she realized that her purse was downstairs, and she felt the bile rising up in her throat, threatening to choke the air right out of her lungs.
She had to get out of the house! She turned and took two steps towards the door before she heard it, and her body seized with terror. It was soft, but there–drifting up from downstairs.
I’ll be seeing you in all the old, familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces all day through
In that small cafe, the park across the way
The children's carousel, the chestnut tree, the wishing well
I'll be seeing you in every lovely summer's day….
Katherine felt her knees threatening to give out on her as a wave of pure horror washed over her, and she fought it with everything that she was worth. No! It couldn’t be! She had to get out! He was in the house! Get out! Get out!
She tentatively reached out and grasped the handle of the door, feeling the coolness of the metal beneath her shaking fingers, and her body broke out in gooseflesh.
I can do this. I can do this she silently chanted, trying to garner the strength to walk out of the room and get downstairs. She could feel the tears blurring her vision and tried desperately to bite them back, her body now trembling so badly that her teeth were chattering.
She took a shaky breath and pulled open the door, grateful that it opened silently. She tried to block out the sound of that song as she made her way to the stairs–but it was echoing through her brain, making her dizzy. It was her nightmare all over again. Only this time it was real!
She swallowed hard as she cautiously made her way down…one step at a time, and with the tiniest amount of hope, her eyes locked on her purse sitting on the coffee table. If she could just get to it, and make it to her car…
The sound behind her brought a scream of panic to her lips, but she forcibly bit it back and only whimpered. It was the whisper of clothing, the tiniest squeak of a floorboard… and she knew. She knew that he was right behind her. She could actually feel the bastard! Feel his eyes on her. She stiffened her spine, not wanting to let him know that she knew that he was there. She needed to get away. Get down the stairs. Get out!
“ Mine …” It was the softest of whispers, but it kicked Katherine’s terror into overdrive.
She took off, jumping down the
Bob Brooks, Karen Ross Ohlinger