Edgy

by Gloria Watts

The wind howls and raindrops pound my head. The streets are empty, and moonlight flickers at my feet.

I’m lost.

Don’t know how it happened, must have taken a wrong turn.

Footsteps echo. I peer into the darkness, see nothing.

They grow louder, and I start to feel... edgy.

I shrug my shoulders, feeling foolish.

A hand catches my throat. I see nothing, but feel fingers pressing... choking. My mouth opens but the scream is caught in a hand rammed against my mouth; blood tastes salty against my teeth.

An arm clutches at my waist drawing me close. I smell sour sweat; feel the wetness of a mouth against my cheek. The hand moves, covers the bottom half of my face until my breath becomes a shallow gasp that racks my chest and I know I am dying.

A laugh, soft and sensual, a laugh I half remember brings snapshots to my head. Alicia — blue eyes in a heart-shaped face, and a smile, mocking even as it faded. A knife... blood... dead, but her memory lingers as she whispers ‘Come and join me.’