Free Resurrection Dreams by Richard Laymon Page B

man who had watched her from the slide.
    What’s he doing, waiting for me?
    First Pollock, now this guy.
    Sorry to disappoint you, mister.
    Wary of slipping again on the dewy grass, Vicki waited until she reached the bottom of the slope. There, she turned to the left and ran toward the sidewalk.
    You ought to be flattered, she thought, that he came back this morning. Yeah? Who says that’s why he did it? He was in the park yesterday without knowing I’d show up. Maybe he just likes to sit over there and watch the sunrise.
    But he would’ve said something if I’d tried to run by.
    What’s so bad about that?
    He didn’t seem like such a bad guy. He might even be very nice.
    You’ll never know if you don’t give him a chance.
    Not today, folks. Not after Dexter.
    Though she felt a little guilty about it, she didn’t turn around and go back to the stranger. She reached the sidewalk bordering Central, and kept running north.
    She wondered if he’d noticed her on the slope, seen her turn away and known the change of course was for no other reason than to avoid an encounter with him. She hoped not. He might think she was afraid of him, or simply stuck up.
    It’s not that, she thought as if apologizing to him, explaining herself. It has nothing to do with you. You seem like a nice guy. I’m just in a foul mood, that’s all.
    If he’s there tomorrow…?
    Cross that bridge when we come to it.
    The sky was growing pale as Vicki ran past the junction where Central ended just north of town and became River Road. The sidewalk ended with Central. Usually, she turned around here and headed back for the apartment. Not today. She was in no hurry to return and possibly face Dexter again.
    She stayed close to the edge of the road and listened for traffic, ready to bolt onto the dirt shoulder if she should hear a car coming up behind her.
    There were only a few homes out this way, mostly cottages close to the shore with private docks in the rear. When the road curved away from the river, the homes vanished. Vicki felt as if she were alone on a woodland trail. A paved trail, but shadowed by trees and silent except for the forest sounds of birds and insects and leaves rustling in the breeze. The sweet, warm aromas seemed even more wonderful than those from the bakery on Central Street.
    Vicki felt great. But hot. Thanks to Dexter. She should’ve been wearing her lightweight shorts and T-shirt, not this warm-up suit. She hadn’t even thought to put the jacket and pants on over her regular outfit. Once she was clear of Dexter, she could’ve dumped the warm-ups behind some bushes near the stoop. She wished she’d thought of that. But she came out wearing only a bra and panties under the heavy clothes.
    The road was deserted, so she slid her zipper down almost to her waist. Air poured in, cooling the sweat on her chest and belly. Much better.
    She considered leaving the road. The forest had plenty of footpaths, and she used to know all of them like friends. She could find a place to leave her warm-ups.
    Right, and run in your undies.
    The idea was tempting, but she turned it down. After all, what if she met somebody on the trails? Slim chance of that, but she didn’t want to risk it.
    Even dressed, it might not be such a hot idea to go into the woods alone.
    She rounded a bend in the road. Her stomach went tight. Ahead was the bridge over Laurel Creek. In her jarring vision, she saw the low stone wall that Steve Kraft had hit. Her mind filled with images of Darlene in the wheelchair, Melvin clamping the jumper cables to her thumbs, Darlene tumbling onto the back of the principal and her head dropping onto the razor wire. Then her nightmare version swarmed in: Have you saved yourself for me? and I’ll give you life everlasting; the worm in Darlene’s eye; the teeth of the cable clamps biting into the girl’s nipples and how she bloomed smoke and rose from the chair and went into the cheerleader routine that ended in a leap with her