The Executioner

Hundred and Thirty-Four

Mollie Woods closed her eyes and allowed the strong jet of hot water to massage her stiff muscles. A thin gauze of steam had filled the tiny bathroom and was now creeping under its door and into the small hallway. It’d been a few hours since she had the vision, and still she couldn’t stop shaking. She knew he was coming for her. She saw blood and panic and fear, and she had to run away.

She leaned against the white tiles and wondered if she’d done the right thing. She didn’t know many people in LA. In fact, the only real friend she’d made since she arrived three years ago had been Susan Zieliski. Susan had told Mollie once, who she knew as Monica, that if she ever needed anything she could always count on her.

Mollie was shivering and crying when she knocked on Susan’s door less than an hour ago. Her friend was instantly worried, and Mollie fed her a silly story about an argument and a breakup with her boyfriend.

‘I didn’t even know you had a boyfriend,’ Susan said, giving Mollie a comforting hug. ‘He didn’t hit you, did he? Because if he did we should call the cops on the jerk.’

They talked for a while over a pot of freshly brewed coffee. Mollie had to snowball her story into a much bigger lie.

‘You should stay here tonight, Monica,’ Susan said. ‘Actually, you can stay for as long as you like. I’d love the company.’

Mollie’s smile said a silent ‘thank you’.

‘You look cold. Why don’t you go and have a hot shower and I’ll fix us something to eat. Then I can tell you about some great news I had today.’

Mollie turned off the water and slid open the cubicle door. Her clothes lay coiled on the floor where she had stepped out of them. Susan had supplied her with clean towels, so she wrapped one around her body and used the other as a turban around her wet hair. With her right hand she cleared a circular patch on the misty mirror and stared at her face.

She had decided that she’d call Hunter, at least to let him know she was OK. She’d been unfair with him when all he’d tried to do was help her. And in her fear of what might happen, she’d broken her promise to him and turned off her cell phone.

Suddenly, a disturbing sensation ran the length of Mollie’s body. Frightened, she turned around and faced the bathroom door as if someone was there, staring at her. She was sure she’d heard something that sounded like a muffled scream. She stood perfectly still for a moment listening, but the only sound she could hear was the slow drip from the showerhead. With trembling hands, she reached for the handle and pulled the bathroom door open just enough for her to be able to peek outside. All the lights were off.

‘Susan?’ Mollie called in an uncertain voice.

Silence.

Cautiously, she stepped into the corridor and waited.

Nothing.

To the left the small living room and the kitchen, to the right the bedroom, but the apartment looked lifeless – it felt lifeless.

‘Susan? Is everything OK?’ Her voice had started quivering with tears. With frail steps, Mollie went left, leaving delicate, wet footprints on the hardwood floor. She wasn’t familiar with the apartment’s layout, which was now illuminated only by the light that escaped from the bathroom. She used her hands to warily feel her way forward and stopped as she reached the living room. An uncontrollable rush of fear made her convulse and she tried in vain to fight the tears that blurred her vision.

‘Susan, where are you?’

Mollie cleared her eyes and took one more step forward.

The bathroom light went off behind her.