The weather had turned bitter cold and Meredith pulled her collar up as she trudged along the highway toward work. She was idly thinking about her new novel when she heard a car pull off the road and drive along the shoulder behind her. For some reason she sensed danger and turned and watched as a man exited the car and came toward her. She noticed he held a small bat in his hand which he swung close to his body as he walked. It was like he wanted her to see it. He had on a longish coat and dark jeans and his boots kicked up the snow with each step. His lips were slightly curled as he said, "Hey there girl, you need to get in the car now."
She instantly knew she was in peril and looked this way and that in desperation for help or escape. She tarried an instant and then wheeled around and broke into a full run down the highway. She tried to wave her arms and screamed for help at each passing car but none stopped. Then she felt him grab her coat and instantly found herself struggling to keep her feet under her. She dropped her purse and kept twisting and turning trying desperately to break loose. "I said get in the car!" His voice was hard as he hissed the words.
All Meredith could think of was Kylie. "No!" she screamed and began to fight. She threw blows at him the best she could and tried to kick and screamed constantly. Still nobody came to her aid. He side stepped her kicks and then swung the bat and hit her hard in the ribs. Pain ripped up her side and she instantly couldn't get any air in. She bent forward and then staggered back as she fought to stay on her feet. She came back at him kicking and screaming again but he grabbed her coat and began to rain hard blows on her with the bat. She felt it crash down on her shoulders, pound her arms and then attack her ribs again. Suddenly something happened to her; she didn't feel the pain anymore and fought not for herself but for Kylie.
Jack was driving his delivery truck on the highway when he saw a man flailing on a woman and immediately stopped and jumped out yelling as he ran toward them, "Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?" The man looked back and then turned to Meredith and struck her a mighty blow full in the face. The force turned her around and she fell like a rag doll, face first to the ground. He turned to Jack and opened his coat revealing a gun. Jack put his hands up and said as he backed away, "Hey, whoa man, be cool." He continued to back up and the man brushed past him and got in his car and drove off. Jack wheeled and ran toward the woman.
Another car stopped and a man and a woman jumped out and ran toward Meredith also as Jack turned her over. "Jesus," he cried out; he couldn't make out a face. Blood was streaming everywhere and he felt his stomach lurch.
"Turn her on her side!" The lady's voice was urgent. "She'll inhale all that blood!"
"I think she's dead," the man said as he rolled Meredith onto her side and Jack held her there.
"I got his license number," the lady said.
An ambulance and the police arrived and Meredith was whisked away. The police interviewed Jack and the couple and they gave them a description of the man, his car and his license number. The policeman was encouraging and told Jack they could probably pick him up quickly with that much information.
Jack kept having waves of nausea sweep over him and it took all he could do to avoid getting sick because his mind kept going back to the lady's face that wasn't a face anymore. Blood covered the ground where the woman had lain and each time he glanced at it he saw her faceless form again in his mind's eye. He stuck his hands deep into his pockets and felt the warmth of his legs against them. They were ice cold but he hadn't realized it. When they finally gave him permission to leave he went to his truck and succumbed to his horror and threw up in his litter bag. He hadn't driven a block when tears began to run down his cheeks and soon he was crying like a baby.
He made his deliveries and returned to the plant. His boss hailed him and told him his Mother had called and said his sister, Meredith had been seriously hurt and was at the hospital. He hurried there to be with his Mom and she hadn't talked long before he realized that Meredith had been the lady he had stopped to assist. He got confused, angry and mortified because he hadn't recognized her. "She was in a silly old bag lady coat," he wailed, "Jesus Christ, how could this happen?"