a Clockwork Rabbit

A small chunk of my newest killer’s story:

From KILLING IN THE NAME OF…

Shivering from the cold I pressed my lips together and tried to keep my teeth from chattering. I looked up through the city haze that stick close to the ground even on these cruel and bitter winter days.
I could see nothing but billowing dirty white clouds. I could hear nothing but the muted and strangely thundering sounds of the cars that passed just feet away from me. I knew the highway was in front of me and as badly as I wanted to take the few running leaps that would thrust me into the unseen torrent of massive trucks I just couldn’t do it. Cowardice, probably.
I wet my lip as a sudden downdraft blew my hair in front of my eyes and opened up the view before me. For the merest moment I could see the silver shapes of the automated goods transport vehicles and the sound of them trundling along on their  electric rails amplified a thousandfold.
What caught my breath in my throat though… was her.
She was facing away from me, her dark hair caught up in the draft from the trucks. She was half mist but mostly imagination. She glanced at me over her shoulder and a strand of hair, blacker than coal… my soul… blacker than hell… was blown across eyes the color of the sea at low tide. Darkly painted lips curled knowingly before the mist closed down again.
My heart stuttered and my legs locked in place. I knew she wasn’t here to end her life. Not like me.
I knew, in some primal way, that she was here for me.
I took a step back, stumbled backwards and righted myself before spinning away and starting to run. Was barely conscience of cutting my hand on the wire fence, I didn’t know until later that I’d lost my hat and the dark red scarf that was made for me by a man with eyes like banked flames.
I made it across the small gully filled with brackish water by falling in and wading to the other side. Short, harsh whimpers were breaking through my gritted teeth and the fact that I was making these sounds unconsciously frightened me more.
I made it up the bank and heard, though didn’t see, the fence twang as someone pushed themselves through after me. I ran on for a few steps but with the heavy fog blocking my sight I couldn’t see where my car was, I couldn’t even remember where the road was.
I turned in a tight, helpless circle not even seeing anything anymore. I can’t tell you why I ran, so blindly from the woman in the smog swollen cloud. It was something visceral, something that was so deep in my gut that I couldn’t NOT run.
Finally I stopped spinning in circles and picked a direction to run away towards.
I saw her half a moment before I crashed into her.
She was standing there, hands in the pockets of her dark jacket, droplets of water sliding from her hair to her shoulders and making the dark fabric even darker. I ran into her and it was like running into a steel pole. Hands steadied me by gripping my upper arms, I jerked back, feet sliding on the wet grass almost falling in my sharp and hysterical panic.
She hushed me and I realized that my whimper had turned into a full fledged train whistle sort of scream.  She tightened her hold on my arms and shook me once, sharply. My head snapped back and I gasped.
“Better,” she whispered. “Now, tell me what spooked you?”
I didn’t want to force myself to look at her, instead leaning back in her hold staring up at the low and smothering clouds. My breath came in quick rabbitlike pants and I didn’t answer, couldn’t answer that soft inquisitive voice. My skin felt like it was trying to crawl away from her touch. She shook me again and I thought my neck would break from the force of it. I yelped then bit my lip. Against my will I found myself looking into those pale steely blue gray eyes and froze. She smiled, but I couldn’t see it, I could only watch the skin at the corners of her eyes crinkle and hear the amused lilt to her voice.
“Ah, I see,” she said in a voice like something slithering over satin. “You know me.” I started to shake my head and she laughed and it was a litany of merry nightmares. My heart stuttered. I did know her.