Reality

Josie awakens with a start, sweat streaming down her back and face. She is drenched, feeling a deep sense of panic from the disturbing dream she just experienced. But what was the dream about? Oh yes, she was running, and running, and running, but what was she running from? In her dream, she turned to look behind her and saw a man running behind her, quickly closing the gap between them. She ran faster and faster. When she looked again, the hooded man was closer.

Josie looks at the clock—five o’clock. She reaches over to shut off the blaring alarm. What a terrible dream—a nightmare. The blaring alarm just added to her panic. She reminds herself to change that alarm. As she gets out of bed, she prepares for her morning run. She puts on her running shoes, jogging pants, and a tank top. She reaches for her cell phone on the nightstand and notices the power is down to 10 percent.

“Shit! I can’t believe I forgot to plug my phone in last night!”

She plugs her phone in and heads out the door. She plans to make this a short run as she needs to get to work early today. The phone should be fully charged when she finishes her run, showers, and dresses for work.

Typically, Josie enjoys her morning run. She breathes in the fresh morning air, takes in the beautiful flowers, trees, and homes, enjoys the blue sky, and waves to her neighbors who happen to be milling about. But this morning is different. For some reason, she feels a sense of dread during this morning run. Why am I feeling this way? She asks herself. As she continues running, she thinks about the dream she had last night. When she was certain a man was running behind her. There’s no one there, or so she tells herself as she sprints forward. Yet with every frantic footfall, Josie can’t shake the chilling sensation of footsteps echoing in her wake, their pace swiftly intensifying. The sound is all too familiar—just like her dream, where relentless footsteps chased her through the dark, accompanied by the heavy, ragged breathing that seemed to echo within her very bones.

Heart racing, she feels the breath of fear prickling at her neck. Unable to suppress her growing dread, she risks a quick look over her shoulder. What she sees stops her cold: a man in a black hoodie tearing toward her, the distance between them evaporating with terrifying speed. The chill creeping down her spine confirms her worst nightmare—it’s just like her dream!

Though she feels she cannot run any faster, she turns and pulls from deep within herself and runs as fast as possible. Up ahead, she sees one of her elderly neighbors, Mrs. Johnson, out tending to the red rose bushes in front of her two-story home. Josie makes a beeline to her neighbor and yells, “Help! Help me!”

Mrs. Johnson turns sharply, startled at the sudden disturbance of the peaceful morning.

“My goodness dear! What in the world? What’s wrong?”

Josie stumbles into the arms of Mrs. Johnson.

“Quick! We need to go in to call the police! A man is chasing after me!”

Mrs. Johnson looks at Josie and then looks down the street behind her. She sees nothing but a quiet neighborhood street with a calico cat slowly crossing the roadway about ten feet away from them.

“What man, dear? I don’t see anyone!”

Josie frantically turns to look down the street. She points her finger in that direction.

“There! He’s –” But she sees no person, only the cat who has made its way to the other side of the street. What happened to the man? Where did he go?

“He must have darted away between the houses,” Josie says, exhaustedly panting.

“Maybe so, dear,” Mrs. Johnson says with a tinge of disbelief. “My goodness, but you are in a state. Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?” Mrs. Johnson asks, thinking that Josie is undoubtedly mistaken about a man chasing after her. This is a safe neighborhood, after all.

“No, no, thank you. I need to get home to get ready for work. I’m sorry to have bothered you, Mrs. Johnson.”

“That’s quite alright, dear.”

Josie decides to take another route home. She does not want to go back the way she came. Suppose the man is hiding in the bushes, waiting for her to return? No, she’ll take the long way back, even if it means she will be late for work.

*

At work, Josie performs her duties perfunctorily. At one o’clock, she takes a break and heads to her car, where she can have some peace, away from people. While she enjoys being a hostess in a classy restaurant, as an introvert, she recharges when she can get away and have time to herself. This has been especially true since the awful events of last year, when she and her husband were robbed while walking in a park on date night. It was a night she would never forget. A man with a gun had approached and demanded her purse and her husband’s wallet. She had given over her purse willingly. But her husband, John, ever the brave Marine, had decided he wasn’t going to let this man get away with robbing them. When he went to hand the gunman his wallet, he also tried to grab the gun and was immediately shot in the chest. He collapsed on the sidewalk, blood gushing from the wound in his chest. He died within seconds. Josie immediately began to scream, and the gunman bashed her on the head with the butt of his gun, knocking her unconscious immediately.

The police were never able to locate the man who had taken her husband’s life. Each time she was asked to recount the details, she strained her mind for a clearer image, but all that emerged was a vague silhouette cloaked in a black hoodie. The hood had cast a shadow over his face, obscuring any distinguishing features and leaving her with only an unsettling void where his identity should have been. Even the sound of his voice, which had once echoed with chilling finality, had been swallowed by her memory, leaving behind a haunting silence that only deepened her sense of loss and confusion.

At the hospital, the doctors confirmed that she had suffered a concussion. Since that fateful day, she had been plagued by relentless headaches, but she bore the pain stoically. Taking time off work was simply not an option; with her husband gone, she was left solely responsible for the mortgage. The thought of losing their cherished home, filled to the brim with memories of laughter and love, was unbearable. Each room whispered echoes of their past together, from the joyous moments shared over dinner to quiet evenings spent wrapped in each other's arms. She was resolute; she would cling to this sanctuary of memories, unwilling to let the remnants of their life slip away.

Josie looks at her watch. Time to head back to work. As she exits the car and heads to the restaurant's back door, she notices a man in a hoodie at the back of the parking lot. She stops in her tracks. He’s followed her here – the man with the black hoodie. She runs for the door and instantly knows the man is following her, running towards her. She lets out a piercing scream, begging for someone to help her. As she runs towards the door, it seems to get further and further away from her. Her legs feel as though they are in quicksand. Her screams sound as if they are coming from miles and miles away. What is happening to her?

*

There are a series of taps on the driver's side window of Josie’s car. Josie awakens with a start. She looks up into the face of Dan, her supervisor, who has a decidedly concerned expression.

“Are you okay? You coming back in? You must have fallen asleep.”

“No, I didn’t fall asleep. Someone was chasing me. I must have come back to my car.”

Josie says this but distinctly remembers running towards the restaurant’s back door. How did she end up in her car? She tries to look around Dan but can’t.

“Is there a man out there in a black hoodie?”

Dan looks around. “No. There is no one here but you and me.”

“There was a man in a black hoodie back here, and he was following me, no, he was chasing me. This is the second time he’s chased after me!”

“Do you know who it is?”

“No, I don’t.”

“What does he look like?”

“I don’t know! I can’t see his face!” Josie is on the verge of hysterics.

“Josie, open the door, come on in, and go to my office. Just rest a bit until you are better. There is no one out here but you and me.”

Reluctantly, Josie swings open the car door and steps out, her eyes darting around the parking lot in search of the man in the black hoodie who had invaded her thoughts. Why had she been in her car? And what did Dan mean when he said she was asleep? She certainly wasn’t asleep, nor was she dreaming. No, she had been wide awake, poised to return to work, when she caught a glimpse of him, and it sent a chill down her spine. What on earth just happened? Was she losing her grip on reality? They walk slowly towards the restaurant.

“Dan, I have a splitting headache. I really need to go home,” she admits, her voice laced with exhaustion.

“Okay,” he replies gently, concern etched on his face. “We can manage without you for the rest of the day. Just go home and take care of yourself. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He walks her back to her car, watching as she slips behind the wheel. With a final glance filled with worry, Dan watches as she drives away, and the weight of uncertainty lingers in the air.

*

Concealed within the thicket at the rear of the parking lot, a figure in a shadowy black hoodie lurks, tense and patient. His eyes narrow as he surveys the scene, a predator poised to strike. He knows he must wait for the perfect moment to act. A chill runs down his spine at the thought of leaving a witness—he can't afford any loose ends. The air is thick with anticipation as he contemplates his next move.