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Chapter One

Part one

About the time my feet flew into over drive, I realized one of two things. The second would come of course later, but usually those things did. However, for the first one, I gathered that I'd been stupid…like really… insanely stupid.

You see normally when you take a job, you'd vet it first. That's what a smart person would do. They'd ask the clever questions like, can I see a police report? Do you even have a police report? Or my upmost favorite; has anything similar occurred anywhere else? You know, to make sure you might not be the next victim. It's typical stuff any normal person would do if they weren't the police, and might actually die.

It would have been really nice if I could have taken the time to do so. I might have asked my brother, or say my cousin to come along. I would've known not to come alone, but no, that didn't occur to me. This was the reason why I ran alone in the dark in the middle of the woods.

I didn't even take a moment to question why I'd been offered the job in the first place, and that would have been a wonderful question. Nonetheless, not a single one of those wonderful points had crossed my mind.

I saw dollar signs. Those three beautiful zeros after the number one, oh they blinded me alright. I was in a pinch, because a stupid brother. So yes, I ignored a few key points. Those key points were very bright and clear now. Especially as the bullets from some unknown perp rang through the woods.

Dodging trees, half blind from the dark, and limberly leaping over logs and bushes, I ran for my life. My heart battered against my ribs. The sound so loud my ears throbbed. I was burning with fear, and each breath came as if it were possibly my last.

If not for the bobbing flashing lights, it was incredibly dark, with only patches of light from the moon. I didn't see the extra branch on the ground. My foot landed on it twisting sideways. The momentum, and the lack of level footing sent me awkwardly flailing to the ground. Something zinged like fire over my head, exploding into the tree above as I fell.

When my face hit the dirt, I was in shock. A bullet almost exploded in my head. Instead of brain matter showering over me it was bark. Oh, my dear Lord!

Shaking like a leaf, I quickly crawled to a seated position and scooted myself behind a tree.

I knew that my ankle was either broken or sprained. I had to keep running, but at this point I wasn't sure if I was going in the right direction anymore. It was so dark, and I'd never been that far into the woods before. I wasn't even sure if I could properly stand on my foot. I realized, then, that I was going to die.

I strained my eyes, peaking around the tree, desperately trying to see the killer in the dark. I didn't know what else I could do now. I didn't have any weapons, but I could see their bobbing flashlights. One was swinging in my direction.

"I think I hit her," a man's booming voice echoed through the woods causing me to almost scream.

I sprang back hiding behind the tree just in time for his beam of light to miss me. Hands clamped over my mouth, I strained to quiet my whimper. Instinct told me that if I stopped running, I would die. If I wanted to live, I had to pull myself together and even if it hurt, I had to move.

Standing slowly, I began to limp as fast as I could through the woods.

My hands I knew were cut up, my knees shredded by sticks and rocks. My face stung from the branches, but it didn't matter. I had to live first and then I would consider wearing pants on my next job…if I got a next job.

In fact, I decided, I might burn my whole closet, and only wear pants. Oh, and tennis shoes. My closet would be fully stocked with tennis shoes. Thank GOD I had changed shoes before entering the woods. I didn't want my new shoes to get ruined. This was very dirty work trying not to die in the woods.

"I see blood," another voice shouted farther back.

I jerked, my ears at attention. Holy crap! There were two killers? I was running away from not one but two men. What the heck did I do to be hunted down by not one but two men?

The first voice, the deep one, called out, "Where'd the bitch go down?"

Holy moly his voice was too close!

Scuttling to a tree I sank down, and pulled my good leg in. My brain started panicking trying to come up with an escape plan. Just then, a beam of light flashed. It hovered where I had just been standing.

My hand shot to my mouth and chest; I couldn't keep myself from hyperventilating. This was it. Oh God! I wasn't ready for this.

"Fucking hell man! How fast did that little bitch run? Was she on the track team or something?"

"Hell, if I know, but she couldn't have gotten far."

"What was her name again?"

I froze. The last voice was so close I could feel it. I snapped my eyes closed, praying to God. I wanted to turn invisible.

"She's one of them witches or something right," the guy added. The sounds of his feet crunching were far too close. I watched in horror as the light from his flashlight swung back toward who he was talking to, sweeping just around my tree.

I swear I almost peed myself in that moment.

"Naw," the other voice responded, "remember she's like psychic. You know like that T.V show shit."

A lump grew in my throat and I couldn't swallow because I realized that these people might actually know me. I struggled to not give in and peer around the tree. I wanted to see them. I wanted to know who they were and why they were after me.

Oh God! Tears streamed down my cheeks, dripping off my chin and on to my shirt. I wondered if this was how victims felt right before they died? So helpless. So alone. Wanting to live but knowing that everything they thought would happen was going to end.

I realized that I wasn't ever going to get to see my brother again. I wouldn't get to feel the warm touch of my grandmother. Hear her laugh or have her see me married. I wasn't going to have any of those things because they'd find my body… in the morning…or the next few weeks…or years…dead.

I had met so many spirits who'd passed away from murder, and yet, I never knew how they actually felt. I could imagine the moments before their death; but, to actually feel it for myself was so much worse.

You imagine, if it were you, that you'd fight until your last breath. Grab anything and use it to defend yourself, but what do you do if there aren't any of those things? What do you do if all you have is dirt, grass, and twigs? What do you do if you're so scared that you can't hardly move?

"Ah yea," the man closest to me remarked. His deep voice physically caused my body to jolt. "I remember, but ain't that still a witch though?"

"Naw, man I told ya, she ain't no witch."

As the other voice came closer, I debated on crawling to the next tree. Although, that depended on the man closest to me. Was he close enough to see me? What if I made a noise?

"It sounds like a witch to me."

"Ain't no witch man!"

"You remember her name? Maybe we should call out you know act like we are here to help?"

Did he really think I'd come out? Was he that stupid?

"Dude we shot at her. She knows we're not here to help."

I closed my eyes, struggling to hold my breath. My body trembling. Every hair standing on end as both men stood on the other side of the tree.

"Wasn't her name Kirstie?"

Circe. It's Circe.

"Dude I thought it was Kirsti?"

Close but no cigars. It's Circe as in SUR-see.

The man with a deep voice came into view and asked, "Wasn't she like a year ahead of you?"

All the blood drained from my body. He stood so close to me, and I could see the tips of his

shoes. Carefully, inch by slow inch, I began to move to the other side of the tree.

The flashlight was almost right near my head. If I hadn't peed just before I started this job, I would have peed a puddle all over myself.

The flash light swung back around.

"Dude your light is in my eye!"

"Why don't you know her fucking name," the man, closest to me was agitated.

Eyes bugging, my hands dug into my skin, crushing my mouth shut, I had to stay calm and quiet. Maybe he'd just walk away, but oh, dear Lord all that man had to do was turn back around and take one full step!

"Well fuck man! It's not like I can remember everyone's name. I thought it was Kirstie or something?"

"It's a small town everyone knows everyone."

"Well you don't know her name either!"

"Well I wasn't in the same grade! Her brother is Gavin, you know the dude who's always starting shit." He wasn't wrong. I couldn't fault the killer.

My brother, Gavin, was continually starting crap he couldn't finish. I'm not saying it was always his fault. I didn't agree with that, but Gavin had a knack for inserting himself in trouble. He just needed to work on keeping his mouth shut, and keeping his hands to himself, but that was a tall bill for my brother. Gavin's heart bled far too deep and our pockets were far too empty for his humanitarian work.

"Fuck dude, that whole family's like weird as shit man."

"Oh man! I didn't think about this! What if Kirsti? What if her family finds out we like killed her?"

"Damn it!"

"You think they can do that?"

"Shit. Didn't think about that."

My whole body went numb.

Remember when I said I realized two things? The first thing, being that I should have done more research. Well, that second one dawned on me just as the killer's flashlight hit my foot.

The man screamed like a girl while the other man turned to face me. He too, screamed a high-pitched scream as he dropped his flashlight and flung his hands up.

I guess I was scarier than I gave myself credit.

"THE FUCKKKK," they screamed almost in harmony.

The minute I made eye contact with the first man, my hand immediately lifted into the air. When panic takes over, your body's flight or fight response kicks in.

A red light came from my finger as I wrote letters, I never thought I'd scribble. The red glowing letters burned like fire, dangling in the air, just a second before his bullet pierced through.