Kara walked at her friend’s side through the Halloween Festival grounds, feeling as if the world was closing in on her. Never comfortable in any social situation, the vast number of people patronizing the fair made her feel anxious - on edge.

Jamie let out a quiet moan at her side and said, “Look, there’s John. God, he’s so fucking hot.”

Though she did instinctively follow Jamie’s gaze, the sight of the handsome, popular guy filled her with a combination of longing and despair, causing her to quickly look away. Plain of face, flat-chested, and shy, Kara had never attracted much attention from boys. The few times a guy had talked to her, her awkward responses had sent them running in a hurry.

She was certain she was the only eighteen-year-old virgin in the world.

Though her friend launched into a whispered, raunchy description of what she’d like to do with the object of her obsession, Kara was blocking it out for the most part. They continued to walk, until Jamie suddenly stopped and caught her friend’s arm.

“Hey, look,” Jamie said.

Kara’s brow furrowed as she looked at the garish tent and the hand-painted sign advertising fortunes told.

Jamie said, “Let’s do it.”

“Why?” Kara asked.

“Because it’ll be fun.” When Kara didn’t respond after a few seconds, her friend shrugged and said, “I’m going.”

“Wait...” Kara said, but her friend turned and headed toward the tent. Suddenly without the only anchor she had in the stressful environment, Kara followed.

The interior of the tent was decorated with all sorts of mysterious objects and imagery. It gave Kara the shivers, so she focused on her friend approaching the fortune teller. The dark-haired woman sitting behind a table wore a head scarf, and had brightly colored beads braided into her hair. She was dressed in scarves, a flowing blouse, and a long, fringed skirt.

“Welcome. Welcome. You seek to know the future?” the woman asked in a heavily accented voice.

“Uh huh,” Jamie responded. She reached into her purse and said, “Both of us.”

Kara nervously stood by the tent flap, wanting to protest, but not feeling confident enough to do so. Jamie handed over the cash, which the dark-haired woman quickly slipped into the bodice of her blouse.

“Very good. Please, sit down,” the fortune teller instructed. “For you, I think, the crystal ball holds the future.”

Jamie let out a giggle as the woman leaned down, peering into the crystal ball while caressing it.

“Yes. Yes. The mists are parting,” the fortune teller droned. “I see ... I see ... I see one who watches you from afar. A comely man, his courage building. Soon ... Yes, soon, he will seek your favor.”

“Is his name John?” Jamie asked.

The fortune teller looked up from the crystal ball and said, “This I cannot see, but I see anticipation and arousal in your face as he approaches. You desire him.”

Jamie let out a sharp, high-pitched moan and said, “Oh my.”

The fortune teller chuckled. “This is what I see in your future, my child.” She then looked at Kara and said, “Come, let us see what your future holds.”

Seeing her friend hesitate, Jamie stood up, approached, and all but dragged Kara over to the chair opposite the dark-haired seer. Kara pensively sat down and fidgeted.

The fortune teller cocked her head slightly to the side, squinted one eye, and then said, “For you, the future lies in the crystal as well.”

Again, the seer peered into her crystal ball, stroking it with her hands. “The mists clear,” she said. “There is one who watches you as well. He is striking. Strong. Such a man.” The dark-haired woman let out a shuddering breath and shivered. “The sight of him makes my body ache and tremble.”

Jamie let out a little ooo of excitement.

“He is ... He is...” The fortune teller leaned in closer to her crystal ball, gazing deep into its facets. Suddenly, she gasped and said in a frightened, barely audible whisper, “Nosferatu!”

“Huh?” Kara asked.

The seer suddenly wrenched her gaze away from the crystal ball. Her expression was haunted, and her eyes wide. “You ... You must be careful, my child. You must be wary. The night closes in, and with it comes danger. A creature of the night watches you. Please, go home where you are safe. I ... I must go. You must go. Go home, my child, I beg of you.”

The fortune teller then stood - visibly shaken - and vanished into a curtained off section of the tent.

Kara started when her friend said, “Ooo! Scary! Dramatic!” She then giggled and said, “Come on, let’s go.”

Taken aback by the frightening pronouncement, Kara was all too happy to exit the tent. For once, the presence of the many people around was comforting - at least to some extent.

“She went a little over the top, don’t you think?” Jamie asked.

“Uh huh,” Kara agreed automatically, without giving it much thought.

“Well, my fortune was good, anyway. Maybe I can make it come true. Keep your eyes open for any hot guys watching me from afar.”

Though her friend continued to prattle on as if nothing unusual had happened, Kara couldn’t shake a nagging sense of dread. The feeling only grew worse when the sun sank toward the horizon, and the night closed in.

“Hi,” an unfamiliar voice emerged from the side.

Jamie came to an immediate halt, grabbing the back of Kara’s pants to stop her as well. “Hi,” Jamie responded to the young man who had called to them.

He was good looking, nicely dressed, and obviously only had eyes for Jamie. They chatted while Kara faded into the background, becoming more uncomfortable by the second. Her friend was flirting hard, and he was very much receptive.

After a while, he suggested the haunted house, and Jamie asked if she wanted to go. The two friends knew each other well enough that Kara easily caught the subtle hints that Jamie wanted to be alone with the guy in the dark.

“I actually think I’m going to head home,” Kara said.

Jamie affected a pout and asked, “You sure?” When Kara nodded, Jamie said, “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The barely perceptible lift of her eyebrows said that she would be relaying every naughty detail when they did see each other.

The budding couple headed off toward the haunted house, leaving Kara to wonder what she was going to do. Jamie had driven to the park, leaving her with no way home. The thought of trying to find someone else to ask for a ride was too anxiety-inducing, and her parents were both out of town.

Kara lived not far from the park, at the edge of town, so she started walking in the light of the rising moon. At first, she was walking slowly, caught up in twinges of jealousy that her friend was with a guy. Then, the words of the fortune teller crept back into her thoughts. It was ridiculous, and she knew it. The whole thing was nothing more than a show to make her act seem legitimate.

Then again, her prediction about Jamie had come true.

Kara walked faster, often snapping her gaze into the eerie darkness at the slightest sound or movement in her peripheral vision. A thin cloud passed in front of the moon, causing its glow to take on a dusty - and slightly ruddy - tinge.

Not a single car passed as she walked along the road, staring at the street lights of town, wishing they were closer. The distinct sound of a twig cracking nearby caused her to spin toward it and stop in her tracks. She stared hard, but could see nothing.

Kara started toward town again - walking even faster - and heard what sounded like footsteps behind her. She snapped her gaze over her shoulder and swore she saw a shadow fleeing into the darkness.

This is ridiculous, she reasoned. What am I? Five? Scared of the dark? There’s nothing out there.

As if to mock her, something zipped in front of her eyes. She felt the breeze of its passing.

Kara screamed and frantically waved her hands in terror. Naturally, that was when a car popped over top of a hill and its headlights shone full on her. Her face burned as the car passed and she could hear hysterical laughter emerging from the open windows.

The surge of shame lasted only as long as the taillights were visible, and was quickly replaced once again by dread. The shadowy flier returned, seeming to circle her as she walked at a pace just short of a jog. Her heart pounded in her chest, but not nearly loud enough to drown out the sounds of flapping wings and squeaks.

The limbs of trees blowing in the wind looked like skeletal hands, reaching out to snatch her up. The gauzy curtain that had obscured the moon descended upon her as well, leaving her enveloped in a claustrophobic mist. The lights of town dimmed and wavered in the fog, making them seem even farther away.

Whatever flying creature was bedeviling her passed by so closely that she swore she felt it touch her ponytail.

That was when she started to run. Constantly looking over her shoulder as she fled, she had the distinct feeling that her house was running the opposite way, denying her safe haven. Nearly in tears, she looked back after turning toward the sound of something whooshing through the air behind her, only to see someone in front of her.

She screamed and slammed almost full force into the man who had stepped into her path. She immediately jumped back and defensively held her hands in front of her.

“Whoa there. Are you okay?” the man asked.

“I ... I...” Kara stammered as she panted for breath.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Is someone following you?” he asked while staring into the darkness behind her.

As if on cue, the cloud blocking the moonlight moved away, giving her a better look at the man standing in front of her. Kara sucked in a deep, rapid breath at the sight of him. His t-shirt bulged with muscles, and his biceps looked as large as her thighs.

His dark hair stuck up in spikes that looked both mussed and artfully arranged at the same time. A scruff of a beard decorated his face. When he looked back down at her, it felt as if his eyes were peering into her soul.

“W-who are you?” she asked in a small voice.

“Antonio, or Tony if you prefer. Just moved in today,” he said, and pointed to a house off the road that she hadn’t even realized was there until a moment before. She knew the place, and remembered seeing a sign saying it was for sale. It was only a couple hundred yards from her house.

While that gave her back her physical bearings, her emotions were another thing entirely. Still coming down from the crest of terror, she was struck by a tidal wave of arousal. Tony was the most perfect, beautiful man she had ever beheld. He smiled as she stared at him, which only made him look even more dreamy.

“You know, I think I recognize you,” he said. “Do you live in that brick house just down the road?”

Kara nodded.

“Guess that makes us neighbors. What’s your name?”

“Kara. Kara Daniels.”

“Pleased to meet you, neighbor. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Suddenly embarrassed that she had been freaking out in front of the devilishly handsome man, she looked down, shrugged, and said, “I’m okay.”

“Well, I may not be very familiar with the town yet, but in my experience, it’s not very safe for a beautiful woman to be walking alone at night anywhere. Would you like me to walk you home?”

Upon hearing him call her beautiful - something no other man had ever said to her - she looked up, and found herself trapped in the deep pools of his eyes. A chill shot through her, though her face burned as if on fire. Her nipples stiffened, pressing hard against the fabric of her blouse. Her loins tingled with swirling, chilly points as wetness saturated her sex.

“I don’t mind. I’d be happy to walk you home,” he said. “If you’d rather I leave you alone, though...”

The thought of him walking away set off something inside her. She could barely believe the words coming out of her mouth when she said, “Yes. I mean, no. I mean ... You can walk me home if you’d like.”

“I’d like that very much. Shall we?” He turned toward her house, but kept her transfixed with his eyes.

Kara swallowed hard, and moved to his side. He fell into step with her.

“Were you at the Halloween Festival?” he asked.

“Yes,” she answered, finding it nearly impossible to look away from him. “Have you been?”

“I’m not fond of crowds, but this is my favorite time of year,” he said. “The crisp, night air. Dry leaves rustling in the breeze. There’s just something about the season that agrees with me.”