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The lightening and thunder erupted from outside as the lights of the car squinted against the sheets of the rain. The car zoomed around the curves of the streets as Katana tried to get home before the storm got any worse. She grit her teeth as she felt the car slide against a hard right turn. She shook her head as out of the corner of her eye she glanced at the black bag that sat on the seat next to her.
"You better be worth my life.." She let the words roll from her tongue as she made made another hard right and bit her lip hoping to be able to keep the car under control. She knew she didn't have much time to get home before they realized it was missing, but she also knew she had to.
"Shit..." She slammed on the brakes of the car as the tires continued to lunge forward. Finally the car came to a screeching stop as the back end of the car swung around leaving her looking towards what should be behind her.
"You stupid mother.." She stepped out of the car into the pouring rain as she turned towards the man simply standing in the streets. She felt the coolness of the water slicking her hair down and her clothes cling to her skin. "What in the hell is wrong with you." She saw the man standing before her as she stopped moving and looked at him. "Well.. Get out of the road stupid."
The man simply stood there never moving not saying a word.
"Oh my god. Are you deaf? Are you blind? Move out of my way!" She had to scream at him to make sure that her words were heard over the sheets of rain that had already drenched her. "Screw it. You asked for this."
Katana angrily threw open the door of the car and started the engine. She put the car in reverse a bit and then quickly turned around in the road. She turned her brights on and watched as the man simply stood his ground. She reved up the engine a bit to let him know she wasn't playing. He still didn't move, it almost appeared as if he was already dead just standing there.
Taking in a deep breath, Katana pursed her lips tightly shut and then plowed forward with her car. She braced herself to hit him and looked down briefly as she approached him faster. She tried to avoid him in that split moment but the lanes were to small. Looking back to him she almost screamed as she should have slammed into the man but then abruptly he vanished.
Her face went white as she realized nothing was there anymore not a person not even a trace of anything. Pushing the car faster she shook with a bit of fear as she nailed the corners she took to fast and flinched with every crack of thunder. Finally reaching her familiar grounds she slowed down just a bit and hoped that not a single soul had followed her. Slowly she pulled her car in to the garage and stopped.
"What was that?" She still shook violently in the drivers seat as she reached over and grabbed the bag. Snatching up the bag she held it close to her wet blouse as she opened the door. Her heels clinked against the cement of the garage floor as she set both her feet down and then finally stepped out of the car. Leaning back against the car, she watched the garage door finish lowering.
Turning towards the door to her house she froze as she glimpsed something to her right. Abruptly, she spun to meet it only to find nothing there. "I'm losing my damn mind." Pulling her keys from a pocket in the bag she clutched she slipped it into the key hole and turned it till she heard the small click of the lock moving and then turned the knob.
Finally starting to relax, she flipped on the light to the small hallway and walked inside. The bag that she clutched tightly landed with a thud on her bathroom floor as she tossed it down so she could get dry and warm. Able to get out of her wet clothes she grasped a warm soft towel which she dried herself off with and then wrapped it around her hair just before slipping into a fresh pair of jeans and a tee shirt.
Snatching the bag back up she walked to her bed and plopped it beside her then reached for the phone.
"Sir.. I got it." Her voice was calm as she had already pushed the illusions out of her mind. Hanging the phone up she had the directions of the delivery spot. She again picked up the bag and stopped suddenly as something sent a chill up her arm and to her neck almost as if an ice cube had run up her skin. Looking down at her arm, she watched as the goose bumps she had gotten calmed down and she finally took a breath. "Damn ghost stories."
Back in her car she threw the bag into the floor as she started the engine back up. Her day had already started to take a toll on her as she pulled out of her garage and listened for a moment as the rain drops pelted the glass. She had this one last errand and then she looked forward to her sleep. Arriving at the Head Quarters in New Orleans she paused a moment as she stared up at the grander of the building. Every time she arrived here she smiled thinking back to where she had been and where she is now.
Suddenly words filled her head as if someone had whispered them in her ear. "Feel like home?" Katana's heart pounded as she closed her eyes and whispered out loud. "Get away from me." She didn't open her eyes as she reached down for the bag and finally feeling the fabric of it snatched it up. The bag shook under her trembling hand, as she then opened her eyes and threw open the door of the car. Not even bothering to shut the door behind her she hit the ground running. Her shoes splashed pools of liquid on her pants as the wetness from the heavens poured over her again.
She didn't know what she was running from but she knew where to run to. Quickening her pace, she darted across the pavement and up the stairs to the front door. Losing her footing she saw the pavement rush up to her and she braced herself for the fire of it to hit her. A quick breath escaped her lips as she landed smashing her arm beneath her making it twist unnaturally.
"You can't out run me.." The voice filled her ears again as tears welled up in her eyes. She looked up hoping to see someone anyone there and was met with nothing. "SCREW YOU!" She screamed as she used her other arm to get back up. A small trickle of blood ran down her hand as she gathered up the bag again, and reached for the door not but a foot from her. Her hand finally grasped the metal handle as she pulled it open and then her eyes were met with the light that flooded from behind the door.
Squinting, Katana let out a scream as she saw the end of the gun placed to her head, and then heard the sound of the bullet leaving the chamber. Feeling the heat of the bullet pass through her body the last thing she heard was the glass behind her shatter as the bullet penetrated it.
"Katana... You here..." Taking in a deep breath she slowly opened her eyes and tried to move. "Hey now. Don't move." Katana tried to focus but simply couldn't as she shut her eyes again. She laid there briefly and listened as she heard a steady beep off near her ear. She opened her mouth to talk but nothing seemed to come out. "Don't worry your going to be ok only a broken arm and some cuts from the glass. You got Lucky Katana. I don't know why you had to drive so fast in the rain you almost killed yourself when you missed the turn and ran into that tree. Took the doctors forever to revive you. You almost died."
Katana's eyes snapped open as she thought of the man she knew she had seen. |
