Chapter 27

“David!” I exclaimed in shock. He grabbed my arm and navigated me through the doors of the mart. In a state of disbelief, I allowed David to haul me to a car. When he opened the passenger’s door and tried to get me inside, I came to my senses and started to struggle.

“Kerrie, get in before anyone sees us.” I struggled harder, which angered him. “Do you have a death wish? I said get in the damn car. I only want to talk. That’s all.”

He kicked a leg out from under me. Losing my balance, I fell into the car, hitting my head on the door’s metal frame. For a moment I saw a flash of white light edged in orange, blinded by the spectral image of pain. He quickly took advantage of my stunned state, by shutting the door, then jumping in and droving off.

“Kerrie, why are you doing this? Don’t you know I love you? How can you leave me when I’m down? I need you, dammit. People are after me and you don’t give a damn. When did you become so selfish? I thought I knew you better than this.”

“Put a sock in it, David. I am in no mood for your whining.” I felt my head to see if the skin was broken. Luckily it wasn’t. But I would have a nice goose egg sized bump to remember the occasion.

“Who was that joker that answered the phone this morning? Did he enjoy a Kerrie-gasm?” The car swerved, as he tried to read my face while he asked his insidious questions.

“How did you find me, David? You didn’t torture Gene, did you?” My mouth became dry as I realized how right Gene was about David. Something was abnormally wrong. He wore a sinister air and I believed he was capable of murder.

“No, I got lucky through an unexpected venue.” Bright lights from the rear of the car flooded the interior. They momentarily blinded both David and me. Cursing, he accelerated, pulling away from the car that was riding his rear end. “Damn freeloading bumper-rider,” David mumbled.

“I need your help, Kerrie. I swear if you can help me this last time, I’ll leave you alone forever it that’s truly what you want.”

Before I could answer, the car’s interior was once again flooded with blinding white light. The same car was once again riding our tail. I looked in the side view mirror and couldn’t distinguish where David’s car ended and the other began. David began to speed down the highway. I held on the dashboard, praying silently that we wouldn’t wreck or run over some innocent person. The vehicle bumped us from behind and we veered off the road out of control. David fought the wheel, as I screamed helplessly. Through sheer willpower, he managed to gain control.

“Tell me when you see a side road. I’m going to shake this asshole off my tail.” I was too petrified to see anything. But as quickly as the car assaulted us, it quickly passed, driving with unsafe speed.

“Damn, how did they know I was here?” He muttered under his breath.

“David, what kind of trouble are you involved in?” For someone to try a stunt like the one that car just pulled, I figured David must be involved in something over his head.

Before he could speak, we suddenly had to stop, as traffic was blocked. Two cars were perpendicular to the highway. A small crowd had gathered, and I swiftly formulated a mental theory that the speeding car must have been the accident’s catalyst. This was the chance I was silently praying for. I pointed towards the driver’s side window and screeched, “David, look out.” When he turned his head to look, I deftly opened my car door and darted into the crowd.

I ran into a dark shadowy area along side a dilapidated cottage, and kept running until I found a crawl space under a walkway to the ocean. I decided to take my chances with the rising surf than allow David to sneak up on me again. Scrambling over the small dunes like a sand crab, I scurried to the ocean, kicking off my sandals. I didn’t care if they were lost I had others. Running into the rising surf, I was happy to see that the water wasn’t very high yet. It reached my calf, falling below my knees. But walking in it wasn’t easy. My wet skirt clung to my legs and treading through the water made my legs feel heavy. The fear that David would find me drove me to try to run. I succeeded in falling face first into the churning water. Gritty sandy salt water stung my face. With difficulty I stood up.

I stopped for a moment, trying to get my bearings. The pier was a faint dot, lost in the evening mist. I was closer to the Pirate than I thought. Tying my skirt up around my hips in a twisted knot so that it wouldn’t hamper me while I swam, I dove into the ocean and began to swim northward, parallel to the surf. The water was much cooler now that sun had set. I was worried about under tows and prayed silently as I swam. Every few yards, I would stop to verify my surroundings, making sure I didn’t drift out deeper. Soon the lights on the boathouse were in sight. I homed in and followed their beckoning shine.

By the time I reached the walkway at Perry’s boathouse, the water was up to the stairs. I fought against an under current. Reaching out I grabbed one railing by the stairs and hauled myself out of the water. Exhausted, I fell onto the floor of the walkway, trying to catch my breath. I was shivering as the night air and the water on my skin and clothes met, forming a cool alliance. Untying my skirt, I squeezed out the excess wetness and trotted up the walkway to the Pirate.