Following Me by Linde, K.A. (best books to read in your 20s .txt) 📗

because she was here with herfriend.  She had made it through the day.

DEVON TURNED THE corner, lookingover her shoulder.  As she wound through unfamiliar streets, she was surprisedto find each one deserted.  Where are all the people?

She was still walking, but herpace was rapidly increasing.  She hated being lost, especially at night.  Sheremembered a similar experience she’d had in a new city.  The drivingdirections had been all wrong, and her GPS hadn’t directed her properly.  Shehad freaked out and pulled over to figure out where she was supposed to begoing.  The overpowering feeling of utter insecurity and danger had made herstomach tighten and tense.

She hadn’t been in real danger,but it sure had felt like it.

And it felt like it now.

Devon swallowed hard, pushing herblonde hair off her face, as she walked faster and faster, hoping to find somethingthat would trigger a memory of some sort.  She tried to recall where she was orwhat she was doing, but it just wouldn’t come to her.  Panic rose in her chest,causing her heart to flutter faster, as sweat began to bead on the back of herneck.

She glanced over her shoulderagain, feeling eyes on the back of her head, but no one was there.  She was allalone.  How could she be all alone?  Surely, someone else had to bearound.

Against her better judgment,Devon went up to the first building and tried the door.  It didn’t budge.  Shedid the same to the next door and the next one after that, but they were alllocked up tight.  She pushed her shoulder against another door to no avail. She wasn’t in some crime show.  There was no way she would try to kick her waythrough a door.  The longer she stood and tried to find a way into a building,the more she felt like someone was watching her, stalking her movements.  Asshe banged on a door, her throat seized, keeping her from screaming for help.

Someone please answer thedoor! she screamed in her head.

No one came to the door.  Nothingmoved, not even the wind.

Tears welled in her eyes asdesperation kindled in her gut.  She moved on from the doors, knowing she washaving no luck here.  Her walk turned into a jog, and the sounds of footstepsbehind her fueled her on to a full run.

The only problem was she didn’thave a clue where she was going.  She knew she could run for only so longbefore exhaustion overtook her.  How long did she have before they caught upto her?

Keeping up her fast pace wastiring, and she felt herself slowing, but she could tell from the patter offeet behind her that her pursuer was catching up to her.  Tears streamed openlydown her face, and she did nothing to stop them.  She had a terrible, terriblefeeling about this.

When she turned a corner, she sawa light on in the building directly in front of her.  Angling straight for it,she gained a burst of speed.  It felt like she was running toward the light atthe end of the tunnel.

Devon yanked at the front door,and it mercifully opened.  She didn’t wait to see if the person behind her wasstill following her.  When she stepped inside, light streamed in all aroundher, and loud party music filled the room.  People were dancing in every inchof space, but no one stopped to look at her.

As she closed the door behindher, the lights dimmed, and flashes of color bounced off the walls.  Shereached for the first person she could, but he brushed her off.  Every personshe tried to speak with after that ignored her completely.  It was like shewasn’t even there.  Pushing her way through the room, her head was spinning asthe volume of the music seemed to increase tenfold.

What is happening to me?she thought.

Then, she felt the eyes on theback of her head again.  She turned around in a circle, looking for the source,but she found only a sea of other people.  If she had thought she hated feelingisolated in a deserted city, then she hated being invisible in a sea of peopleeven more.

She pushed people out of the way,shoving them like they were rag dolls, until her arms were screaming in pain ather.  She couldn’t move fast enough.  Her feet were giving out, and her armswere failing her.  She couldn’t escape.

When Devon looked back to see ifthe person was still pursuing her, she saw a single figure walking directlytoward her, but the person was indistinguishable from the dark surroundings. Turning around, she rushed forward with one last bit of effort.  She propelledherself through a set of double doors, stepping into a stark white bedroom thatblinded her.

Just whenshe reached the other side, she felt a person grab a hold of her arm.

DEVON AWOKE WITH a start, gaspingfor breath.  Her hands clenched into the quilt, her chest heaved up and down,and her body racked with tremors.  A cold sweat had drenched through her thinT-shirt, and she shook as the chilly air sank into her skin.

Where the hell was she?

Anxiously, she looked around thedark room, searching the unfamiliar space.  Whose bed was she in?  And whydidn’t she recognize this place at all?

Taking a deep breath, she triedto return to reality.  She took another breath, calming her still racing heart,and it came back to her.  St. Louis.  The train.  Hadley.  She wasstaying at Hadley’s place with Hadley’s boyfriend.  They’d had dinner andwine.  They had gone out drinking afterward, and she had fallen into bed drunk.

Her stomach grumbled angrily atthe memory, and her head throbbed against her scalp.  Great.  Hangover.

Her eyes roamed to thered-numbered alarm clock on the dresser.

Six thirty in the morning.

Devon still had two or threehours left before she had to get up.  She sank back into the comforter, feelingcompletely emotionally drained.

It was just a dream.  Just adream.  She had to keep telling herself that over and over again.  No onewas after her.  No one was following her.

Just adream.

DEVON JUMPED IN the shower a fewhours later.  No matter how hard she had tried, she hadn’t been able to fallback asleep.  The haunting memory of