“Ah, an HEB. Familiar territory.” Pulling into the parking lot, she found an empty spot.
The sun was sinking behind the trees as she made her way inside. Glancing at her list, she grabbed a buggy and started wheeling up and down the aisles, choosing celery, stew meat, cherries, and canned tomatoes. “Don’t forget the puppy treats.” Once she found the dog biscuits, Journey made for the check-out lane. As soon as she paid for the groceries, she opened up the bag of cherries and popped one into her mouth. “So good.” The tart red fruit was one of her weaknesses.
Making for the double automatic doors, Journey stopped for a little old lady to steer her electric cart through the opening. When she did, a buggy hit her from behind, almost knocking her down. “Hey!” She whirled to see two rough looking men. Neither looked remorseful for bumping into her.
“Well, what do we have here? A pretty woman all alone.”
The leer they gave Journey made her skin crawl. She looked around, but there was no one in the parking lot but the lady on the cart and a woman with two small children. “Sorry. Excuse me.” She considered reentering the store, but that would mean passing closely by the men who were snickering behind her back. She could make out a few words – “Tight ass. Nice rack.”
Just wanting to get away, Journey took off across the lot. As she jogged, she dug her keys from her purse and hit the button to unlock the door. Hopefully, the men who made her nervous were headed the other way.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
“Hold up, sexy. You don’t have to be in such a hurry.”
“No, thanks. Gotta run.” She jerked open the door and threw the bags onto the back seat. When she straightened up, her way was blocked by a shopping buggy wielded by one of the greasy haired men. “Move, please.”
“Move?” He pumped his hips in a vulgar motion. “Like that?”
“Russ!”
Journey and the dark-haired man bothering her both turned their heads to see the other guy coming toward them in a big black double-cab dually. “Look, I just want to leave. Okay?”
“Where you going?”
“Home,” she answered, not thinking. She glanced around, her breath coming in short pants.
“Want some company?”
“No.” She licked her lips, wishing she hadn’t parked so far from the front door. “I’m going to scream if you don’t leave me alone.”
“Russ! Need some help?”
“Maybe. Girl says she’s gonna scream if we don’t back-off.”
“Come on. Let’s go.” The other man, a redhead with a goatee tapped his horn.
“All right. All right.” Russ backed up slowly, keeping Journey’s eye. Right before he turned the cart, he made a kissy noise which brought bile into her throat.
As soon as his back was turned, Journey grabbed the door handle, jerked it open, and dove inside. When she did, her purse fell to the ground – her wallet sliding one way and her phone the other. Making a desperate attempt to gather her things, she managed to find the wallet – but her cell was nowhere to be seen. She was about to go to her knees when she heard the roar of an engine. “Oh, God. There they come.” Climbing in, she scrambled to press the start button, frantic to leave. Applying the brake, she put the car in reverse and a sickening crunch told her the fate of the phone.
Glancing in the rearview mirror, she saw no sight of the black truck. But when she began to back up, the big truck came skidding up behind her. Before she could stop, she collided with the truck’s front fender. With a gasping scream, she slammed the car into the forward gear, but the black vehicle swerved around to block her escape.
Journey felt like she was living a nightmare. Why were they doing this to her? Was this some sort of sick game? In desperation, she searched the parking lot. She needed help. Couldn’t anyone see this? Three or four rows over, she could see a red SUV easing down the aisle. Keeping an eye on this new vehicle, she backed up again – only to have the black pickup circle around to block her once more. Journey felt like a mouse being teased by a hungry cat.
When she looked to check on the SUV, Journey was relieved to see a bearded man in a plaid flannel sauntering toward the entrance. Desperate, she hit the window button and screamed as loudly as she could.