I skip my usual coat and reach for the yellow raincoat instead. I pull one over Daisy, too, fastening it carefully around her chest.
My hand closes around the doorknob. When I open the door, cool air and the smell of wet grass rush in. Daisy hesitates at the threshold, paws planted, ears tilted back. Then she steps forward.
I lock the door behind us and start walking.
It’s still dark outside.
The street stretches longer than it should, warped by rain and shadow from the streetlights. The rain keeps falling, makingeverything feel farther away. Almost smaller, but definitely colder.
Daisy walks ahead of me, her raincoat glowing faintly yellow against the dark.
Something tells me to look back.
I do.
But there is no one there.
I face forward again, but the feeling doesn’t leave. It follows me, crawling up my spine with every step I take. The feeling of eyes on my back tightens my shoulders, sharpens my breath.
I look over my shoulder again.
Still nothing.
The street is empty, quiet except for the rain and Daisy’s paws tapping against the sidewalk.
I keep walking.
The feeling returns, stronger this time. My heart responds before my mind does, picking up speed, pounding harder against my ribs as I turn again.
Someone is there.
A man moves behind me, far enough, but close enough to feel wrong. My breath catches. Rain slips past the edge of my hood and streaks down my face. The hood slides back, exposing my hair to the rain.
I quicken my pace.
Daisy matches me instantly, her ears flicking back as if she senses it too.
The man speeds up.
So do I.
My pulse roars in my ears. I scoop Daisy up against my chest and break into a run, turning sharply toward the Ozark woods. My shoes slap against wet ground, and my glasses fog with every breath.
I don’t fear easily. But now I do, I am afraid. Because whoever is behind me is not slowing down.
My breath turns shallow. My chest burns. The path comes into view, darker and narrower, swallowed by trees. I reach it and spin around, heart still beating fast against my ribs.
But this time, the man is gone.
I scan the street just in time to see him running the opposite direction, disappearing back into the dark.
“Fuck,” I whisper.
My legs give slightly as I lower Daisy to the ground. I brace my hands on my knees and drag air into my lungs, each breath sharp.
You are being paranoid.
He was just a runner.
