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Chapter 12

The police had arrived at the video store fairly quick, but not quick enough to figure out where this guy had gone. Benji and I had been questioned relentlessly about what happened. I felt bad for putting Benji through that especially since he hadn’t actually seen the guy. He’d vanished before I could get my bearings and alert Benji to what was happening only feet away from where he was standing. The police finally let us go after about twenty minutes of questioning when they figured out that we had no more information to give to them, and decided to see if they could find out if there were any surveillance cameras that may have caught a shot of the guy. I really hoped that it did because that means they could put his picture on TV and in the newspapers and someone might see him and turn him in. I turned my attention to Benji, he was standing at the counter paying for the movies. Even after what happened, he insisted that we go on as if none of it had ever happened. Easy for him.

He didn’t come face to face with the person that almost took everything away from him. He didn’t see the look on that mans face when he saw me. Benji didn’t have to deal with that, it wasn’t going to replay over and over again in his mind. Every time he’d close his eyes, he wouldn’t see what I saw. He wasn’t going to have my nightmares. Nervously, I played with the hem of my t-shirt, still waiting for Benji. A moment later, he made his way towards me.

“Come on, lets go,” he said with a bag in his hand.

“Gladly,” I replied as we exited the store and walked towards his car. The parking lot was as it would have been on any normal day. People were walking to and from their cars completely unaware of what I had just gone through. It made me wonder how many times I had been just like all of those other people. How many times had I just walked by someone that was so desperately in need of help and didn’t even know it? How many times did I just walk by, completely unaware of the danger that was only mere inches away from me? How many times did I just go on about my business as if nothing bad could ever happen where I was? It was frightening to think about.

After getting into the car, I put on my seatbelt and turned my attention out the window. I just wanted to think about what had just happened. I had to get all of the events clear in my mind. That was harder than it sounded considering the anger that was starting to rise within me. I was angry because this guy was going on about his normal life has if nothing had ever happened, as if he had never attacked me with the intention of raping and even killing me. It made my blood boil to think that this man had that little a regard for other people. Yeah, the attack itself showed that this man obviously didn’t care about other people, but the fact that he was blatantly walking around as if our entire encounter was something as trivial as if we had accidentally brushed shoulders while walking down the street. This man just about ruined my life and he treated that fact as if it was nothing but a piece of trash.

“Angie, are you okay?” I heard Benji’s voice asking, pulling me from my thoughts. I sighed and turned to face him.

“Honestly, I don’t know any more.”

“What exactly happened back there?” he questioned. He hadn’t gotten the complete story out of me since at the moment I was so shaken that I could barely speak and when the police had arrived they had questioned us separately, which I didn‘t want since I didn‘t want to be away from Benji at the moment.

“He was just standing there,” I replied almost bitterly. “Standing there like it was nothing. Like everything that he had done to me was nothing. He didn’t give a shit about anything. And the way he looked at me…” I said, my voice trailing off at the memory. I swallowed hard, trying to push the thought from my mind.

“You’re gonna be alright,” he assured me. “I’m gonna take care of you.”

“I know you are Benji,” I replied, “but I just can’t help but being so angry.”

“I understand and I know that once they catch this mother fucker he’s going to be sorry when he’s someone’s bitch in prison.”

“Do you really think that they’re gonna catch him?”

“Yeah, they’ve got his fucking picture now, he can’t hide if his face is plastered all over the damn news,” he reasoned. I had been hoping the same thing, but I knew that it was only going to be a chance, not a sure fire thing.

“What if they didn’t even get a good shot of him?” I thought aloud.

“There were a bunch of different cameras in that store, one of them had to have gotten him,” he answered. “It’s not like he was trying to hide from them or anything. He had to have walked into at least one shot.”

“How long do you think he was there for?” I asked. “Do you think he knew that we were there and was just waiting for the right moment to show himself?” Benji looked over at me, confused by my question.

“What? That he was in the store when we came in? Is that what you think?”

“Benji, I don’t know what I think right now,” I replied, frustrated. I wasn’t frustrated at Benji, I was frustrated at the entire situation. I hated having to think that this guy was still out there, still praying on women. “I just… all I know is that he was there and I had to look at him again. I had to see that evil again.” We both fell silent for a while, probably to finish taking in everything that we had just gone through.

We weren’t that far from my house when I broke the silence, “When this is all over, if this is ever over, do you think we’ll still have a reason to be with each other? We still don’t know all that much about each other, what if we have nothing in common? What if what‘s happened the past few days is the only thing we have in common? What‘s gonna happen then?” I asked nervously. I needed the answers to these questions, and I knew that once we got back to my house it was going to be difficult to get them since there were going to be so many people around.

“Angie, things are going to be just fine, you have to stop worrying so damn much.”

“How can I not worry, Benjamin?” I snapped, sounding a lot more aggravated then I had expected. He nodded and then turned his complete attention on the road. I immediately felt bad. I didn’t mean to take things out on Benji, it’s just right now I’m beginning to think that he doesn’t truly understand how I feel because if he did, he would know why I’ve been so worried. I sighed before speaking. I didn’t want things to go bad with Benji already. “I’m sorry,” I started. “I didn’t mean to snap at you like that. You’re just trying to help,” I said the last past softly as I slowly started to rub my forehead with my fingers.

“I know,” he simply replied and I wasn’t convinced. I looked over at him, his eyes locked intently on the road.

“Please just try and understand what I’m going through right now,” I explained. “Things are just so crazy and I don’t know what to do. I need you to be there for me, okay?”

“Angie, I’m not going anywhere,” he assured me after stealing a quick glance at me before turning his attention back to the road. “I couldn’t do that to you.”

“Thank you,” I replied.

“Looks like the guys are at your place,” Benji said as we pulled onto my block. “That’s Joel’s truck.”

“Okay.”

“Are you still alright with having the guys around? Cause if you’re not comfortable, I’m sure that they’ll understand and will be out of your way,” Benji assured me. I smiled at him.

“I’m still okay with this,” I replied. “I really need a day where things are good and I can get my mind off of this shit before I loose my damn mind.”

“Well, I know they’ll get your mind off of what happened but I don’t know if they’ll keep you from loosing your mind. They’re kinda crazy ya knows, its kinda why we’re all friends,” Benji said with a smirk as we pulled into my driveway. Joel immediately jumped up from the step in front of the door and walked over to us.

“What the hell happened with you guys? You left before I did!” Joel questioned as we stepped out of Benji’s car. Benji looked over at me, silently asking me if it was okay that he told Joel about what had happened and I nodded my permission.

“The guy was at the video store,” Benji simply stated.

“What? You’ve gotta be shitting me,” Joel replied, in shock.

“He was there,” Billy, at least I think it was Billy, asked.

“Yeah,” Benji answered.

“Did you go after him at least?” Joel questioned. Joel had been the one who had attempted to chase him down that night in the alley.

“No, everything happened so fast and Angie wanted me to stay with her,” Benji explained and Joel nodded, understanding.

“Well, why don’t we go inside,” I spoke for the first time since I had gotten out of the car.

“Yeah, good idea,” Benji agreed.