Sonya's silk stockings were torn from the ankle up. She got caught on some old wire fencing as she was running through the field. When she fell, Sonya barely felt any pain even though her knee hit a small rock. The blood was scant so she wiped it away and kept running. The night air was moist and quiet except for the sound of her hard panting breath. Sonya could feel them closing in on her so she sped up her pace, and her breathing.

The night was young so the moon was not yet risen. It's light filtered through the mist across the field creating eerie shadows that chilled Sonya's spine. She expected them to jump out from these ghostly specters at any second. Half way across the field, Sonya's knee began to throb. Needles shot up her leg into her lower spine that almost sent her reeling to the ground again. Knowing that they were closing in, Sonya did not succumb to either the pain or the fright of shadows.




Sweat soaked her sheer blouse underneath the pale blue cotton sweater that she now pulled tight against her body. Her skirt was ripped up one side and covered in dirt and blood. Sweat and grime partially concealed her perfect ivory skin. Sonya's hair fell lopsided on one side so she pushed the hair from her eyes and ran even faster. There was no time to think about her always perfect appearance. No cameras threatened to make her a tabloid cover disgrace. Sonya was alone in her fright and in her flight through a dark field into whatever fate held for Sonya this night.

The treeline was closer now which gave Sonya a sense of safety even though she knew they were in hot pursuit. She picked up her pace like a distance runner who sees the finish line a few yards away. Each step that she took seemed to make a loud drumming echo in her ears as one foot set down then the other. Sonya could smell the pine scent even stronger now. She was almost in the safety of concealment in the forest. The thought gave her comfort even though she had never been in this part of the woods before. Sonya only knew that she could hide from them and their sinister intentions, and hopefully, escape a fateful demise.

With the trees just three feet away, Sonya leaped forward and grabbed a limb to help pull her into the bosom of the giant pine. The fragile limb snapped and made a sound so loud that Sonya knew her hunters heard it. "Surely they would find her now!" Sonya thought. She scrambled deeper into the trees as she made her descent up the hill. Sonya had always been told to head for higher ground if she ever found herself in trouble in a secluded area. Darkness filled her forest refuge because the moon was hidden behind the height of her sanctuary. So she relied upon the trees reaching branches to guide her further away from that ominous field and into the darkness where neither shadow nor phantom would see her.

A low growl startled Sonya as she reached the top of the hill. She was still hidden deep in the forest with no end in sight. Somehow, she felt relieved to reach the hilltop and even the low growl was a welcome sound. It meant she wasn't so alone any more. Then an alarming thought came to Sonya. "What if it was a wolf, or a bear, or worse?" She wasn't sure how to react so she mustered all the courage within her and kept moving. There was no more upward climb so Sonya paused a moment to decide which direction she should go. Certainly, she didn't want to double back and encounter her pursuers.

"Oh God!", Sonya cried out silently. "Which way should I go?" Sonya waited for a few seconds but there was no answer. Then she laughed at herself and mused, "Did I really expect an audible response?" Something drew Sonya to take a westward turn so she followed her instincts. Her footsteps hastened as the night chill and darkness set in fully. And Sonya was sure they were not far behind her. With that thought, Sonya began to run slowly in hopes that she could make more distance from the ones who were chasing her.

After what seemed like hours but actually was only about twenty minutes at her fast pace, Sonya saw a large shadow about two hundred yards away. The night mist made everything look eerie so she squinted her eyes as she tried to make out if there was a building in front of her. To her surprise and delight, it was a small cottage. Sonya practically ran across the small open field into the shallow wood line that obscured the cottage from view. There were no lights on nor were there any signs of life anywhere. Cautiously, Sonya tried to peer into the windows but it was just too dark to see any thing. Wanting to be inside with the unknown more than she wanted to be out here in the misty cold damp night, Sonya crept up the steps carefully. She approached the door and knocked on it gingerly at first. Feeling some courage well up inside her, Sonya knocked harder hoping that someone safe and caring would open the door from the other side.

She waited about two minutes before Sonya knocked harder again. Still, no answer. Sonya touched the door handle and pulled down on it. The door creaked loudly and opened slowly. A little unnerved, Sonya jumped back a step. Then she froze in the entrance and just listened for sounds from within and without. Silence permeated the night. Not an owl nor a cricket nor a breeze was to be heard. There were no footstep sounds in the distance and no voices. There was just the heavy beating of Sonya's heart that she swore could be heard for miles. The inside comfort beckoned to Sonya so she slowly entered the cottage as she groped for a light switch or matches. She thought out loud, "It would be wild if there was electricity out here. "Surely, that was wishful thinking." she thought.

After she groped along the wall for about three feet, Sonya found a switch that moved upward. Crazy as it seemed, dim lights beamed from an overheard chandelier. She was overjoyed and amazed. Reality closed in on Sonya. She knew that the inside of the cottage was not a guaranteed safe place. And Sonya knew for sure the outside did not feel safe at all. So she took her chances that she was safer inside. Hurriedly, Sonya closed and bolted the door with heavy deadbolt and cross bar that secured the entire width of the heavy wooden door. She had seen too many movies where the phantom sneaks in behind the person while they
look in the adjacent rooms. With that, her very next thought was to hurry through the house looking for other doors, windows and people if there were any in the house.

Sonya found that the front room windows had shutters with heavy wooden slats to secure them. She closed the shutters on both big windows in the front room then moved into the adjoining dining room. Going from room to room, Sonya repeated this process all the way into the kitchen where she found the back door already locked and bolted closed. "What a relief!" Sonya told herself. She was glad that she did not find a basement door anywhere. The only place left to check was upstairs. Turning on whatever lights were available, Sonya crept up the stairs, not knowing what she would find at the top. While in the kitchen, she grabbed a heavy dowel rod hoping it would serve as a weapon if she needed one.

There were three upstairs bedrooms. One small room loomed like a vast dungeon to Sonya at the very top of the steps. Quickly, she found a light switch and turned it on. She scanned the room with her eyes and found it empty. Sonya counted two small windows that looked locked. Just to be sure, she ran over to them and turned the bolts then closed the shutters. Oh, how grateful she was for the cottage shutters. Sonya took off her shoes downstairs so she could walk quietly. She tiptoed down the small hallway to the next medium sized bedroom. It was as empty and quiet as the first room. Again, Sonya checked the windows and closed the shutters.She peered into the bathroom next because the door was wide open. There were no closed curtains so Sonya did not see any place for any one to hide. She still looked behind the door and
closed the window shutters.

Relief began to wash over Sonya. She thought, "just one more room and maybe I can get some rest." Six feet down the hall, Sonya approached the bedroom doorway. The door was open. She walked into the room to look around then froze in her tracks. There was someone sleeping in this room. The man was very tall and seemed to be sleeping soundly. Sonya was sure that he stirred when she walked into the room. She was frozen and unable to move or speak. Her breath caught in her throat. Sonya felt terrified again and shattered. She did not want to go back out into the night to face them and the darkness. Surely, if she turned around, Sonya thought, she would be able to escape into the small room at the end of the hallway where she could lock herself in for the night and just sleep.

Without realizing it, Sonya had let out a loud gasp which woke the sleeping man. He rolled over in the queen sized bed that seemed to wave under his weight. Sheepishly, the man opened his eyes and peered curiously at Sonya. He blinked then rubbed his eyes as he spoke. "Sonya, darling, you look like such a mess! Why don't you take off those muddy clothes, put on your robe and jump into to bed to warm up?"


copyrighted material belongs to the author Cheryl Lynn Gardner, a/k/a The Midnight Writer
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The rest of this story will be available for purchase in my upcoming book of short stories. If you wish to be on the notification mailing list, please post in the comment section below or email me at themidnightwriter1@gmail.com