Of Blood And Blackwater

The four-mile route that she ran religiously seemed different after dark.  A dense fog grew like a vaporous mold from the low-lying areas, creating a scene surreal and timeless.  As a newcomer to the Pacific Northwest, Terri found this typical winter precipitation a little spooky.  This evening was no different.  But the wide trail offered good footing, and she had no trouble negotiating it in the thickening darkness.  

As the light faded, Terri picked up her pace, her eyes darting left and right with increasing frequency. Keep it together girl, she told herself.  A whiff of fog hung like a lace curtain across the trail ahead.  Terri knew it was only water vapor, but she ducked low to avoid touching it, or maybe to keep it from touching her. As she passed beyond this apparition, she increased her pace further and chanced a look back over her shoulder. No more night runs, she resolved.

Her now torrid pace took its toll.  Her breathing became labored, its sound magnified by the silence around her.  Rounding a curve, she fought to quiet her respirations, seeking to minimize her presence in this suddenly perilous place.   In a half dozen fluid strides, she crested a steep knob. As she started down the other side, Terri saw a large obstacle in her way.  She soon realized it was a person standing in the path, perhaps sixty feet away. 

She slowed her pace and in a meager, quivering voice said, “Passing on your left.” 

He did not move to his right to allow her to pass. Instead he turned to face her. She saw that he held a long pole or possibly a rifle, pointed directly at her.  She let out a short scream and stopped abruptly, her legs trembling.  She tried to turn, but her feet felt like they were encased in concrete.   The man took no step toward her and said nothing.  Finally, like the flicking of a switch Terri regained control of her body.  She turned and sprinted up the hill. A sound she could not identify was followed by a burning sensation in her left hip.  She ignored the pain and rocketed up the trail, letting adrenaline rule her body, driving her faster than she thought possible for fifty yards.  As if running into deepening water, Terri’s legs began to feel heavy and sluggish...