Before I am Famous

The car puttered under the thick black sky, headlights beamed into the never-ending trees. She pushed it further but it soon gave one last inch and died. Olivia shut the engine off, waited then tried to restart it, pushing the gas at the same time, nothing but a grinding noise. She turned off the headlights. While her surroundings turned black, she locked the doors. Time slipped into the night, no one drove by, no headlights in the distance. Olivia gathered her nerve and opened the door to the moist spring air. The punch of alcohol swept through her body. She wavered.

A distance of five miles stood between her and an all nighter gas station. Only five miles.

***
He sat perched in a tree, through the hunting blind window, he saw the little car sputter out. He lit a cigarette and waited. After some time she got out, a very pretty little thing with long blonde hair, a silver dress that exposed on shoulder and high heels. He wanted to touch her hair and run his hand over her smooth body. She staggered and walked forward.
Now was the time.

***
Olivia walked a short distance when pain shot through her feet. Stopping, she took the high heels off and put them in her purse. She drove this road many times and never noticed how the trees shrank the darkness and buffered any living sound of crickets or owls. Walking, not running though she wanted to, she continued toward the edge of the forest.
A twig snapped behind her and body froze.

***
Pausing briefly, he wanted her to walk again. He knew these woods but he made a mistake and that will not happen again. She moved forward, felling danger has passed.

***
Olivia lit a cigarette and walked some more. She shouldn’t went out tonight. The money she saved was to fix the car but Mel had a point Olivia worked too hard lately and needed a girl’s night out. Olivia withdrew the hundred for the car and bought the girls round after round. While at the bar surrounded by her friends, she believed Mel was right. Now she wished she picked up that extra shift. She’d been walking for a while but the scenery felt the same.
***

She walked tired. He neared her to where he caught a whiff of her cheap perfume. He could almost grab her. Not yet. Soon. She slowed her pace. She’d be resting soon. Then he would introduce himself.
***

Her feet ached and throbbed, a night of dancing in stilettos and walking on gravel. She stopped. In the darkness she spotted a gnarled, uprooted tree laying on its side. Better than no place she reasoned. Olivia slumped on the trunk.

Leaves rustled, a snap of a twig, footsteps. She hoped the dark hid her. A slice of light illuminated her.

“Miss, it’s okay. I’m here to help,” a man with baritone silk voice cut through the darkness. She looked to the light holder, a tall, flannel wearing, wholesome Hardy boy type, trusting man.

Olivia rose to her feet, “Thank god, my car is a little ways back. It won’t start. Do you think you can give me a ride to Joe’s Gas?”

He closed in on her until her face painted in thick blue eyeshadow became more defined. Inhaling her scent, he reached for her hand. She took it, river washed pebble hands, and shook it lightly. Olivia tried to pull it lightly but his grasp tightened.

“A beautiful girl . . . ” he started.

Olivia’s heart sunk, “are you gonna help me or what?”

“We’ve got time. Why are you in a hurry?” hee exhaled stale cigarette smoke and old beer.

She pulled her hand away. He grabbed her arm.

“Let me go,” she yelled and with her purse she whacked him in the head. He let go. Barefoot, she ran along the road side. Twigs snapped her feet, broken rocks pressed hard against her flesh. She wanted to scream but who would hear her? Heavy footsteps thudded behind her.

“I thought you needed help.” Olivia knew he was close. “I love a girl who loves to be chased. You don’t even know me,” he pleaded his case.

Praying for anyone to come along. Her legs buckled and Olivia met the leave and gravel ground. Before she could rise, her knees screamed with fresh cuts, the man tackled her back to the ground.
His weight on top of hers, she struggled for breath. Trying to break free while he fumbled with awkward kisses to her neck and ears and her clothes. Powerless under his oppression.

He raised his body to a sitting position, his hands reached up her dress to pull down her panty hose. Olivia felt a large rock under her head and grabbed it. She stopped resisting; he focused on his need. Turning her body enough, she flung the rock at his head.

It connected, gasping he rolled off of her. No time for rejoice. She got to her feet and ran. Dim, yellowed headlights cut through the blackness. Salvation. Her feet moved faster. The car neared.
Olivia ran out in the road. The car caught her in the beams. Tires shrieked, not soon enough.

Olivia’s insides exploded as she sailed backwards. Red and blue lights illuminated the darkness.
The young, bright-eyed cop ran to her, “Miss, are you okay?”

“Car, man, hurt me,” she sputtered in between bloody mouthfuls.

The officer radioed, “we need an ambulance out by mile marker 145 Route 892, car versus pedestrian . . . ”
And blackness reinstated itself.

Special thanks to Biz Girl at Biz a Bizfor help with this story!!

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