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Stopping at all didn’t seem like a wise decision. It would be better to run, fast. To head for where other people were. Then this creepy guy would have witnesses to his behavior and she could take the photo and make him suffer for having called out to her like she was some disobedient little Jack Russell.
She could hear his footsteps pounding after her, sure and regular on the trail’s earthy surface. And she felt another chill, only this time closer to panic.
He was still calling after her.
“Come back here. Don’t be afraid.”
Shawna accelerated. Now she felt like she was running for her life.
Was this it? Was this man going to catch up with her and harm her, kill her, even?
“Help me!” she called, but with a feeling of doom, she knew nobody would hear her. He’d approached her just as she’d headed down the most deserted section of the trail, the one that led deep into the woods. She hadn’t intended to run this far at all. She’d planned to run a couple hundred yards and then turn and retrace her steps. Now she couldn’t do that, because he was behind her. He was forcing her further down this trail.
Worse still, she was getting tired. She wasn’t used to this speed. Her legs were feeling leaden and her breath was burning in her chest.
And he was still following her, which made her feel sick with fear. In fact, checking again, she saw he was closer now. He was only about ten yards behind her, and then he put on a burst of speed and closed the gap.
He was smiling. She could hear his breathing. In and out, huffing and puffing, but not breathless. Not tired. This was a fit guy who looked like he could run all day.
Terror washed through her.
“Help me!” she called again, but her voice was cracking and she knew nobody would hear her. All she wanted to do was get away.
Now he was closer, even though she was sprinting as fast as she possibly could.
“Shush, shush, it’s okay. It’s okay. I don’t want to hurt you.”
He hadn’t touched her. But he was trying to crowd her off the path. In terror, Shawna raised her hand, trying to hit out at him. She didn’t know what else to do. She’d run into a nightmare. She was deep in the woods, she was alone, and she’d never, ever thought this would happen.
So fast.
She couldn’t keep it up. With a gasp that was more of a sob, she dropped back, running slower.
“That’s it, that’s right. Just take it easy now.”
He was pushing against her, holding her wrist in the lightest grasp, as if he was afraid to hurt her in any way, and yet he was implacably herding her the way he wanted her to go.
And she couldn’t resist. She couldn’t even breathe. She was exhausted from trying to run.
“Please no! Please don’t hurt me!” she sobbed out, and with a weird sense of foreboding, she realized she sounded just like the weaklings her father had always warned her not to tolerate.“Don’t be a weak whiner, Shawna, don’t be one of those who beg and plead. You stand up for what you want and you take it!”
His advice was useless here, but so was fighting him off. Shawna realized that nothing was going to derail this man from what he intended to do.
“I wouldn’t do that. There, there, I’m not going to hurt you. Just come with me. Come this way.”
Her legs were shaking. Terror and exhaustion combined had sapped all their strength. Shawna staggered to a stop.
“Did you take Emily? You did, didn’t you? You took her. It was you!” She was gasping so hard she could hardly get the words out.
“Don’t scream now, my lovely. It’s okay.”
She didn’t scream. She could barely breathe. Her whole body was trembling.
He took her arm, holding her, supporting her.
“Look, you’re tired. That’s okay. Just don’t be afraid. Don’t be frightened. I’m not going to hurt you. Just hold on to me.”
He took her arm, wrapping it around his shoulders. Terrified, she tried to pull away, but his grip, although not rough, was solidly firm and it was impossible to get free. She staggered, feeling her cell phone drop out of her pocket, too tired to reach for it or even think about it.
