***
“Are you sure you want to go to your apartment tonight?” Mr King asked as he checked his briefcase.
“Yes- I have a couple of things that need doing there. My poor plants are half dead and I need to pick up my mail. My landlord won't stop calling me about it.” If I thought Mr. King could pout, I would have called the expression on his face pouting. Instead he just twisted his mouth like he had eaten something bitter.
He glanced around the empty office before leaning over and kissing my head. I smiled up at him, earnestly rethinking my need to go to my apartment. I needed to check my mail and pick up some new clothes for the cooler weather. It suddenly struck me that I no longer thought of it as home. It was now “the apartment”; home was the King mansion. Mr. King checked his briefcase one last time, obviously stalling for time while he waited for me to change my mind.
“Go home! I have a few more things to do here, but I will text you when I get to the apartment.” I bent back towards my computer, trying to ignore him enough that he would leave. He sighed and turned to leave.
“Claire, I... I'll miss you tonight.” He walked slowly, his footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. I watched him walk out the door, a gray feeling of melancholy filling my soul. My feet itched to run after him, to make those hazel eyes light up with surprise and happiness, but I had work to do.
***
I worked for a few more hours, cross referencing numbers and accounts, tracing payments and practically redoing entire departments accounting records. I made little progress.
I sighed as I stood up, stretching my hands above my head, working my shoulders in circles. I was always mindful of my posture, but no matter how much I tried, my shoulders always hurt after working on a computer screen for hours.
An email message popped up on my computer. It was a company wide email from Olivia about the 401K plan. Apparently we were at 95% participation on the matching program. It reminded me to check my balance on my account. I had increased my own input to 10% of my salary and was curious to see if the changes had gone through. I downloaded the 401K file and prepared to go to my apartment.
I double checked to make sure I had saved all my work, and on a whim, uploaded my files to the secured cloud storage Mr. King had given me. I packed my laptop into my bag, grabbed my coat and keys and headed for the garage. I waved to the security guard as I entered the garage and found my little red car sitting in its spot. It felt strange to be driving myself home alone. I had gotten used to Mr. King or his chauffeur driving.
I started the car and drove out to the main road. It was a little after midnight, so the normally busy road was quiet and dark. I turned onto it, taking the curve harder than I intended; my phone slid across the passenger seat, just out of reach. I didn't worry about it, turning my radio up as a good song came on, singing along. I sang out loudly (and off-key), the deep bass rattling the windows. A car pulled out behind me, keeping pace. I stopped at a light, still singing along to the radio.
I turned left onto the next street, the car behind me running the edge of a red light to keep up. Coincidence, I thought. I sped up; the car behind me sped up. I could feel my heart starting to pick up its pace, my nerves starting to take control. I decided to test it and see if the car was really following me or if it was just another lonely driver late at night. At the next stop light I turned right, the car behind mimicking my movement.
All I could see was the glare of headlights on a dark sedan body. I immediately turned right at the next intersection, the dark car right behind me. At the next intersection, I headed back towards the original road, the car right on my tail. I now had no doubt that they were following me. I reached for my phone, but it was too far out of reach. I took a deep breath, and smacked the radio button off, trying to concentrate only on the road and avoiding my tail. I knew of a police station just a few miles down the road where I would be safe from them.
The car behind me must have known about the police station as well, because they stopped simply following me and began actively harassing me. The dark sedan surged up into my blind-spot on the left, pushing me towards the edge of the road. My knuckles turned white on the steering wheel as the car's headlights poured into my car. I sped up, trying to get away, but the sedan just kept trying to force me to pull over.
When I refused to go onto the shoulder, they took a more drastic step, swinging into the side of my bumper. The jolt made me shriek, my back of my car skidding across the road. I sped up, trying desperately to make it to the police station. If I could only make it there, I would be safe; I would make it through this. My little car's engine screamed with effort as I pushed the gas pedal into the floor, trying desperately to pick up speed.
The car slammed into me again, pushing me into the shoulder of the road. I hit a patch of gravel and felt the steering wheel lurch out of my hands. The headlights blinded me; I felt the car rotate, and suddenly my world was upside down. Everything seemed to move at half speed, my brain registering the smallest details with clarity: the speedometer at 58mph, the gas tank with less than a third left, the dust on the dash, the engine revving, the shadows changing as the car flipped. My world seemed to be made of crystal, delicate and shining. The crystal shattered as the airbags deployed and filled my vision.
All I could think of was that I hadn't told him I loved him. I knew it deep in my bones and I hadn't said anything yet. I prayed I wouldn't die, my only reason being that I hadn't told him.
***
I heard the gravel tearing into the roof of my car, the paint peeling off as I spun like a top across the pavement. The car finally stopped, the slow upside down spin coming to a halt. The seat belt dug into my shoulder, my head pounding as I hung suspended in the air. Time had no meaning as I struggled to breath, struggled to live. My vision was blurry, but I saw a pair of shoes by the passenger side window.
I tried to call out, my voice not obeying. Nothing in my body seemed to be responding to command as I watched a hand pull out my laptop bag from the broken glass. The shoes retreated, the gravel crunching loud in my ears. I could hear the sedan pull away, its engine purring softly into the night as it left me in silence. The car creaked a low metallic moan into the darkness. Somewhere a siren began its howl towards me.
I suddenly found my voice, wordless screams pouring from my throat. Flashing lights took control, men in uniforms asking my name as I tried to remember what language I spoke. Everything felt wrong. I let strong hands take me as my world went black and the angry cry of the ambulance wailed into the night.