Redemption by Kaye Draper Page A

sensation in her stomach.  “What was that thing anyway?”
    Isaac answered
without hesitation.  “I think it was a lamia.”
    Rebecca stared
at him.  They continued to hold hands as they walked, and for some reason she
couldn’t bring herself to let go.  “Lamia?”
    He nodded and
became a bit more animated.  “Sure, it’s something I read about in a book
once.  It’s a child-eating demon with a snake tail.”
    Rebecca’s
eyebrows rose.  He had identified the succubus too.  “You seem to know a lot
about mythical creatures…”
    He shrugged, but
his dark eyebrows drew together.  “Yeah, I guess I do- from books and artwork
and stuff.”
    They shared a
look.  Rebecca took a deep breath.  Isaac was an artist.  And his mind was
filled with vivid images of fantastic things.  Rebecca herself had done a lot
of reading.  “How about we try not to let our imaginations run wild?”
    He nodded and
gave her hand a squeeze.  “Probably a good idea.”
     
    ~~~~~
    Rebecca was
hoping they wouldn’t encounter another challenge for a while, but that hope was
soon put to rest.  A thrashing in the underbrush behind them heralded the
arrival of the Zombie.  The abhorrent thing must have kept following them this
whole time, gaining on them while they slept or stopped to rest.  It shuffled
toward Rebecca, gibbering something nonsensical.  She thought it looked worse
for the wear.  Its dirty pants were ripped and there were long, bloodless
scratches on its chest and arms from fighting its way through the undergrowth.
    She backed away
as the old fear blossomed in her chest.  But this time there was something else
there… pity maybe?  Whatever it was, it was almost immediately overpowered by
stronger emotions.  Rebecca clenched her fists and stood rigid, her feet spread
as if bracing herself for battle.  “Go away!”
    The thing didn’t
respond.  It simply shuffled faster.  Her face was hot and she felt a little
faint.  “Stop following us!  Leave me alone.  I hate you!” 
    Rebecca stumbled
back away from the thing as it drew near.  She bit her lip to hide the
trembling there.  Her vision swam and she dashed a hand across her eyes, wiping
away the wetness.  She whirled and nearly plowed into Isaac, pushing past him
as she ran. 
    There were
footsteps on the path behind her, and she knew Isaac was following.  But she
didn’t know how to answer the questions she’d seen in his eyes a moment before,
so she kept running.  She pounded on and on until her chest ached and her legs
were numb.  Then she collapsed onto the side of the path, drawing in ragged,
sobbing breaths.
    A pair of worn
sneakers came into her view and Isaac squatted down beside her.  He reached out
a hand, hesitated, then patted her on the head like a child.  “You wanna tell
me what’s going on?”
    She gulped in
the air that burned her lungs.  How could every sensation feel so real when it
was only a dream- a nightmare?  “My…my ex-husband.  He’s my ex-husband.  He’s a
monster!” 
    She dropped her
head on her knees and covered her face with her arms.  “He never loved me.  Not
really.  He never cared about c…cl…Cloe.”  She was balling in earnest now.  “I
don’t know why he keeps following me.  Maybe he wants me to die too.”
    Isaac didn’t say
anything.  He just patted her back and let her sob it out. 
    ~~~~~
    As they climbed,
the lightly wooded hillside grew denser and the path steeper.  Rebecca was now
certain that the path was leading them toward the long, low mountain.  Clouds
obscured the peak, and soon even that view was lost to them as the forest
closed in.
    “It’s really
quiet all of a sudden,” Rebecca said in a soft voice.  She had just realized
that the constant birdsong that had accompanied them for so long had faded. 
Nothing called in the trees or scurried in the underbrush.
    Isaac cast a
dark look around them.  “I noticed.”  His graceful hand grasped