Night Flight
Joan did not know what compelled her to go outside so late at night, but even with the paranoid sensation of eyes on her back, she continued off the back porch and towards the woods at the back of her house. The moon shone brightly as she came to the first sentry of trees. With only minimum hesitation and one glance behind her to know that all was well with her home, she stepped onto the forest path. The longer Joan continued to walk, the more at ease she felt. She had walked this path a million times before in moonlight, daylight, rain, shine, and calm. There was nothing out here to frighten her and simply excused the compelling force as her body being restless.
That is until she heard a snap immediately behind her. Before Joan could turn around and confront her stalker, hands came around from behind and pulled her to a cool body and successfully silenced her in one motion.
"When I release you, you will not scream and you will run home. You will not seek me out and you will not slow down till the door is closed behind you," as he spoke he flexed his claws intermittently, letting her know how serious he was. "If you get to your house before three score marks appear in your flesh, you might live this night. Otherwise...," he let the last of the word trail off, leaving a suggestion of deadly possibilities. Joan felt his body move and was turned around back the way she came, her feet lightly skimming the fallen leaves. Beneath her hands, he slowly removed his scaly hand that held her silent, and as he was removing the reptilian arm that held her pinned to his body, she felt the first slash across her back.
She ran.
As deft as a doe, she jumped over potholes and limbs, cutting turns and never looking back. Branches and bushes snagged at her clothes and skin until finally she was able to see the back porch light through the leaves. With that small glimmer of hope she put on a great burst of speed. She cleared the trees and the distance to the porch. She jumped and cleared all three steps, opened the door and closed it behind her. Once the nightmare was locked out on the other side Joan slumped to the floor, her legs shaky and weak, would no longer hold her up.
Joan did not know for how long she sat there catching her breath and crying in relief, but when she felt she could move again she got up. The kitchen light revealed a small pool of blood on the floor where she sat. At the sight of her own blood, her back reminded her painfully of the damage inflicted by the claws of her offender. She headed to the master bathroom where she kept her first aid kit. She stripped out of her ruined shirt and turned her back to the mirror to assess the damage. In the mirror she saw three perfect slash marks parallel to each other across her back.
"I never said I played fair..."