Chapter 1

Rachel kissed Mark and her boy goodbye, but they hardly noticed her. Mark was as much a kid as their son Tommy, and they played videogames together for hours. As she closed the front door, though, she heard Mark shout "be careful!"

She almost always ran the 2- mile path around the lake at Mavis Park. But today--she couldn't explain why-- she felt like running somewhere else. Eagle Rock Forest! She and Mark had walked there several times, but she had never run on the secluded trails. The forest was as its name implied, thickly wooded, with moving streams and deep inclines. She drove the seven miles to the forest and parked near the comfort station. Two other cars were parked there. It was awfully quiet, and Rachel wondered if she should change her mind. Two cars! She might never see anyone else. The park was several hundred acres deep, with different colored trail marker ribbons tied around trees so visitors could find their way out.

The dark haired young housewife began her stretching exercises. She listened to the bird calls and occasional stirring of animals in the forest. How peaceful, she thought. But kind of eerie! It was afternoon, but already the tall trees cast dark shadows on the trails. She began jogging, very slowly at first. Bring the heart rate up, but not too quickly.

And how soon she was in the deep forest! It was breezy and dry, and the air was exhilarating! She wished she could get Mark to run with her. But when he wasn't out of town, he was racing cars, at home with Tommy and their video games.

She inhaled deeply, to make sure her breathing mechanism was working properly. She had been recently diagnosed with asthma, and now always carried her inhaler. Another reason why she took her time before running at full speed.

Rachel was a very silent runner, her feet barely making sounds on the pebble path. She liked that. She hated the clumping sounds of some runners, as if a hippo were running. She normally brought her tiny cd player, but today, she left it in the car.

Otherwise, she would hear nothing but her music. But now, she heard the clump clumping of footsteps behind her.

More than one runner. And they were running fast. She turned to look behind her, and saw them, about 40 feet or so from her, but gaining fast. Three black men. The lead runner called out to her.

"Hey lady! Stop! We want to talk to you!"

No, Rachel wasn't about to stop. She could hear them breathing heavily. The lead runner, wearing a baseball cap, was athletic looking, and she knew he could run... maybe out run her! Another look behind her. They were gaining! Rachel hadn't planned on running so soon, but she sprinted forward. Peering back, she saw two of the runners falling behind, but the man with the cap was a few feet behind her, reaching for her with his hand!