Silent Run

with a nod.
    Sarah felt a shiver run down her spine. “And we don’t know what he looks like. Before, we knew what Shane Hollis looked like, but now we’re in the dark again. Any man we see could be the person who’s after me.” She stopped and thought for a moment. “Or it could be a woman."
    â€œI don’t think so. That bullet through the head looked very macho to me, deliberate, ruthless. Not that a woman couldn’t do it, but my gut tells me it’s a man."
    The overhead light began to flicker, and her pulse jumped again. “Did you see that, Jake?"
    â€œYeah,” he muttered, still intent on his computer search.
    â€œWhat do you think it was?"
    â€œI don’t know, a power surge."
    Her imagination roared into action. What if someone was playing with the circuit breakers? What if whoever had killed Shane Hollis had tracked them to this motel? He could be outside, cutting the electricity. If they didn’t have lights, they wouldn’t be able to see him. As her terror began to rise, she put her hand on Jake’s arm.
    He finally glanced over at her. His gaze narrowed. “What’s wrong, Sarah?"
    She swallowed hard. “What if they cut the lights?"
    â€œThere’s no reason to think anyone knows where we are."
    â€œThere’s no reason to think they don’t. They seem to know everything, and they’re always one step ahead of us."
    A loud rumble of thunder made her jump to her feet, but she still kept her hand on Jake’s arm. She didn’t know whether to run or hide, but she felt it was imperative that she do something.
    â€œIt’s the storm,” Jake said. “That’s why the lights flickered.” He got to his feet and put his hands on her waist. “It’s okay. We’re all right."
    â€œI don’t want the lights to go out. Bad things happen in the dark."
    â€œWhat kind of bad things?” he asked, gazing into her eyes.
    She stared back at him. “I don’t know."
    The overhead light flickered again, as did the computer screen. Sarah held her breath, waiting for the lights to steady themselves, but then everything went black. She let out a panicked cry.
    Jake hauled her tight into his arms, pressing her face against his chest. “It’s just a power outage, Sarah."
    â€œYou don’t know that,” she mumbled. “I can’t stand this. I can’t be here in the dark."
    â€œYes, you can,” he said firmly. “I’m going to open the curtains a little, let some of the outdoor light in."
    She clung to his waist as he tried to move away from her. “No, don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me."
    The words echoed over and over in her mind. Closing her eyes, she heard another voice in her head, the voice of a young girl, pleading, begging...
    It was so dark. Were her eyes open?
    She felt like a blind person straining to see something. She couldn’t hear anyone breathing except herself. There was something holding her down. A seat belt. Her fingers felt for the release. As she squinted, she saw a touch of blond hair hanging over the vague, shadowy seat in front of her. A man was slumped over the steering wheel. She was in a car. The roof was smashed in. Something big and scary was on the hood. It looked like a monster. It sounded like his claws were scraping the top of the car as he tried to get in.
    She let out a scream of terror. “Mommy, Daddy. Wake up."
    No one answered her. She started to cry. Why weren’t they waking up? Why weren’t they trying to get out of the car?
    She had to get help. She reached for the door handle, but it wouldn’t open. The door was crushed in on the side. She tried the other door, but something heavy was behind it. She pushed and she pushed, sweating and straining, but the doors wouldn’t open. And she couldn’t see anything outside of the car. She was trapped.
    Her breath came short and fast. She tried pushing on the car door again. Suddenly something gave way. The car began to rock. Then it started to slide. She was moving. She screamed again as the car picked up speed.
    She tried to hold on to her seat, but the car flipped over and she felt her body fly through the air. Her head hit something hard. She couldn’t see at all anymore. Was she dead? Were her parents dead?
    â€œDon’t leave me,” she cried. “Please don’t leave me."
    â€œSarah, Sarah, snap out of it.” Jake