Secrets in the Mist

She saw it then. The gleam of headlights through the tangle of the trees. Night had fallen and it was getting cold. The temperature had fallen, freezing her limbs nearly to the bone. Her toes had gone purple as had her fingers. Ice crystals stuck to her ashy colored hair.

She didn't have much time. The car would come and go, as many had before. Its tires would kick up the slush from the road and then it would be off. She would watch the glow of their tail lights disappear into the fog. She didn't want to put herself through that misery again.

Her feet dipped into the soft powder of the snow as she ran. Her hot breaths hung in the frigid atmosphere. Limbs of the pine trees covered in the fresh snowfall swing at her as she pushes out of their reach. She has to make it to the road, this could be her last chance.

The car is closer now. She can hear the engine's slow hum and how the tires run over the small pebbles on the road. It's going slow as if it was waiting for her. The person driving was being careful, it was unknown what for. The roads could be slick with ice, the temperature dropping per second.

Her heart is beating rapidly, the car is almost to her. She stands in the treeline, her feet sinking into the glacial powder covering the earth. Her white dress clings to her body, the wetness seeping deep into her skin. She wraps her arms around herself and shivers.

The car is almost to her. The engine roars as they begin to speed up. She takes her chance and jumps onto the slick road. She waves her hands as she screams.

"Help! Help me, please!" Her voice is hoarse. The headlights of the car blind her but she still stares straight ahead. The car speeds forward and for an instant, she thinks of death. As her ears begin to ring, she hears the sound of rubber against asphalt. She opens her jade eyes and stares straight into the windshield at the dark figure behind the wheel.

Her bare feet slap against the icy road as she scrambles to the opened window of the vehicle. Her breaths are jagged, she can feel the driver staring at her in confusion. The car exhaust fills the air and the heat from inside the car hits her in the face.

"My name is Vivian, Vivian Park. I don't know how long I've been out here," a shiver runs through her body and she rubs her arms for warmth, "I've been stranded out here for awhile. Will you, please, help me?"

The stranger stays hidden in the shadows of the car. Vivian tries to make out their features but they're secluded in the darkness. The person lets out a grunt, it's masculine from what she can tell.

"Get in the back." Vivian jumps back at the man's demand. His voice is tight, sounding as if he is annoyed. Vivian feels like telling him to forget it, she didn't want to bother the man but what other choice did she have other than going with him?

"Thank you." Vivian whispers as she pulls open the door to the backseat. The car light comes on and Vivian glances at the man in the mirror. His eyes bore into hers, a pair of gunmetal blue eyes that she found so familiar. Without the lights going off, the man speeds forward.

Vivan looks at herself in the mirror. Her face, pale and droopy, has small red specks on it. Her lip has a cut down the middle. Her jade eyes are bloodshot. She gasps at herself. The man in the front is silent, Vivian leans forward from the backseat.

"Thank you again," The man turns to look at her, "it was very impolite of me not to ask, but what is your name?"

The man slams on his breaks, Vivian falls back into her seat.

"My name?" The man growls, "how could you not know my name?"

The man lunges into the backseat, his hands connecting with Vivian's throat. Vivian tries to move out of the man's reach, but he climbs onto her. She throws her arms up, trying to push him off. She's too weak from being out in the cold and he's too strong. His thumbs dig into Vivian's throat and gurgles start to rise out of it. Vivian watches as her vision begins to blur and go black. Vivian digs her nails into the man's arm in an attempt to get him off of her, but he won't budge. Sweat drips down from his hairline, drool begins to stream out of Vivian's mouth.

"Bradley Chamberlain." the man says through his teeth, his spit splashing onto Vivian's porcelain skin. A wheeze escapes through Vivian's mouth and Bradley presses harder. Vivian begins to feel her muscles growing weak and her vision goes completely black. The name, Vivian doesn't remember that name. She knew his eyes but not his name. Oddly, she felt the man's hands on her skin as soon as she took a seat in the car. It was like it was meant to happen or it had already happened before.

Just as she felt like her last break was about to leave her body, Vivian feels cold water rush against her skin. She sits up quickly and begins to cough. She holds her throat and looks around. She's back in the forest, the snow beneath her. How? She was in the car with that man, she can still even feel his fingertips drilling their way into her throat.

She gets on her feet though she is uneasy. The wind begins to pick up, whistling its way through the trees. In the distance she sees a white paper floating in the air. It's flying towards her and hesitantly, she reaches out for it. It lands softly in her hand. She flips it over and examines it. Soon, Vivian is on the forest floor, heaving as the paper continues to float its way into the eerie forest. Vivian gets a flash of the paper headline in her head, tears begin to stream down her cheeks.

Wanted: Bradley Warner Chamberlain for the murder of Vivian Marie Park