Chapter 3- A Suprise Visit

Audrey's Point of View

She had to leave.

Audrey never wanted to leave Chicago. The city held her roots, her memories, and everything familiar. But love had drawn a new map—one that pointed to Minneapolis, where Daniel lived. For months, she’d tried to get him to find work in Chicago, tried to hold the center of their relationship where she felt strongest. But after the recession, entry-level jobs were a luxury, and Chicago offered none.

So she took the leap.

After a grueling stretch of applications and interviews, something finally clicked. A job offer. A new start. She packed her bags, signed the papers, and started west—toward Dan. Toward the future she thought she wanted.

As she drove west, her eyes became strained. Driving in the nighttime was not the best decision she had made, but she was eager to arrive early and surprise her man. Daniel was not expecting her until tomorrow afternoon. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when she showed up at his door unannounced. Most importantly, she was looking forward to the sex. Her last visit had been several months ago. She felt deprived, and she could only imagine how horny he must be.

Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel as a slow grin spread across her face.

She could already imagine it—trailing her fingertips down his chest, feeling his breath against her neck…

A sudden jolt snapped her attention back to the road. Stones crunched beneath her tires as she veered slightly onto the shoulder. She cursed softly, forcing herself to focus.

She’d met Dan at a college party during her third year. He had just finished his final semester. , and they had been flirting carelessly with each other all evening. That summer had been among the warmest she had ever experienced. She never imagined she could instill so much passion in another person, let alone experience the same level of pleasure and excitement from a man's touch. Everything felt effortless. For weeks after, they were inseparable.

When autumn arrived, she returned to college while he hunted for a job. She remembered receiving a call a month before Christmas. He finally found work, but it was in Minneapolis. Crushed was an understatement of her emotions when she heard the news. They met for dinner that evening, and she was expecting him to end their relationship. She never expected him to want a long-distance relationship in which they could only see each other a few times a year.

They resumed their usual daily activities and set aside an hour every evening to communicate on Skype. It was painful at first, but she eventually became used to it. She couldn't believe her luck when she finally found a job near his flat. Things were finally getting better for them.

An hour had passed since darkness fell, and the road had entered a dark, darkened woodland region. She tightened her grasp on the steering wheel as she concentrated on the road.

When the radio signal faded, she fumbled with the dial and found a familiar song. Her favorite. She cranked the volume and sang along, her voice loud and off-key and happy.

Her phone buzzed in her purse. Still singing, she reached blindly and pulled it out. Despite her expectation that it would be Dan, she was not startled to see who was calling. She held the phone against her ear.

"Hi, Mom."

"Come back home, Audrey. I can't stand being alone with your father."

She rolled her eyes at her mom's exaggeration. "What did he do this time?"

"He took my bicycle out for a ride!"

She wrinkled her brow. "But Dad doesn't know how to ride a bike."

“Exactly! He nearly got himself run over. I think he’s losing it, Audrey. He’s trying to relive his youth or something! He fell, skinned his shin, came home limping, and refused to let me see it. Says I’d nag—he’s right, of course. One of these days, he'll murder himself, and you know who the cops will blame! Lord, have pity on my soul!"

She shook her head, aware of her mother's tendency to exaggerate. Audrey always assumed it was to attract more attention, and it worked for the most part. Her father had begun acting strangely in the days following her announcement that she was going to Minneapolis.

"Is he alright?" Audrey inquired with concern.

"Of course he is."

Audrey exhaled with relief. "Well, I am glad he is okay, but can we talk about Dad later? I'm driving right now, and it's pitch black out here."

"Oh? Where exactly are you now? You must be getting close to Minneapolis, right?"

She looked at the old GPS on the dashboard which her father had given her when she first drove across states to see Dan. "Yeah, about forty-five minutes away."

The next moment, a blur rushed into the road. A figure—impossibly fast—leapt across her path.

Audrey screamed and slammed the brakes.

The tires shrieked, skidding against the asphalt. Her phone slipped from her hand. Her breath caught in her chest as the car jerked to a full stop. Heart pounding, she stared ahead.