leaned into the mirror above the sink. She stared at her reflection for a minute, the faint scar on her forehead, just below her hairline reminded her of the terrible accident she had a ye

ide up and a strip of bacon that needed some labeling to be recognized as one. Adam wouldn't complain. Cooking was never among her stronger suits but she still did it every once in a while. Adam loved to cook so he was the one with the chef's hat when they weren't having a takeaway. It took her mere moments to understand what the phone call was about. Adam was booking a flight to Albuquerque. Adam'

ica asked, half way t

plate. He anticipated another question coming his

ound to be a warm day. The breakfast was finished and Jessica checked her watch. She was running late. She spran

phone to her. The time at home had caused her to miss some of her basic routines which inc

Beetle in the final hours of their existence. She loved the feeling of her tires fully gripping the asphalt. The school kids didn't seem too thrilled over their return to the schools but their parents did. She drove past the stores that welcomed the trucks that had been awaiting the opening of the roads. Everything was being restocked and customers stood in queues. Jessica loved every bit

t past the door. By that time she was a

mers had been expected to pour in like it was the end of the world and Jessica had chosen that exact day to le

to her, gave her a look that said, 'Where the

since birth. The two long queues divided and a third one formed at her counter as soo

as usual. They were acting as if the bank would disappear after sunset. Jessica aske

opportunity to learn and the young brat had totally missed the point. Donald Wheatley was in his early

from Brenda to a customer startled her. She looked up and found a man standing at Brenda's booth. The man stared at Jessica with a look of astonishment. The stranger was a rare new face in the town. There were hardly any visitors and it wasn't the perfect place to migrate to. The stranger was presumed to be a passerby like most new faces. Brenda was a professional at what she did and was trying her best to make the man talk to her but the man wouldn't quit gawking

eyes widened the moment he heard her voice. He turned and scampered out of the building. Carl

ing Carlos himself. In a moment, everything was back to normal as if not

spoke Jessica softly and B

hadn't seen the man enter the bank. None of it made sense. "Oh! To be young and pretty!" Bre

Carlos is prettier than you," Brenda spoke like a whip and Jes

and in no time, Jessica was alone on the road. Nothing was out of the ordinary. She had forgotten what had happened at the bank. But she couldn't shake off the eerie feeling of being watched. She convinced herself that it was just the shock. She drove on. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of a car in her rear view mirror. The car was a black sedan with its headlights turned off. The vehicle was a fair distance behind her. She tried to shake it off as nothing but a part of her suspected stalking. The car was only visible on the longer and straighter roads. Jessica underst