Worried About a Woman You Saw on the Road

She was an absolute mess, to say the least. Her eyes were both deeply rimmed with a heavy purplish black, as if she’d been punched in the face god knows how many times. Cuts on her cheeks; blood running down from her nose; it was a real nasty sight. Her hair was a tangle of mud and there was blood all down the front of her nightgown. It was clear that whoever she’d had a disagreement with had beaten her up real bad.

You were in such shock that you took a sharp intake of breath and she must have heard you gasp because she turned to you and just started screaming. It was this awful, blood-curdling, high-pitched scream, and it just went right through you. You’ve never heard anyone scream like that before. You were so paralyzed by fear that you didn’t notice that she reached for your neck, wringing your neck until the life drained from your eyes.