Runako : A Short story {Part 1}

1.I splashed my face with water, trying to get a hold of myself…What was that?! I looked at myself in the mirror and tried to deny the image staring back at me the satisfaction of breaking down. She had come back again…Who was she? What did she want from me? I was shaking like a leaf, fear pouring into my core. My face pale and withdrawn with haunted eyes…..Was that really me? And what had happened out there?
I wiped my face with a paper towel, checking myself in the mirror to make sure my game face was back on and walked stiffly from the bathroom back to my office. “Runako, are you alright?..For a moment there you had me freaking out..”I looked at my best friend, seeing the concern in her eyes and shakily assured her,” I’m okay Cynthia really….I just felt a bit faint that’s all.”
“Well, good thing I brought you lunch then..”She started rambling on about her job and her chauvinist pig of a boss, and that’s just what I needed. With Cynthia all one needed to do was act like you were listening. I needed the distraction to get through the day, and once I got it I submerged myself into people and my work. My psychoanalysis would have to wait till end of day.
My last meeting ended and walking to my car my mind started going haywire trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I had had nightmares for a few months, the same dark woman in the same cave and those haunted eyes…but those I could easily dismiss compared to the ‘trances’ I now had. I call them that because every time it happened it was like I was having an out of body experience ,only I was fully awake and aware of the things going on around me. She would step right out of nowhere ,holding my hand like she knew me…”Runako….” Her voice was strong and authoritative, yet always with an urgency. I would feel drawn to her and yet her inexplicably mysterious aura would always have a trickle of sweat running down my back.
I was scared, and I’m not one to scare easy..but maybe I was going certifiably crazy. How else could I explain what had just happened at the office? I had completely blacked out ,no trance or dream and such. It had gone dark for a moment and there she stood, her piercing eyes boring through me, her earthy coloured long robe floating like there was a breeze. She called my name but her lips never moved. Drawing me further into the eerie cave she had said , “ It is time….” Time for what??...I could feel myself drawn to her yet struggling against the pull… and then I woke up on the floor….
I hit my brakes so hard my stomach lurched….Snap, did I just hit someone?! I ran out of the car and saw him. What was wrong with me? I couldn’t just have a drama-free day for once? “ I’m soo sorry. Are you hurt? Should I call an ambulance?”.He gave me a contemptuous look, ignoring my outstretched hand. “Are you mad! You almost ran me over!”His voice was deadly calm.I began to shake which again was uncharacteristic of me, stuttering like a fool. He looked me over, grabbed my arm and shoved me into the car and banged the passenger door shut. “Wait…what are you doing?”
He started the car amidst my protests and only slowed down at the traffic lights. He turned to me and seemed to be looking into me, “I’m taking you home, I can see you’re in no shape to drive yourself….So, where to?” I agreed with him but I was not about to admit that. I swore rather colourfully at him, and he half smiled in my direction, “Either that or I’d have to take you home with me..” At that I gave him my address. So much for his unpretentious morality. He drove me home and I cooled off a bit, though a total stranger driving my car made me no less uneasy. When he parked I said, ”Thank you for your generosity, but if you don’t mind my asking how are you going to get home?”
“Funny thing, I live in the area, I was just taking an evening stroll when you almost hit me..” The corners of his mouth were slightly curved into what would have been a great smile any other day. Surprisingly I was not too tired or messed up in the head to notice that. Was it just coincidence? I almost run over a guy who lives in the same neighbourhood as me? After the day I’d had I was not willing to just dismiss anything lightly. I looked him over, in case I might need that description at any point. He might be a psychopath, highly unlikely as it may be.
“My name’s Kundai by the way…And I’m not a psycho..” That brought me out of my sordid train of thoughts. Could he read minds too now? “Ok Kundai, thanks..” I held out my hand for my keys and I guess he sensed that his company was no longer required, so he handed them to me. “Try to keep out of your head and keep your eyes on the road next time you’re driving. Good night” he walked away and out of the gate. Because I still felt like I was being watched I ran into my flat and locked the door just behind me.
I suppose that feeling of being watched would never quite leave me, it was always there at the back of my head, so intense that I could actually feel the hairs at the back of my head stand sometimes. But I’d had my share of drama today, I wasn’t willing to dwell on it any longer. The tall, dark stranger who had driven me home was another issue altogether. Kundai had inexplicably etched himself into my memory. I was sure it had nothing to do with his milky white teeth and affable smile, or that silky dark skin that looked as if he bathed in a tub full of milk every day. Of course I had noticed. My ability to observe people and their actions was an inborn instinct which sometimes served my purpose. Jeez, that sounded stalker-ish. In any case I thought as I drifted to sleep, he was just a distraction from my poorly functioning brain these days which made up scary people and had me hallucinating…..