Trish pulled up to one of the spots in the park’s only lot. She was ready for her once a week jog. She always chose this park because she knew it well and was in one of the safest towns nearby. The only crime she ever heard of was back in the 1970’s when the police found the body of a teenage girl washed up on the riverbank in this park..
Trish was the first one there, she usually was. She liked getting out early in the morning before sunrise. The morning was colder than she thought it was supposed to be. She grabbed her bottle of water and headset for some music. After locking her door she stretched out a bit and tried to rub some warmth into her arms. That didn’t do much to ease the cold air. She noticed that the sun would be coming up shortly and she loved to see the sun rise over the river.
Finishing up her first lap she stopped for a sip of water. She then noticed up ahead by the river, a man carrying a large black bag over his shoulder. It seemed to be a garbage bag. Trish thought he may be throwing garbage in the river. She wondered if she should say something to him or perhaps make some noise so he would know she sees him and he might not be so rude to do such a thing. She decided to walk towards the man when she noticed something that made her freeze in terror. A high heel show fell out of the bag that he was carrying. She just stood there frozen as the owner of that shoe’s leg started to tangle from the same opening in the bag that the shoe fell from.
Terrified, Trish just stood there watching this man heave this bag into the river. She wondered if she should wait for the man to leave then go to her car and call for help on her phone, or if she should take off and make a run for it now. But just when she tried to take a step, the man looked up and saw her. That was all it took, she started running back towards her car. She looked back to notice the man was not behind her. That thought scared her even more. Why wouldn’t he be chasing her? She saw what he did and she could identify him to the police. Maybe he knew where she was parked and is now waiting for her there? She tried to listen to hear any footsteps or any indication on where this murderer might be. She heard nothing. She decided to take a chance and keep running toward her car.
She started to fumble with her keys when she got them out of her pocket. Her hands were shaking so much she dropped them . She bent down to pick them up and when she rose up, there was the man, no more than three feet away from her. She heard no noise that would make her expect him to be there. Her eyes started to glaze over and she started to scream, when the man started coming towards her with his arms outstretched. He had an evil smile as he came towards her. His hands were about to grab her throat when she swung her hands at his and they went right trough him. The man’s expression then changed and he tried screaming, but no noise came from his mouth. She then got herself together and got in her car. She started her car and took a look outside and saw nothing. The man was no longer there. Just the park, empty as it was before and as safe as she has known it to be for so long. It has been that way since the 1970’s when the police found the body of a teenage girl washed up on the riverbank.
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© 2011 Ron Bruno
