Stranger Than Fiction

Prologue

It was happening again. The fifth time this week. I couldn't stop it. I never could.

The girl ran, the key hanging from a string on her neck. It thudded against her chest like another heart. She saw the alley with the door, but she couldn't see the door. She turned the corner when she heard him. Ugggg! He would not leave her alone! She ran faster, sprinting. He was close, she could feel it. She had developed a sixth sense to tell her where he was, sort of like a compass, and this sixth sense was going crazy, spinning in all directions. She was close to the door now, only a few more feet. He was less than a yard away. She finally reached the door and inserted the key. It didn't work! She said a string of cuss words that would be unprintable. She tried again without luck. She slowly turned around to face him. He had his dogs with him. She called them blood hounds even though they were not the real things. They were crouching now, getting ready to pounce, waiting for a command. She looked around, frantically searching for a way out. There was none. She curled herself into a ball, preparing for them to sink their vicious teeth into her flesh and rip her apart. He said the command and they pounced. He laughed while she screamed. It was a blood-curling scream that chilled me to the bone. Suddenly it stopped and I woke up.