Morristown

Prologue

The sky was grey, the light rain on an April day had just begun to fall as the clock was striking 6 a.m. It was at this time that Lilly Porter was rising out of bed. It was a morning tradition she would wake up early in the morning tie her hair up in a not-so-neat ponytail. Put on some compression pants and a sports bra and begin her morning run. She sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes and let out a satisfying and muscle spreading stretch. She got out of bed and walked over to the window just beside her bed and opened the curtains and shades. "You've got to be fucking kidding me!" She yelled as she seen the rain that had by this time darkened the  gray concrete into a near black color.  Regardless she could not ruin her morning tradition because of a little rain. She would just through on a light sweatshirt over her sports bra to protect her slender body from the rain.

So she proceeded to get ready, pulling on her compression pants then moving to the sports bra that had replaced her old led zeppelin t -shirt she had gotten from an ex-boyfriend years before today. "It's just too comfy to throw out." She remembered telling her sister while moving into this small town. The thought made her smirk. After pulling up her auburn hair she grabbed the pink Under Armour hoodie from off the rack by her door and pulled it over her naked stomach. After grabbing the Ipod and earbuds she turned the knob on the door and headed for the stairs.

Once reaching the stairs, Lily was going to take the first step of many down the stairwell. It was then she looked up and was staring right into the strange man from down the hall. The kind of strange man that gave you an uneasy  vibe. The way he always stared walking past or from a distance but would never even speak a word no matter Lily's actions towards him. No wave, no speaking just a creepy ear to ear smile, is head tilted downward and all its waking creepiness. She stood at the stairs and was puzzled, maybe even a tad disgusted. But she never gave the guy a thought no matter how creepy they maybe seen each other once a day . The world revolved around more than the creepy rape vibe this guy gave out and as long as it wasn't anything more than staring he can just look. At least she thought so.

  She hurried down the stairs to get started on the run she did every morning. Ipod turned on Pandora, blaring the Three Days Grace radio station  rain hitting her face, just slightly, and feet patting the pavement she was on her way to the park, her first check point. In her head she had it all mapped out, she would reach the park, grab a bottle of water and then proceed to take the wooded path that would lead her to the street to her apartment.

The park, although not very large, was still decent to go to and take in the scenery. A small pond, at which the ducks would sit on top of the water as those who passed would take a second to throw some bread to them. The occasional teenage groups hanging underneath some trees sneaking some cigarettes. Although the last one wasn't appealing it gave Lily a feeling of nostalgia. Sneaking to  the park in her old hometown with her friends swigging some wine and smoking Marlboro while talking about life and what they wanted to accomplish.  The morning run always brought good vibes and memories to Lily's head. Everyday it was the same routine, except for today.

After reaching the rest area and getting her water, Lily had received the worst feeling. Like something had just passed right through her. Her face went cold and her body felt sick, she knew someone, somewhere was watching her..."Possibly that creep from down the hall." She thought to herself. Though he hardly ever was seen except for in the building. Everyone had said he stays to himself and hardly ever leaves. She chuckled to herself. There was no way this was happening. She finished her water. Took a second to collect her thoughts and let the feeling subside. After all it would be crazy to think this was going to happen. Especially in a town like this.

Lily through the bottle in the recycling bin beside the restroom area. In her head this was funny because all her time prior to moving here a few months ago was spent throwing garbage out her window. She had moved to Morris, Ohio with the intention of starting over, leaving the abusive, ex-boyfriend she had prior to finding the place for such a low price. She couldn't believe it, a nice small town with nothing going on, besides the normal, no major crime, everything had finally felt right.

Crossing the path normally went faster, but Lily had decided to slow down and take in the surroundings. A nice damp air, slight rain drops, it was nice..something she had hardly done since being here. Just taking the time to look at her new life and where she had been just a few months ago. Though this rainy April morning, would be Lily's last run and time to take in any of her surroundings. Lily had just finished kneeling down by a tree and grabbing a buckeye,  "this is what life is really about...The little things." She had said before standing up, brushing the dirt off of her knees, then like an unsuspecting deer in the forest. She had turned about 90 degrees, stretched her arms, revealing her chest, and it was at that point a gun went off. The bullet hit her right in the heart blood spilling onto the soil. Her body landing with a thud, life drained within moments, Lily Porter had just taken her last breath.