I was too afraid to look back. Sweating and panting to the point of hyperventilation, I ran as fast as I possibly could away from the man behind me, who seem to gain tremendous speed with each lithe movement he took towards me. I slid and tripped over rocks and even the slightest changes in the pavement as I sprinted down the darkened city streets. I could faintly hear Charlie calling my name in a panic, somewhere far behind me in the distance, closer to the light and traffic of the crowded streets of Phoenix. The man had gotten me right where he wanted me – away from the public eye, deep into the night of a few scarcely wandered back roads.

I thought I heard him chuckle as he suddenly bounded in front of me at a lightning pace. I skipped to a stop and fell backwards, never once tearing my horrified gaze from his bright red eyes. My mouth opened into a scream, but the sound was lodged in my gut. All I could do was stare at those eyes.

“No use running from me, darlin’,” the man said, edging towards me with every word that seemed to roll off his tongue like silk. However, the soft, musical voice only increased my dread. I shook wildly and I struggled for a coherent thought, only managing to choke out, “Wh-who are you? Why…”

He suddenly knelt down in front of me and my muscles instantly responded – I jumped up from the cement and pressed my back against the fence behind me that blocked my escape. He simply smirked at this, flashing a row of painfully white, glistening teeth that looked almost pointed.

“You want to know who I am, little girl? I’m an old friend of your daddy’s. A real special friend,” he grinned, “that went along with old Charlie for a long time ‘til one day we got in a fight and weren’t friends no more,” he took a step forward, “and that’s what brought me here, honey. Your daddy took somethin’ nice from me and now I’m just returning the favor.” The man was now standing only three inches from my face, which felt as though all the color had been drained. His eyes pierced into my own with blazing ferocity.