Breathless

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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I rushed to open the car door, struggling to find the key with my shaking hands. As soon as I got in I hastily turned the ignition on and sped out of the school car park. Where am I suppose to go now? I can't stay at school, nor can I go home. I had to go somewhere. Some place I never go to. Somewhere I can escape. Where I can rid myself of worries and just relax.

Suspiciously frightening questions shot through my head like bullets ricocheting off the inside walls of my skull. The horror of it all causing me to become slightly light headed at the wheel. I steadied myself and tried to maintain a calm breathing pace.

It had seemed as though I had driven for more than an hour when I came to a stop at a petrol station to fill up the tank. I climbed out the car to look for someone that could give me some service. I walked through the door, hearing a tiny bell cling as it closed behind me. No one at the cash register. I wandered through the shop, the bitter silence leaving me uneasy. Where is everyone? I stumbled back outside, where I was met by a cool breeze that caused me to hold myself tight to contain heat.

I walked around back but still no one was there. As I came back to the car through the cold I heard the rustling of sticks and leaves being stomped on. I looked around hoping that the noise came from nothing other than a rabbit nesting in its habitat, but sadly there was nothing.

I felt eyes staring at me as I stepped back into my car. I examined the area to reassure myself that I was perfectly safe. Light brown cowboy boots marched into sight. He had blonde hair that shone in the sun and a tan that made him look Greek or Italian. When he noticed me sitting alone in the car he started on his way over.

"Car trouble?"

I looked back at him with a blank expression and focused on his perplex face. A round face with brown eyes along with a cleanly shaved jaw. His navy shirt outlined a muscular frame while his navy jeans hung low on his hips.

"That depends, do you work here?"

He nodded in response. A 'yes' or 'sure thing' would of been nice but, hey, I was just glad I wasn't alone.

"I just need some petrol."

"Well you've come to the right place."

His lips curled into a smirk and he continued;

"Come this way,"

Stepping out of my car I follow his pacing footsteps. We came to a stop behind the petrol station.

"Where is it?"

He asked in an impatient tone. A translucent aqua colour slowly replaced his materialistic brown eyes. I suddenly felt a sting of anxiety stab into me like a knife that violently shook with worry, yet I didn't understand why. I started to form relevant words to answer his hysterical question.

"Where's what?"

His expression turned grim and his eyes now shone with a timid gold and dark blue, completely different from the maroon colour of the eyes I first looked into at my car.

"Don't play dumb with me girl. You have no idea what I'm capable of."

I winced at the shock of his repelling words.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

His eyes traced over me mockingly. He lifted his boney hand up to meet me a little below my jaw and snapped it shut. I fell to the ground clutching my neck, scratching and wriggling to release what was tightening my neck. He stood a few feet away simply with his arm in the air but the way he moved it made me wonder if he was the one strangling me with some kind of force, that was so strong it was as though I were being hung. Whatever was choking me was invisible, had no touch. He finally freed me by opening his fist.

"Give me the pendant!"

He hissed menacingly, startling me. I struggled to come up with a response. What was he talking about? What pendant? I don't even know who he is and he's demanding for something when I have no idea what it is. My palms began to sweat, the way they always do when I get nervous. I summoned whatever courage I had left in me and spat out;

"I don't have your stupid pendant."

"Wrong answer."

He shot back with amusement. A strange feeling hit me in the centre of my chest. I slowly lifted my hand to the spot and felt a familiar stone which hung around my neck by a medium sized silver chain. The large emerald stone was given to me by my father whom said, it was something very special and that I had to make sure it was never out of my sight. I felt around the smooth edges. It was shaped like a trilliant stone. I had always admired its fascinating electric emerald colour. As I looked down at it the green faded, and it started glowing a light orange.

I watched it with confusion. This is not normal. How does an object just change colours like that? Through the distraction of watching the thing I've held onto for so long rapidly change its appearance I failed to notice the frightening person coming towards me. A dark shadowy figure towered over me, covering the sun like an eclipse. I fell back in horror. I crawled backwards as he came closer.

"Leave me alone!"

I shouted, but my words had no visible effect on him.

"Once you give me what I want, you will never see me again. It can be that simple, but it's your choice Jennifer."

He reply in a co-operative tone, but his expression displayed his edginess.

"How do you know my name?"

I adjusted myself to maintain a steady voice as I asked, but my uneasiness had taken over.

"Oh I think you will find I know a lot about you. Like how every night before you go to bed you double check each and every door and window in your house to make sure you haven't forgot to lock them. And that every Wednesday you go to the library from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm to catch up on any school assignments and homework you need to complete."

I sat gaping at the new information I was being given. I opened my mouth, allowing a shivering voice to peek out.

"H-how did you know that?"

"I was given the information to track you down and accomplish the job I was assigned, now if you would kindly-"

I managed to shrug off the fact that this guy was practically stalking me, finding out personal things about me and cut him off mid sentence;

"What job?"

I studied his squinting eyes which were staring at me like a lion watching it's prey. Rustling noises call from the woods. We both whirled our heads around to the spot where the noise echoed out from. As I looked back at him he was still searching the trees ahead to find something he could blame the noise on.

I queried my options. Number one, stay put and do not make any sudden movements or number two, stand up and make a run for it back to my car without him noticing. I chose option two. I remembered my unbelievable speed and took advantage of it as I bolted off my sitting position.

I had ran to the front of the petrol station by the time he noticed and followed behind me. Continuing at my running pace as I spun my head behind me to locate the distance between myself and the creepy petrol station guy.

While still watching him chase after me I wasn't paying attention to what lay in front of me. A hard muscular object was my next encounter as the left side of my face smacked against it. The impact of the force sending me a little lightheaded. I stopped running to find the source of my aching cheekbone. As I glared in front of me my eyes connected with the dark edgy eyes of another guy.

"Scott?"

I asked him raising an eyebrow in a questionable glance. Shock plus confusion spread widely over my face.