Chapter Twelve
An hour before dusk, Dani changed into a pair of fitted leggings, a tank top, and sneakers and hustled to her car in the college campus parking lot.
She had a standing workout date with her friend, Missy, and didn’t want to be late for their run.
It had occurred to her to maybe skip the workout that night in lieu of a little fun with her coworkers, but she couldn’t leave her running partner hanging.
It was difficult making casual friends as an adult, especially for someone as guarded as she was.
There was no way she would disappoint her one and only non-work friend by being a no-show.
Dani barely missed bumping into Ethan on her way out of her office building.
Their encounter at the cafeteria earlier that day had elevated her heart-rate and brought her mood down all at once.
Jessica meant well trying to nudge her toward talking to him, but even after all this time, the idea of entertaining a romantic relationship was still difficult.
People got hurt when they got too close to her.
A workout session was just what she needed to clear her mind.
Between the oppressive heat and spontaneous thunderstorms, running outside in Florida in the summertime was practically self-flagellation.
The buzzing, blood-thirsty mosquitoes and the smothering humidity made the mere act of stepping outside at dusk dangerous.
Dani wasn’t the type of person to let a little thing like insects and muggy weather get her down.
She needed the physical release, and after a day spent inside in the frigid air conditioning sitting behind a desk, the heat was almost welcome.
Running was one thing that she looked forward to when everything else seemed hopeless and shitty.
Running made her feel fast and strong, and the endorphins and dopamine boost made it all worthwhile.
But Dani was also smart and knew not to run alone, which is how she met Missy.
Her jogging partner was waiting for her on the park bench at the entrance to the paved two mile trail when she arrived at the park.
Missy was a few years younger than her and just as fit, though otherwise their features couldn’t be more different.
Her long blonde hair, light eyes and fair complexion were the complete opposite of Dani.
Their interests didn’t exactly align either outside of jogging, but that wasn’t the point; being friends with Missy was about safety in numbers.
Missy came highly recommended on the FriendFinder app under the workout buddies tab, plus, she didn’t ask too many questions and was always on time, two personality traits Dani appreciated.
“Hey, you made it.” Missy stood from the bench and stretched. She was dressed in her usual jogging gear, same as Dani, her long, wheat-colored tresses tied up in a high ponytail.
“Yeah, sorry I’m late. School starts Monday and I had some stuff to finish before the weekend.”
“Right? It’s been a killer summer. I’m sad to see it end.”
Dani’s limbs stiffened, and her insides clenched. Killer. She had always hated that slang word, especially after what she went through. Especially since Vickers had used that same phrase all those years ago. Hearing those words again was like a punch in the gut.
“Dani? Earth to Dani?” Missy snapped her fingers. “Girl, are you okay?”
Dani sucked in a deep breath and shook her head. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. Just tired.”
“That’s okay. Do you need to stretch?”
“Nah, I’m ready,” Dani glanced at her smart watch. “Wanna go non-stop today? We’ve got time for five miles before the sun sets.”
“Definitely.” Missy tightened her ponytail and walked out onto the trail.
Dani followed, taking in a deep breath through her nose.
The trail at Lake Seminole Park was her favorite place to run, with every step of the two and a half mile track covered by a canopy of live oak and slash pine.
The paved jogging path was lined on both sides by palmetto fronds, giant prehistoric-looking ferns, purple beauty berries, and a carpet of plush, pointy pine needles.
Wet dirt and the spicy tea of decaying leaves in a nearby ditch filled her nostrils with an earthy aroma that lit a fire under her feet.
Missy glanced down at her own smart watch, her features serious. “Starting the timer now, aaaand go!”
The two women took off down the trail, their sneakers pounding the pavement in tandem as they whizzed by young mothers with strollers, retired couples on bikes and the occasional speed walker.
If they kept their normal pace, Dani knew they could make their five mile run in just under forty minutes, well before the summer sun would set.
One mile gave way to two as they pushed on, breathing in through their noses and out through their mouths.
Dani kept her eyes on the road ahead as her feet pounded the paved path.
Her arms pumped fast at her side, her breath focused and even.
She didn’t dare let her gaze stray from the path into the thick woods.
The occasional unhoused person or teenagers perfumed with cotton candy nicotine and weed vapors would emerge from the woods and startle them from time to time when they were on their run.
Each time, Dani’s heart leapt from her chest, her fists closing in anticipation of an attack.
Rapists. Murderers. Kidnappers. They could be anywhere at any time, waiting for the right moment to pounce.
Staring straight ahead made it easier to forget that the blissful, natural setting she so loved was also the perfect hideout for those who meant to harm.
Miles three and four were hard to push through, but Dani knew that she couldn’t give up.
By mile five, her endorphin rush had kicked in, and the pair of friends flew down the path in a chemically numbed bliss.
As promised, neither woman stopped until they had completed their laps on the trail.
They tore off their drenched t-shirts and sat on the bench, panting and gulping water as they wiped sweat from their brow.
Dani smiled and swatted at a swarm of dusky mosquitos as feel-good chemicals coursed through her veins.
“Wooo, that was a tough one.” Missy gulped the last of her water and plopped down on the nearest bench. The sun had officially set, and the park would close soon. This was the time Dani liked the best, when everyone cleared out and the lakeside jogging path was all theirs. It was quiet. Peaceful.
“You’ve gotten a lot faster,” Dani said. “Remember when we first started running together?”
“Yeah. I could barely keep up with you.”
“Now I’m the one trying to keep up with you.” Dani laughed and glanced down to admire Missy’s sneakers. “Hey, are those new? Where did you get—”
A branch snapped in the brush opposite them on the trail. The air grew heavy between them as every single forest sound became suspect. Something rustled in the leaves and the two women gasped and leaped to their feet.
“What was that?” Missy asked.
A chittering sound followed. Dani exhaled a sigh of relief. “Squirrels.”
“Dammit!” Missy bent over and placed her hands on her knees. “Little weasels scared me half to death!”
“I guess we’re both a little jumpy tonight,” Dani said. “Still good for Sunday morning jog and brunch?”
Missy nodded. “You got it.”
“Cool. I’ll see ya.” Dani waited as Missy walked to her car, a vintage black Mustang.
Her internal alarm system sounded again as she watched her friend slip behind the wheel.
The sporty little vehicles were common enough, but every time she saw that same make and model, Dani still couldn’t help but cringe.
Even though Matt was locked up clear across the country, she still couldn’t escape him and the things that reminded her of that summer long ago.
Black mustangs, video rental stores and movie theaters were triggering for her, even though one of those three things were now practically obsolete.
Matt Vickers was in jail, and thousands of miles separated them.
She was with a friend in a place that she knew well, and by all means, Dani should have felt at ease.
Still, as Missy revved the engine to life and spun out of the parking lot, Dani couldn’t kick the old feeling that she was being watched.
Dread sank into her gut hard and heavy as a stone, and a hairdryer-warm-wind kissed her cheek.
She stuck her nose in the air and sniffed.
Was that? Could it be? Beneath the decay of the scrub pine forest, she swore she could detect it.
A hint of spice.
A dash of hormone-laced sweat.
Venom.
Dani stood up from the bench with her car keys pressed into the palm of her hand.
She knew better than to ignore her instincts, and her body was poised and ready to fight.
Matt Vickers wasn’t the only human monster to wander the world, looking for undeserving victims. Even though he was locked up, there would always be other stalkers, other victims. There were still plenty of things for her to be afraid of, lurking in the shadows.
A woman shouldn’t have to be afraid to be alone near the woods after dark, but that wasn’t the reality of the world.
That wasn’t the reality of her life. It was time to go.
Dani walked toward her car as if a ghost were on her tail.
She slid behind the driver's seat of her sedan, turned over the engine and sped out of the parking lot, too afraid to look back.