From the Past

Write a scene illustrating a brief, but frightening, encounter with someone from the past.

Some days Rachel wondered if it would really be so bad if she just quit.

Then, of course, she would remember her rent and bills and addiction to purses of any kind, and all hopes of being gainfully unemployed dissipated.

Reaching into her bag, she searched for her keys as she made her way across the dark parking lot. The Christmas season was steadily approaching, and that meant that she was forced to work longer hours, dealing with insane customers spurred on my holiday consumerism. She almost preferred the ridiculous Valentine's Day shoppers.

Almost.

"Hey, Rach."

She jerked at the voice, her keys clattering to the pavement as her heart lodged itself in her throat. Looking up, she saw Brad standing in front of her, hands in his pockets, a thoughtful expression on his face. She pressed a hand to her chest as she tried to calm her breathing, bending down to pick up her keys.

"You scared the shit out of me," she hissed.

"Sorry." He gave her a small smile as she stood back up. "You look great. It's been…what? Three years?"

"I guess," she said, not really listening. "What are you doing here, anyway? The mall closed twenty minutes ago."

"Friend of mine works at Sears, needed a ride."

Rachel started to nod, until she noticed the parking lot around her.

There were no other cars.

And Brad was standing between her and her Jeep.

She tried to sidestep around him. "Well, have a good night."

He stepped with her, effectively blocking her path. "Come on, Rach. Get a drink with us. We could catch up…" He nodded. "You really look great."

"Thanks, but…" She glanced around, her stomach sinking as she realized that the only weapon she had with her was the set of keys in her hand. "I'm really tired, Brad. Maybe some other time?"

He smiled, hands still in his pockets. "C'mon…it's just one drink."

"You okay, Rachel?"

They both turned to see a security guard moving towards them. She could have cried with relief when she recognized Gary – she would definitely have to buy him a coffee tomorrow.

"Hey," she said, failing to keep her voice completely steady. "Just trying to get to my car."

He got the hint. Gary stepped between her and Brad, giving her a chance to step around them both and make it to her car.

"Something I can help you with, son?" Gary asked, arms crossed over his chest.

Rachel didn't stay to hear the answer.