Prey (Primal #1)

9

I waited for him to leave and was gone five minutes before I stepped out from the undergrowth. That man was such a creep. I didn’t see his face that well, so I doubt I’d recognize him if I crossed paths with him again. But going by his posture and agility, he seemed young, probably a porn-addled buffoon, getting off terrifying a lone girl. Judith taught me self-defense moves if it got to that point, but I couldn’t tell if he was armed, so the smartest thing to do was hide until he lost interest.

It ruined my day.

He ruined my day.

I enjoyed myself so much in the waterfall hidden in the wood; Gothenburg’s best-kept secret, titillated by the cool, fresh water, was a spa for my soul. I couldn’t resist stripping down and…

Anxiety struck my chest, and my hand slapped against my breast in embarrassment when a horrifying thought occurred to me. Did the creep see me swimming naked? Oh my gosh. Cringe. Did he think I was naturally loose and unabashed, a free agent for all and any man to touch and stare at? A piece of meat or commodity.

Oh no, how much did he see? I was completely naked, and there was no way I would’ve stripped off my clothes if I knew someone was there. I tried to brush aside the horror of being perved at by some creep who probably couldn’t get a girlfriend and kept my focus on the dirt road.

The bus came this way twice a day, and I had to hurry to catch the transfer that would take me back to Cambridge Park, then on to Gothenburg City main bus depot, and finally to campus. Three bus transfers to experience my little jaunt in the bubbling mineral spring and the river that ran nearby, but I failed to find the river. I didn’t venture too deeply into the forest for fear I’d get lost, and there seemed to be no obvious walking track to guide me to the river, so I turned back after I wandered off the track too far.

I noticed someone following me as I stepped back on the trail and assumed they were heading in the same direction, perhaps coming back from the river, which I read was suitable for trout fishing. There was no need to panic until he seemed to creep and linger rather than stride with purpose like a trekker or fisherman.

Keeping my eyes on the surrounding bushes and pastures for signs of life or for fear that a man might pounce on me, I came to the end of the dirt road and spotted a red sports car parked, empty, possibly stolen, and dumped. I realized this area looked unfamiliar to me.

Oh no, I’d lost my way again.

I jumped a fence when I spotted the forest, crossed a field of wild purple and yellow flowers, and entered that way. There was no dirt road leading up to the trees, but I did find a walking track that eventually led me to the mineral spring.

With an eye on the time so I didn’t miss my bus, I jogged along the country road, which was half stony and half tar-sealed. When it led out to the main road, I sighed in relief, knowing the bus was only another twenty-minute walk away and I had plenty of time.

Many concerns occupied my mind as I strode along, including Judith from the Witness Protection Program, who rang earlier to arrange a meeting with me in Gothenburg. She planned to travel to Gothenburg from Larsson to speak to me in person, and naturally, I was thinking the worst. It was unlike her to want to see me in person because our communication was always via phone calls, and if I needed help, she’d organize the local police department to come out to me.

The family I lived with while in hiding was lovely and kind, but I could never relax there as I did with the Kaisers, where my heart lay. But…I destroyed that. Or, more accurately, I was manipulated into destroying the very glue that held me together and stopped this terrified girl from falling apart.

A John Deere tractor pulling a plow was the only vehicle I could see for miles across farmland, but the groaning engine sound was strangely therapeutic as he drove slowly up and down the field, disrupting flocks of birds. The scent of dried grains filled the air and tickled my throat as I gazed up at the flawless sky. I wished I had stayed in the mineral spring longer as it was so soothing.

Although the pervert tarnished my memories in the wood, and my stomach twisted in dread that he saw me naked, I wasn’t ashamed of my body. I preferred to give consent before I allowed someone to see me without clothes.

Yeah, I know I’m being pathetic that I dared swim in a natural pool, and it shouldn’t be so precious to assume a roaming eye should look away. By the time I’d arrived at the end of the country road, I’d convinced myself that it wasn’t such a big deal if he saw me naked, the anxiety had dissipated, and the issue in my head had shrunk to the size of a pea. But it was worse if he was planning to harm me rather than commit voyeurism. Nah, he’s still a pervert.

The traffic is still sparse on the open road, but they drive fast, so I had to keep to the edge of the road where the grassy mound was for safety. My breath escaped my mouth in a gush as I sat in the bus shelter, waiting for the bus due in about fifteen minutes. To fill in time, I searched on my phone for the scenic map of the forest and mineral spring to circumnavigate my way to the river the next time I ventured there.

Finally, the rumblings of the bus emerged, and I looked up to see it coming around the lonely bend. By the time I got back home, I’d be starving, but I noticed a small 24/7 near the bus stop in Cambridge Park, so I’d pick up something to eat there.

My eyes closed after I sat down, and the bus grunted forward and increased speed. It was Shaun’s scumbag face that I saw in my mind, and naturally, I grit my teeth and flick my eyes open to focus on the view. The long stretches of green fields dotted with sheep or cattle and then houses populated the fields as we moved closer to town until we’d finally arrived on the city's edge.

I thanked the bus driver as I climbed off to wait for my next transfer, which would arrive in about ten minutes, so I ran across the road toward the 24/7. Naturally, I gravitated toward the Cheetos and chuckled when I thought of that odd girl, my twin, and fifty bucks for my fake ID – Petra Black. Yeah, I didn’t feel like a Petra.

I decided on healthy food, a fruit cup, and yogurt stepped back into the sunshine and ripped the lid off immediately to fill my rumbling stomach. As I crossed the road back to the bus stop, I noticed a classic black car parked on the side of the road that was there when I came in and wondered if it had been abandoned. I think it was a cool car, a Mustang, and the sleeky black paint shone on the sun. The car was in mint condition to be cast aside and abandoned, so I wonder if someone stole it and then dumped it.

I licked the sweet fruit juice off my spoon while my eyes were glued onto that Mustang, wondering if the engine roared like a lion and imagining myself inside driving it. I took a picture of it with my phone, then searched for the Mustang's year, and it was either 167, 168, or 16.

The bus was still five minutes away, so I rose from the bench and ventured across the road again directly toward the Mustang, but when I was only two feet away, I noticed someone was sitting inside. Feeling like a foolish dick, I quickly ducked to the right so it didn’t look like I was about to peer inside his vehicle.

The windows were shaded, so I could only see my reflection as I walked toward it. Oh god, I felt like such a dork. I pretended to be heading back into the 24/7 Store as if I had forgotten to buy an item the first time. My cheeks burned in embarrassment as I aimlessly went down the aisles for several minutes, searching to buy with the bit of money I had brought. I resorted to buying a chocolate bar and a stick of spearmint gum.

When I stepped back out, the bus was coming down the road. I ran across, hunted for my ticket in my bag, and didn’t realize that the Mustang had gone until I boarded the bus. Maybe the driver thought I was a crazy person wanting to break into his car.

Feeling stabbing pain behind my eyes, I slipped buds into my ears, played music from my phone, and allowed my mind to shuffle through the day’s events. The man in the forest left me cold.

As the bus crept to my next stop, a snarling engine caught my attention as it pulled up at the intersection's traffic lights. By a strange coincidence, that sleek black Mustang seemed to be traveling in the same direction, although it seemed to be using back roads.

The bus had the right of way, so I had the opportunity to look down on the Mustang as we drove past. All I could see was the driver's shape, who seemed to be wearing a cap, but the windows’ glazing was too dark to see the features and details of his face.

Further down the road, I spotted the Mustang again at the traffic lights, turning down a road, so it was traveling in the opposite direction to the bus. He seemed to be going around in circles via the back roads. Then he appeared again, parked outside a McDonald's, and anxiety rippled down my spine.

Was he following me?

Don’t be ridiculous. He probably didn’t notice me approaching his car and was almost about to peer inside the windows. Maybe he thought I would try the handle, hoping it was unlocked, then steal his ride. Annika Kaiser might have tried to nick his car and take it out for a joy ride, but Riley Laws was quite a different girl. I missed Annika, but I mostly missed Annika's naughty antics with Gunner.

I spotted the Mustang again on the bus ride back to campus, and by the time I stepped off the bus opposite the Stop & Shop, that car was farthest from my mind. The sun was going down, and I decided to walk back to Hallen Hall rather than take another connection. By the time I returned to my little room, it was dark, and my feet were sore, but I felt good.

Naturally, I checked the walls for a new addition to the graffiti, and even if there were, I wouldn’t inform the director because she might think I dreamt it up. There was a faint scent of dope and cologne, but I left the window open a crack to let fresh air in, so it probably came through there.

Before leaving for the day’s venture, I took photos with my phone of the folded clothes in my drawers and closet as evidence to check to see if someone had broken in and looked around. It looked as though nothing had been touched, and the walls were free of accusing words, so I slid the bolt on the door, shut and locked the window, and prepared for bed under the sounds of distant laughter and squeals of delight from normal people doing everyday things.

Rather than socializing with my roommates in the entertainment room or kitchen, I stripped off my clothes, put on my pajamas, and crawled into bed to watch a movie on my phone. Jealousy stirred as the laughter and partying continued outside and down the hall. I wished I could be Annika Kaiser instead of Riley Laws, allow my hair to grow out in its natural glory of wavy blond, and discard my annoying eyewear.

The Joker was the movie of my choice on this night of loneliness because I was in the mood for chaos and vigilante justice rather than a laid-back romance. Once I inserted the buds into my ears that blocked out the atmospheric sounds of partygoers, their fun was soon forgotten. Sinking deeper into the story of a social outcast, circling thoughts of the Peeping Tom in the forest vanished but not forgotten.

Just at the Robert DeNiro scene, when The Joker pulled a gun on him, an alert flashed on my phone, startling me. Only four groups of people had my cell number – Judith, the Murphy family I lived in hiding with when…that thing happened, Gotland College admin, etc., and Shaun – puke, and I hoped it wasn’t him.

Concerned that it might be an emergency from one of my contacts, I paused the movie at the best scene, opened the message, and turned numb. I didn’t know if it was the end of a draining day or the film I was watching, but whoever sent the message was trying to scare me, and it wasn’t working.

It was a pic of a Scream mask. It had something to do with the stupid prick that tried to scare me yesterday, but how did he get my number? And why was he doing this?