Burning Tears

Chapter I: Shock

Taylor:

Taylor K. Tassy sat alone in the driver's seat of her roommate's black car. She was heading back to the Christ's Community University. Taylor glanced in the review mirror, finding the same navy blue jeep still six yards behind her. Whenever she changed the speed of the car, the jeep matched it perfectly.

That car is following me. Why is it following me? Does it matter? Nope. Lose the car. She thought and eased more pressure onto the gas pedal. A straight stretch of highway spread out before her. Sun streamed into her open side window, heating her arm.

Taylor pressed her foot down further on the pedal. Her speed gage showed she was well past the speed limit, which only caused her anxiety to grow. She found herself breathing. Why should I be alive? Is God really there? A grainy voice wove into her thoughts. Sweat dripped down her face.

She took a deep breath and unzipped her soft black sweater with one hand. The jeep sped up, now only inches from her back bumper. Taylor's eyes flickered to her side mirror again.

Sunlight bounced off the gleaming paint on the jeep, causing the dark windows to stand out like giant eyes. She leaned back into her seat and closed her eyes, trying to calm her breathing. Anxiety tugged at her heart.

Though her blink only lasted a second, a scene unfolded in her mind; a silver mini van, shining the same way the jeep was, rounded the corner in front of her and blocked her off with large men, holding huge guns, jumping out and surrounding her car.

Taylor's eyelids shot open as she rounded the corner in the highway, shivers running up her spine. She spotted the traffic of Lakewood, Colorado without a silver mini-van in sight. The trees on either side of the highway gave way to green fields in which cattle were grazing.

The sunlight enhanced the shadow of her black car, however, jeep's shadow was non-existent. The jeep pulled out of their lane, pulling up along side the speeding black car. Taylor's breathing quickened and her thoughts swarmed. Am I really worth living? Am I really good enough? Yes! Yes I am... right? Yes! And you better believe it!

"Lord, help me!"

Her eyes peered into the review mirror. The particles of the navy jeep incinerated. Taylor sucked in a shocked breath. Her muscles tightened and her heart slowed its racing as she began to release her foot from the pedal.

Still racing past the speed limits, Taylor eased her foot from the pedal again, however not soon enough. She entered the city traffic, barely stopping for the first red light. A police officer motioned for her to pull over. She obeyed and opened her wallet and slipped her driver's license out, fighting hard to keep back tears.

Other vehicles whizzed by as she waited for the police officer to approach. To her right, there was a wide sidewalk and a parking lot for a mall beyond it. The sun was still high in the clear blue sky. The sidewalk turned two feet from the front of her car, creating a four-way intersection.

The police officer strode up to the car. Taylor's mind throbbed. How did that jeep- The police man, in his mid twenties, stared down at Taylorthrough the window with dark grey eyes.

"Driver's license." He commanded in an irritated voice.

Taylor stared at the license as she handed it to him, her head throbbing harder and harder. The officer turned toward the sun to inspect it, then he turned back to her with a ticket and handed both items to her. The officer's dark hair whipped around his head as a strong breeze picked up, coming from the south.

Taylor shivered as the light everywhere dimmed. Sweat dripped down her face. Taking a deep breath, Taylor closed her eyes and calmed herself. It isn't possible for a jeep to evaporate. You only imagined it. The police officer's stormy eyes peered into her's again before he walked swiftly in front of the car, back to his stance in the center of the intersection. Just as suddenly as her headache had come, it was gone.