Hunted

Melina jabbed left, then jabbed right, then sequence practically etched into her memory. Uppercut, uppercut, elbow, elbow, it continued. Knees to the abdomen, then finish with a roundhouse kick.

After landing gracefully back onto her feet, she held onto the punching bag as it swung back into her, she slowed herself to a complete halt, resting her head against the cool leather of the bag, holding onto it for support taking deep slow heavy breaths.

She heard footsteps approaching behind her, then the jingle of keys. “Come on girly, I’ve gotta lock up, these old bones are tired.” Roger said, behind bloodshot hazel eyes. He had been awake for hours, he gets up at the crack of dawn, and when Melina comes, he tends to not close until 3 AM. She felt apologetic for her night owl hours, but being an insomniac ex-cop with a mild case of PTSD she never really kept decent hours.

“I know, I’m coming. Sorry to keep you waiting, Rog.” Melina said, grabbing her duffle bag with her change of clothes, she’d slip on once she got to her Jet Black Mazda 3 Hatchback. She quickly pulled her raven colored locks back into a high ponytail, sweeping her side bangs out her eyes, to no avail considering they were slicked with sweat and stuck in place.

“The Mrs. is gonna have one hell of talk with me in the morning.” Roger laughed, locking the door securely behind them.

“I’m so sorry once again, Rog. Tell Loretta I’ll make it up to her, say dinner Sunday evening?” Melina asked, a hopeful look in her eyes.

“Now you know she ain’t gonna let you spend your hard earned money just to take us to some fancy place, so you can only order a water. I’ll see if you can come to the house, I’m sure she’d love to have some company over.” Roger said, zipping up his fleece jacket.

“Sounds great, tell me her reply tomorrow!” Melina called behind her, rushing off to her car in a hurry to get home.

“Will do!” Roger hollered after her.

As she reached the Mazda, she quickly pull her keys off the chain around her neck, as she fumbled with the lock, she quickly glanced around as the strange and eerie feeling of being watch crept up her spine, like a chill in the cold Chicago weather.

As soon as her door was unlocked she slid into her car and locked all the doors before even buckling her seatbelt, once she was entirely sure no one was following her, she buckled up, and started the car and headed for her house.

After returning home and finding a parking spot on her busy street and practically walking three miles just to get to her front door, she could feel her back tensing up, more and more, the pain spreading as an ache into her neck, she thought she would take a shower once inside. As she dug her keys out of her pocket, she felt an eerie feeling in the air which forced her to quickly turn around reaching for a gun that was no longer there, and slowly crept over to the side railing of her front steps.

Suddenly a trashcan goes crashing to the ground, and she turned around fists up ready to defend herself from her attacker. Melina basically laughed at herself as she saw Rufus the alleycat that was known around the neighborhood, rubbing up against the knocked over trashcan. She stooped down and picked him up and pulled him into her hooded sweatshirt underneath her leather jacket.

“Let’s you get you some food, you were probably waiting for me to get home, just for that. Huh, big boy?” She questioned the plump tabbycat, lovingly rubbing it’s head against her chest.

As she got inside she set the feline down on the hard oakwood floor of her apartment, and went to grab two dishes for food and milk. She set down the first a small saucer filled to the brim with warm milk, and then she walked over to her pantry turning on the light that dangling from the fixture in the ceiling, she found the items she was looking for and retreated. She then began to mix a clump of wet cat food and dry food into a bowl for the impatient tabbing clawing at her skinny jeans.

“Get down, you’ll get it in a second fatass.” She chuckled, shaking the cat off her leg.

She then lowered the bowl onto the floor, and quickly withdrew her hand knowing from experience if she didn’t it would be on the menu as well. As soon as she did so, the tabbycat rushed the dish hogging it down with a matter of minutes, and Melina watched in amusement, muttering a sarcastic “You’re welcome,” before petting his backside and walking into her dingy white bathroom and stripping off the musty and sweat covered clothes.

Melina pulled out her ponytail and started the water for a warm shower, she figured it might help her relax, or at least she hoped. She stepped off the plush baby blue bathroom mat, the only thing in the entire room with a hint of color, and into the icy cold abyss that was her shower. She quickly was enveloped in the warmth of the cascading water, which pounded down on her from above, she turned around to face the showerhead, and place her forearms onto the white tiles and leaned gently forward resting her forehead ever so slightly there, letting the warm water drip down her long and curved backside.

She lowered a slender hand down to the valley between her breast where a necklace laid, a necklace that was a gift from her brother. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly as the memories flooded in against her will.

*Flashback*

“I promise.” Andrew Mercer said, with a toothy sure-of-himself grin. His hair slick from the rain, and his blue-green eyes, a darker color than normal, filled with a hopeful look, and a hint of something else, that Melina couldn’t quite tell what.

“Really? Don’t lie to me Andy!” A young Melina sniffed, her eyes puffy and red from crying. Her long wavy Raven locks soaked as well from the downpour, they had just been victim of.

“Really, really. Why would I lie to my baby sister like that?” He asked, arching a brow at her.

“You’ve done it before…” She said, lowering her head somberly.

“I didn’t mean to, you know that.” He said, taking a firm but gentle grip on her chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes. “I promise you, nothing will happen, I’ll come back to you. I wouldn’t dream of leaving the only family I’ve got left.” Andy vowed to his sister.

*End of Flashback*

“You promised.” Melina whispered to no one in particular, letting the tears fall down her cheeks.