Silent Fall

something hit her chest, and she reached for her neck, wondering why she could feel a chain against her skin when there was nothing there.
    "Catherine, answer me," Dylan said. "You have to talk to me. I can’t stop the car on the bridge just because you’re freaking out. Tell me about your classes."
    "They’re over until the summer session starts next month," she said tightly. "Oh, God, I can’t stand this." She closed her eyes, overwhelmed.
    "Don’t fight it. Let it in. Tell me what’s happening."
    "No." She shook her head as she tried desperately to protect herself from the onslaught of emotions.
    "What do you see?" Dylan demanded.
    "Grass. Trees. A building."
    Something that looked like a dome appeared in front of her eyes. A bunch of birds squawked and flew over a pond, as if something evil was coming .
    "What kind of building?"
    Â  "Arches. Almost like a royal palace or something."
    She saw a pillar in front of her. She tried to squeeze behind it. Her heart was pounding against her chest. Footsteps drew closer.
    "What else?"
    She couldn’t speak.   If she said anything he would find her. She had to stay silent, utterly, utterly still. A shadow fell across the ground. She could hear him breathing.
    "Catherine, snap out of it."
    Dylan’s voice shook her out of the moment, and as his hand came down on her leg her eyes flew open. She realized they were no longer on the bridge. Dylan had pulled off at the first exit and stopped the car on a side street. He was half turned in his seat, his eyes filled with concern.
    "What is going on with you?" he asked.
    She stared at him blankly, his words a blur in her head. Gradually she became aware of her surroundings, cars passing on the street, pedestrians in the crosswalk, the buzz of traffic on the nearby bridge. She wasn’t in a dark park, hiding behind a pillar; she was here in the car with Dylan.
    "Catherine," he prodded impatiently. "Talk."
    "I think I’m connecting with Erica again," she said slowly. "She’s here in the city and someone is chasing her."
    "Tell me something I don’t know," Dylan said in frustration.
    "He’s very close to finding her."
    "Catherine, you have to be more specific. What exactly did you see?"
    "A grassy area, water." She thought harder. "A building with a big dome, tall pillars."
    His gaze narrowed. "There are a couple of places like that in the city. One is the Palace of Fine Arts; another is the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. It would help to know which one."
    "I’ve never been here before. I’ve never seen either of those buildings."
    "Maybe in a picture. They’re well-known tourist attractions."
    "I saw the location in my head, not a photograph."
    "So which one?"
    Blowing out a sigh, she opened her purse and pulled out a memo pad and a pen. Without any more thought, she began to draw. She didn’t know what would come out of her head -- if it would be as unintelligible as most of her pictures or if it would tell them where Erica was.
    In seconds a rough image appeared: a building with tall columns, a dome, a patio, a grassy area surrounding a pond, some sort of waterfall spray, and a flock of birds. She’d shaded one particularly large bird in heavy black -- a hawk or a raven perhaps, undeniably a predator -- and somewhere hidden behind the pillars was the prey, the shadow of a woman.
    She handed Dylan the pad with a shaky hand.
    He studied it for a moment and then said, "I think that’s the Palace of Fine Arts." He restarted the car. "We might as well check it out. It’s by the Golden Gate Bridge and more important, not far from my apartment. If you are somehow channeling Erica, it would make sense that she would be in that area."
    "You’re starting to believe me," she said, somewhat amazed by the idea.
    "I’m not sure I’d go that far, but the Palace is as good a place to start as any other."
    * * *
    Dylan drove across town as quickly as he could, but it was slow going, since the streets were crowded with commuters getting off work. He bypassed the downtown area and sped along the Embarcadero, which edged the various piers and boat docks bordering the bay.
    Every now and then he glanced in Catherine’s direction. She seemed calmer now, studying the sights with a quiet eye. He had to admit he was relieved. She’d scared the shit out of him when she’d started shaking and sweating as if she were in some sort of trance.