Just a Little Blood…

Raina held her breath. She closed her eyes and pressed her back further into the towering oak behind her. She felt its jagged bark digging into the sensitive skin on her back, exposed where her thin tank top didn’t cover. She felt prickling goosebumps on her arms, her soft blonde hairs waking up and wondering what is happening. Please, don’t hear…don’t hear, she thought. 

A branch snapped somewhere in the distance. She quickly opened her eyes, unable to see more than a foot ahead in the barely breaking moonlight, a small crescent hidden behind drifting clouds in the black night.

Snap. 

Another branch, and the unmistakable sound of dead fallen leaves being crushed under an unseen man’s boots.

It’s him. Out there. 

She can sense that he is moving, the invisible distance between them growing smaller and smaller. 

But, he’s taking his time. He’s not running. He must not know these woods. The thick carpets of moss, the swampy pits of collected water sitting stagnant with nowhere to drain. He’s calculating his steps, his moves. He’s not quite sure which way to go. 

She needs to be careful. She needs to be silent. She can’t let him hear her. If he does, she will not win this. 

Slowly, she lifts a foot and steps forward. Successfully silent, her other foot follows. Drawing in her breath, Raina looks down at her feet. Her pink flip flops, worn and tattered with age, are not the shoes she would have chosen this morning, had she known the events of the day would lead her to a dark forest by sundown. 

*Earlier*

Raina had dreamily slept in this morning, her shift at work not starting til noon. It was summer break, so she took every opportunity she had to sleep in. Before long, her much anticipated senior year would be starting, along with a 6am alarm to get up and moving. 

          But today, today she slept in. Peaceful in her cool cotton sheets, under a light blanket, no sound interrupting except the morning song of a few tiny birds that could fit in the palm of her hand. They frequented the tree outside her window, eating greedily from the feeder she filled every day. 

She had rolled over and watched them bounce from limb to limb, sunshine streaking from their feathery backs. She stretched, yawned, and sat up. It was already hot, the sunshine warming her bedroom and reflecting off of her dresser mirror. She walked slowly to look at herself, feeling the soft gray carpet under her bare feet. Her hair was falling out in wavy strands around her face, the loose bun unraveling from a night’s sleep. She pulled the remaining locks free and watched her hair fall around her face, shoulders, and down her back. The summer sun painted light lines of white blonde in her hair, as it tanned her skin. She straightened her white tank top, pulled on a pair of jean shorts, and went to the bathroom to finish getting ready. 

         Not 20 minutes later, she was slipping on her pink flip flops and headed out the door. 

When she got to work, she glanced around the dining room at the lunch crowd. Not bad for a weekday. She tied her apron around her thin waist, and checked the chart behind the counter to see which tables were hers today. Picking up her pen and pad, she dropped them into her front pocket and made her way back towards the dining room. She stopped. He was there. 

*Night*

Raina headed deeper into the woods. One careful step at a time, arms outstretched into the night, grasping at the nothingness in her way. 

Snap.

He’s even closer. Raina hugged her arms to herself instinctively. She crouched low to the ground. Her head slowly swiveled left, then right. The smell of rotting mushrooms filled her nostrils, and a wave of nausea ran through her stomach. Raina despised mushrooms. It smelled of hot mold on humid summer days. She gingerly felt the ground around her, unable to see anything. Her fingers traced over damp moss and wet leaves. Wet with what? There could be a pond in these woods, or a creek. She listened carefully, and thought she could make out the sound of flowing water. A gentle trickle of water, perhaps a hundred feet away. Would he hear the splashing if she tried to cross it? She may have to. 

Raina stood and quietly took two steps forward. She had dropped her hands to her sides, ready to catch herself if she tripped on one of the many branches scattered around her. 

        Suddenly, something was on her face. She’d walked through a spider’s web, the sinewy silken fibers tangling around her face, threatening to go in her mouth and nose as she stifled a scream. She tore at her face to get it off as quickly as possible. It stuck to her eyelashes and in her hair, and she could feel it on her arms. Were her legs covered in it too? She rubbed her legs to remove any trace of sticky web. Was it all gone? She felt something by her ear, a tickle of legs scurrying across her face. She could not hold in a scream as she swiped her hand all over her face to knock the spider to the ground. She felt a sharp bite on her bottom lip before feeling something fall on the top of her foot. It bit her, and she could already feel her blood rushing to her lip and swelling. But more importantly, did he hear her scream? Did he know where she was? 

Raina moved quickly now. The longer they were out here, the worse the outcome would inevitably be. She did not like this cat and mouse game. 

*Earlier*

Raina locked eyes with him, and he with her. They had played this out for weeks now, since he began showing up during her shifts. How did he always know when she was working? 

And how did he always know which tables would be hers? 

“Afternoon,” he said with a smile.

“Hi. The usual again?” Raina asked, knowing the answer.

“Of course,” he replied and rested his elbows on the table, leaning forward to look more closely at her. His right eye drooped, with dark puffy fluid filled bags underneath both. His face was wrinkled in the forehead, and around his mouth and eyes. Brown eyes that glistened and watered. She guessed he was about 46, but she was never good with guessing a person’s age. He always wore a tshirt and shorts, no socks, and sneakers that were white in a previous life. She wondered if he had a job, since he was there all the time. Maybe he worked from home, staring at his computer. She imagined tabs open to work email, but also other sites he likely should not be on. He just seemed that type. She shuddered. 

“Be right back,” Raina said as she turned to put the order in. The order she had memorized at this point and didn’t need to write down. 

Raina had had men admire her before. She’d had boyfriends, and friends looking to be a boyfriend. Frankly, she was tired of it. And she was tired of the man who came to eat during her shifts all summer. Not only that, he had somehow gotten her number from another waitress, Brianne. He lied and said he lost all his contacts when he switched to a new phone. Naive as a toddler, Brianne handed out Raina’s number without giving it a second thought. 

Then the calls began. And the texts. “Nice day today. You working?” (Delete) “Glad I got to see you today. It always makes me smile.” (Delete) “Headed to the park later. You can meet me there if you’d like. The bench by the baseball field. I know you know it.” (Delete) That was a little too much for Raina. How long had he been watching her? She used to watch baseball games there in the spring with Jess, and they’d laugh and talk about which of their classmates they would and definitely would never ask out. Raina finally just blocked the number, but how long until it started up again? With a new number? And always showing up and just watching her. Studying her. His eyes trained on her every movement. 

“Here you go. Your usual. And your check. Let me know if you need anything else before you go,” she said coldly as she dropped his plate in front of him. Ham and cheese on rye, extra mustard. Raina hated mustard. 

“Thank you, sweetheart. You look lovely today. Any plans after work?” he said, picking up his napkin. 

“Nope. Enjoy your meal,” Raina mumbled in his direction as she walked away, focused on the next table. 

People came and went all afternoon long, and Raina tended each table with a smile. She was aware of his eyes on her as she took orders, carried drinks, and set out new silverware when a table left. 

But he didn’t leave. He sat there, slowly eating his ham and cheese on rye with extra mustard. She looked over and he slowly licked his lips, all the while staring at her. Raina rolled her eyes and tried to think instead of the generous tip he was about to leave, as he always did. He had his check, he always paid in cash, so could leave at any time. And finally, he did. Right as Raina’s shift was ending.  

Raina’s shift was over at 8:30. She had walked to work, as usual. Does he know she always walks? How could he not? He knows everything about her. She finished cashing out for the night, made a last stop into the kitchen, then said goodnight to her coworkers. She couldn’t help the feeling of unease as she left the building, and headed right instead of left tonight. And just as she had expected, she saw him. 

Raina began walking faster. He began walking faster. The street was softly lit by sporadic streetlights, lining the tree lawns. Then, they stopped. The street abruptly turned right, but straight ahead dark woods awaited them. 

He looked at her, and she at him. She began to run. Fast, determined. Then, they both began to run, right into the woods. This was it, she decided. 

*Now*

The sound of footsteps picking up pace, rushing through the leaves, and through the water of the creek mingled with the cry of an owl . 

“Why? Why are you chasing me?” 

“It ends here! It ends here for you!”

The two collapsed into the water, struggling to get a foothold in the rocks that ran jagged up and down the creek. Suddenly, the water turned red. 

Raina stood up, and looked down at the man who had been tormenting her over the past few months. She wiped the knife clean in the water, and returned it to her back jean pocket. She’d return it to the kitchen tomorrow. None the wiser it was missing. 

The man, who had once told her his name was David, was face down in the creek, not moving. The look in his eyes when she started to chase him down the street after work was one she would never forget. Confusion, worry, then fear. He picked the wrong girl. 

“‘Why are you chasing me’” he had called out. As if he didn’t know. Never underestimate a person, David. Especially someone who has had to take care of herself for a long time. 

Leaving David for the animals to find, Raina took off her pink flip flops and carried them as she left the woods. She smiled, and walked home with a spring in her step. Nobody knew, but it wasn’t the first time she had to take care of something herself. Nobody knew, and nobody ever suspected the bird-feeding, sweet smiling waitress. 

Raina got to her house, and put the key in the lock. Her parents had disappeared when she was in the 9th grade. No other family, she learned to take care of herself. She was used to the dark emptiness when she walked inside, then flipped on the lights. At least her parents were still paying the bills from wherever they were, and she had running water and electricity. 

Raina slipped into a hot shower, washing the night away from her skin. She felt her lip, and it was still swollen. She was sure the others at work tomorrow would tease her about it, assuming it was from the date she told them she was off to when she left. Not to worry, it was just a little blood…just a little blood.