The Hunted

~Chapter One~

    She awoke with the feeling of sweat rolling down her forehead and dripping into her eyes. She could still feel the terror trying to rip its way out of her throat in the form of a scream. She reached out, and a split second later realized no one was there. No one was ever there. She tried to calm her rapid heartbeat; the irrational part of her brain was telling her that the monsters from her dreams might hear. She ran her fingers through her hair with a shaky hand.  

She stood up on weak legs and slowly made her way to her tiny little bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and vaguely wondered why the hell she didn’t seek professional help.

Because you don’t need it, and you know it.

The stupid annoying little voice in her head. She was already half convinced she was completely insane, so why not add a cryptic little voice in her head to the mess that was her life. She gazed into the mirror unseeing, but when she finally focused in... she was startled by what she saw.

Her skin looked pale, almost translucent, and had an unhealthy yellow tint to it. The hair that wasn’t plastered to her forehead by sweat was knotted and dull looking. She had dark purple circles under her eyes, courtesy of her sleepless nights.

All-in-all... she looked a complete mess.

After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she went to the kitchen to make herself the miracle drink that keep her from falling into the dream world that was her worst nightmare; coffee. She drank so much coffee, she was surprised she didn’t pee it out when she went to the bathroom. She liked it extra strong and black.

She watched the sunrise from her little kitchen window, and sighed as she knew this new day was unavoidable. New days brought new nights, and new nights brought new terrors.

Thank God for coffee.

~

He watched the sun rise above the line that separated the earth and sky. He sipped his extra strong coffee while witnessing another day being born.

Another day on the run.

He almost smiled as he remembered the way he’d outsmarted the guys back in Reno. He had a good three day head start on them; the men who wanted him dead. They’d made their first threat against his life three years, seven months, and sixteen days ago.

Yet here he stood.

That thought alone was enough to bring a small, smug smile to his lips. He took another sip of coffee as he looked at his watch. As he stood on his front porch, he heard the sound of a engine in the distance. The sound grew closer and closer, and he recognized it as a car engine. So confident that it wasn’t the men after him, he stood tall and in plain sight, waiting for the car to approach. Around the bend of his driveway, a little red Honda emerged from behind the trees. 

It stopped a few feet away from the little walkway that led to his porch. A short little blond woman stepped out, and he had to force himself not to grimace. 

“Chandler!” she squealed walking down the little path in front of his cabin.

“Carrie.” he said without enthusiasm. He hated when people called him by his first name, but didn’t feel like correcting her.

He pinpointed the exact moment her smile switched from friendly to flirty. As she made her way up the steps, she continued talking. “I haven’t seen you in years! How have you been?” Just as she put her foot on the last step, the sound of a gunshot shattered the peaceful atmosphere.

“Get down, now!” he shouted as he dropped to his stomach. He looked over to where Carrie was and cursed.

They had shot her right through the back of the head.