Once I got off work, I flipped the sign to closed and sent Rook home. I made a stop at a hardware store down the street. Looking through the bird section, I found a bird house that I thought looked the best and brought it to the cashier.

           “Do you like birds, Joanne?” Mary asked me.

           I nodded. “I do, they’re part of the reason that I like it here.” I smiled at her. “I also like the people though, they are so kind and as close as family. It’s nothing like California.”

           She nodded and bagged up my bird house. “Would you like to go to a party that I’m having this weekend? Or are you busy?”

           I shook my head. “I might be able to make it to your party. When is it?”

           “It’s at nine on Sunday.” She replied with a smile then she winked. “And maybe I can help set you up with someone. You look so lonely.”

           I sighed. “I’m fine. Really, I’m okay.”

           “Okay. Have a good day.” She smiled to me as she handed me my bag. I nodded and left the store. The rain was pouring outside so I pulled my hood over my head. I sighed. Where was my car? I looked around. The rain was so heavy that I couldn’t see two feet in front of me. “Great.” I whispered. I started walking in the direction that I suspected my car was. I squinted, trying to see and what I saw was not what I was looking for. A man was laying on the ground in a pool of blood. I gasped and covered my face with my hands. I dropped my hands. I need to find out who this man is, what happened… I need to get help. But I can’t leave him, something might happen.

           “Help!” I yelled. “Help, he’s hurt! Somebody!” I saw someone coming toward me. “Oh good. Can you call an ambulance? He’s hurt…” Then I realized that the person walking toward me was carrying something. It didn’t look good. I looked down at the man on the ground. He had gotten his head partially cut off. I screamed as the person approached. I ran in the opposite direction, dropping the bird house. I ran until I came to a house and ran to the door and knocked.

           Rook answered the door. “Joanne? You're all wet. Get in here.”

           I nodded and hurried in. He shut the door behind him. I realized I was crying and shaking from the body’s discovery. Rook looked took one look at me and he grabbed my wrist and brought me to a chair to sit down. He squatted down in front of me and looked at me. “What happened?”

           I wiped my eyes with shaky hands and tried to compose myself. “S- Someone k- killed someone in this town a-and chased after me be-because I saw the body and was out there.” I stuttered. A sob escaped when I remembered the guy that was laying on the ground.

           He went to the front door and locked it, then went to the back door and locked it. He then locked all the windows and shut the shades. “God damnit…” I heard him whisper under his breath. “Not again.”

           That shocked me. What did he mean ‘not again’? Had this happened before? Did he know the killer? I shrunk back into the chair. “What’s going on Rook?”

           He sighed and sat on the couch across from me. “Well you see… Everywhere I moved to, there is this man that follows me, he kills people around me to scare me. He is some horrible psychopath that gets a thrill out of killing people to scare another.”

           I was speechless. How could anyone think that killing people was fun? I shivered and realized a tear was starting to stream down my face. That means they are going to try to kill me. He stood up and stepped toward me. “No.” He said. Confused I looked up at him. “No. He won’t get you. I won’t let him.” More tears started streaming down my face.

           I half-sobbed out, “But how can you possibly save me from a murderer?” He put his hand on the side of my face. “He’s already targeted me, he probably won’t stop. He’ll wait for the right moment and swoop in,” I waved my arms, sobbing “And kill me and you won’t even expect it.”

           I saw frustration behind his cloudy blue eyes. “I can protect you from him. I’ve learned how he kills, I’ve learned his pattern. It has to be raining. Has to be night time. I can.” I could see the uncertainty on his face. But he also looked like he could do it. I smiled through my tears and briskly wiped my face.

           He walked toward the window, mumbling to himself. “I should have- and- this is my fa-” I could barely make out some of what he had said. How did my life go from having conversations with little old ladies and buying bird houses to being in a man’s house and having a murderer after me? This is just my luck.

           The rain was getting louder and more aggressive against the windows and door. The trees outside the window were flailing in the wind and leaves and branches were scattered everywhere. I was not used to this weather yet even though I’ve been here for a few years. I walked over to Rook and watched as the front yard became a battleground of water versus wind. In a way this made me feel slightly energized and excited. I didn’t understand it. I smiled and laughed.

           Rook looked over and me with a confused and shocked face. “What’s so funny?”

           “Nothing. I just feel better looking at that.” I gestured to the outside. “I don’t know why.”