Peripheral Vision: A Supernatural Thriller(21)

“You’re right, Nick. The fresh air is definitely making me feel better.”

“Good. I knew it would.”

Nick’s line tugged. He pulled it out of the water and with it came another fish. “One more for me. This one’s a Perch.” He unhooked the fish and tossed it in his bucket.

“You’re kinda kicking my ass,” Sarah said.

“Yup, what’s the count now? Nick five, Sarah... “

“Hey, easy. I don’t remember us deciding on an official score keeper. Plus, I’m a city girl. I don’t fish. “

“Well you’re not in the city anymore, Sarah.” Nick said with a big smile. “This, my dear, is Nebraska.” He extended his hands in the air and kind of spun in a circle to emphasize the countryside.

Sarah laughed and then jumped up to her feet to join him. They both spun in circles like little kids out on the playground first discovering the new sensation of feeling dizzy. They laughed and they spun and laughed and spun-watching the green hills and blue lake whirl around them-until with what from the outside would look like a coordinated effort, both collapsed into the long grass next to the water’s edge.

They both laid on their backs staring up at the blueish grey sky, watching the sun try to fight threw the growing cloud cover. Sarah felt the impulse to roll over and kiss Nick. This is the perfect moment! Her mind screamed at her. But she fought the powerful urge and waited. Instead she rolled to her side, propping herself up on her elbow and sent the man next to her, her best smile.

“Maybe I should challenge you to a real contest then... my choice?” Sarah winked at Nick. She felt good. It was a wonderfully new feeling.

Nick looked up at her. His blue eyes seemed to sharpen as the sun moved out from behind the large cumulus clouds above them and he laughed. “Ok you’re on.”

“Loser buys dinner.”

“Even better.”

Sarah sat up and quickly stuck out her hand for Nick to shake. “Deal?”

“Deal.” Nick smiled as he shook her hand.

●



Nick stared in amazement as Sarah knocked one ball after another into the pockets of the pool table. Pool, surprisingly had just never been his sport. Sure, there had been the one time after Mary Hughes’ wedding where he’d beaten the pants off of some his former high school classmates. But he’d been in, and beyond, a Jack Daniels’ haze that particular night and he wasn’t planning on repeating any of that with this girl-not Sarah. He still couldn’t process just how beautiful she was when he looked at her. In fact, he’d been trying to avoid looking in her direction for much of the night, as he could feel that his eyes were now starting to betray him, and she would know how he felt.

“Can I wave the white flag now?” He tried to hide his smile behind his beer bottle.

“Oh come on, take it like a man. 8 ball…corner pocket.”

Sarah pulled back on the wooden cue slowly and then it shot forward in a rapid strike. The cue ball flew across the felt top of the table and grazed the 8 ball, which dropped obediently into the corner pocket just as prophesied. “And game! You really aren’t very good at this, Nick.” Sarah winked as she put out her hand. “Good game.”

“Good game.” Nick shook her hand and shook his head. “Can I get you another beer?”

“Sure, but don’t think you’re getting off that easy. You still owe me dinner.”

“Hey, a deal is a deal. I’m a man of my word.” He laughed and headed over to the bar.

Sarah took a long drink from her beer bottle and watched Nick walk away. Enjoying the view, she thought and with that thought, wished Emma was around to share her jokes with. You need to call her tonight, her mind reminded her. It had been a few days since she’d checked in with her best friend. A few days! That had never happened before. Sarah pulled out her phone with the intention of texting her friend, but something distracted her and made her lose her train of thought-a feeling.

She looked up from her phone. The bar was starting to fill up with the locals. It was Saturday night after all, but that feeling of being watched, of hidden eyes peeling away at her made her wish Nick would just hurry up so they could leave. They could go someplace quiet. Someplace away from here.

“I was hoping I’d get the chance to meet you.” Came a low voice from behind Sarah.

She turned quickly and found herself no more than two inches away from the sour smelling, red and grey peppered beard of a tall man in army green coveralls. Sarah immediately recognized him from the parking lot outside the market from the day before. His eyes were an ugly, dark brown and she could feel them tracing the curves of her body. She wanted to scream, but she’d couldn’t. It was if she had lost control of her body. And that’s when she felt the breath on her neck. It was the other man. He was behind her.

“You’re not from around here.” The man behind her whispered. His hot breath brushed across the back of Sarah’s neck. “She looks like a city girl to me, Wright.”

“Yeah, I think that’s it. Is Mr. Morris right, Miss pretty?”

From behind, Mr. Morris, a stocky man in a hunter’s orange beanie, stepped in even closer to Sarah. He inhaled deeply, smelling her hair. Sarah could feel the gooseflesh rising all over her body. She hated it.

“Excuse me!”