I Dream About Someone Trying To Kill Me
Stories similar to this that you might like too.
Katherine went back to work the next day.
She’d spent the whole night worrying about her mother. Her mother had to be so alone. She had no idea what it was like to be a single parent. She had always had the benefit of her own mother, even though she’d been gone a lot, never far away, and she had spent so much time raising her daughter.
As Katherine rode away from the ranch house, she could hear the sound of the horses galloping in the distance. She turned to look back at the ranch. The men were riding their horses off the property. She couldn’t see them clearly because of the distance, but she could tell by the way the riders were moving that they were angry.
She turned back to look ahead and immediately saw a man walking out of the trees. His hair was dark brown and his features were finely chiseled. He was wearing a green shirt, brown pants, and a black hat.
She stopped and stared at him, not sure what to do. Why was he walking out of the trees? Did he live here?
“Hello?” she called out.
The man stopped, looked at her, and then turned around and walked back into the trees.
“Did you need something?” she called out again.
I wasn’t expecting this, she thought. I’m not dressed for company. But why is he walking away from me?
“Please wait,” she yelled out. “I know you were walking out of the trees. I’m sorry if I startled you.”
The man stopped and looked at her again, then turned and went back into the trees. He didn’t even say hello, she thought.
She rode over to him and dismounted her horse. She put her hat on the ground, walked up to him, and put her hand on his chest to stop him from walking away from her again.
“I’m sorry if I scared you,” she said. “I was riding out here and saw you walking away from the ranch house.”
He looked at her as if he didn’t know what to say or do. Then he looked down at his clothes and said, “I can’t talk to you.”
“Why?” she asked him. “You’re a guest at my ranch.”
He looked away from her and said nothing for a moment. Then he said, “I’m not supposed to be here.” Then he turned around and walked back into the trees.
“What’s your name?” she asked him, watching as he walked away from her again.
“Tell me your name first,” he said with a deep voice, and then continued walking into the trees.
What’s wrong with this man? She thought. He’s so rude. Why is he acting this way? It’s almost like he’s trying to run away from me. Why is this happening? I didn’t even ask him anything about himself. What did I do wrong?
Am I wearing the wrong dress? Did my hair look bad? Is there something on my face? Is it my hair? What did I do wrong? Then suddenly she heard a loud scream and yelled out, “Please wait! What’s your name?”
As if on cue, he stopped walking and then turned back to look at her again.
“My name is David,” he said with a deep voice that seemed to echo through the woods.
“I’m Katherine,” she said with a smile on her face and a slight laugh in her voice as if they’d just made a joke together. “I already know your name.”
“Fine,” he said, still not looking at her. “David.” He started walking again, but this time keeping his eyes focused on his feet as he walked.
“What’s wrong?” she asked him as she came up next to him so that they were face-to-face with only inches between them. “Are you hurt? Is it bad?” I can’t believe how ridiculous this is, she thought as she continued watching him walk away from her once again, shutting down any chance for conversation with him again.
I’m never going to get this right. I’m going to have to ask Mr. Cutter for his help if I want any chance of keeping this job as his ranch hand or his wife’s personal assistant or whatever it is I’m supposed to do with him, she thought as she watched him walk away from her for the second time that day.
***
The sound of David’s voice startled Katherine again because it sounded like he was talking right next to her ear as if he was standing right behind her instead of in front of her, which meant he was moving away from her once again and shutting down any chance for conversation with her for another day.
Katherine turned around and saw that he was now sitting on an old log next to a small spring of water that bubbled out of the ground beneath it and poured into a small pond nearby. She dismounted her horse, picked up her hat, and put it on, then walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder so that she could stop him from walking away yet again.
“Please don’t walk away from me,” she said as gently as she could so that it didn’t sound like an accusation but more like a request for help from an injured man who needed someone to care for him. “I’ll help you if you let me.”
He looked at her as if he didn’t know what to do or say. Then they both looked at each other at the same time and smiled as they realized they were both in the same predicament about what to say or do next with each other.
“Please sit down and tell me what you need,” she said, putting a hand on his shoulder again so that he could sit down next to her while she sat next to him on the log that was covered with moss along its edges so that it would make it easier for them to sit together without having to sit on each other’s laps or anything like that. “I’m sure we’ll find a way to help each other.”
David sat down next to her on the log and bent over, resting his elbows on his knees as he bent forward slightly so that Katherine could sit next to him without being uncomfortably close to him and make it easier for them both to talk to one another without any distractions or interruptions in their conversation, which was probably the reason why they were both quiet for a moment after they sat down on the log together.
She sat down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder again while he looked at the ground just as if he had nothing else to say or do with her because he didn’t know what else to say or do with anyone else in his life except work.
“I don’t know what kind of help you need,” she said softly, “but I know how hard it is to find work here in the West when you’re new in town.”
David looked at her as if she were crazy. “I’m not new in town,” he said with a deep voice that seemed almost like a growl in his tone of voice as he continued looking at the ground and not looking at her. “I’ve been in this town for years.”
“Why did you leave before then?” she asked him in an even softer tone of voice than before to make sure it didn’t sound like an accusation or an accusation of being new in town. “If you’re not new in town, then why are you looking for work now?”
“I just left,” he said with a deep, rough voice that sounded like it came from deep within his chest. “You know what happened after my father died?”
“I know something happened,” Katherine said gently, not wanting to upset him or make him feel bad for whatever happened after his father died. “Did your father die from illness?”
David’s head lifted slightly so that he could look at Katherine for a split second before he lowered his head again and looked down at the ground. “Yes,” he replied with a heavy voice so that it sounded like he had no hope or faith left in anyone or anything in his life. “He died because of illness.”
“I’m sorry,” she replied pragmatically, not wanting him to feel worse than he already did. “That must have been hard for you.”
“It was,” he said bitterly. “Then my brothers went off and joined the army.”
“That must have been hard for you too.” Katherine tried to change the subject but couldn’t because she felt bad about David’s brothers joining the army instead of staying with their family and helping them out after their father’s death. “Do you have any brothers?”
David looked at her as if she were crazy. “Yes,” he replied with a deep voice so that it sounded like he was angry or frustrated with her for asking him that question. “I have two brothers who are both dead.”
Katherine pressed a hand on David’s shoulder so that she could stop him from walking away yet again. “I’m so sorry,” she said quietly but firmly, hoping that by saying it softly and firmly that it would make him feel better about whatever happened between his brothers and their family after their father died. “That must have been hard for you too.”
“It was,” David said, staring at the ground again as if he didn’t want to talk about anything else with anyone else but himself. “My brothers were both killed in battle.”
Katherine had no idea what to say or do with someone who had lost so much because she had never lost anyone close to her or had any problems dealing with death before. It was just part of life, which wasn’t much of a life at all because death was never part of her life until now when someone close to her died.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to talk,” she said gently, trying not to upset him or make him feel worse about what happened between his brothers and their family after their father’s death. “Why did your brothers join the army?”
“They wanted to fight,” David said bitterly as if fighting was the only reason that they joined the army. “They wanted to kill people.”
Katherine couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “What kind of men are they?” she asked, trying not to sound as if she were accusing him of being a coward or lacking courage. “Were they cowards who ran away from their responsibilities?”
“They fought bravely,” David replied bitterly as if it was something he had no control over or didn’t want to talk about anymore. “They fought bravely but they both died bravely.”
“If they fought bravely, why did they join the army instead of staying with their family?”
“They wanted to fight,” David said, almost like he was telling her it was none of her business. “They wanted to fight people who never should be here in this country.”
“People, who are here now?” Katherine asked with concern on her face. “People, who are here now kill people who belong here in this country?”
“People who are here now don’t deserve to be here,” David said bitterly as if it were something he had no control over or didn’t want to talk about anymore. “They’re all scum and dirtbags and they should be put back where they came from.”
Katherine held on to the reins of her horse firmly so that the horse didn’t bolt away from them while she searched for a safe place for them to stop and talk for a few minutes. She found a small grove of trees on an incline that was well hidden from the main road and waited there until David joined them.
She could see that he still felt uncomfortable talking with her but that wasn’t surprising because most people wouldn’t talk with someone unless they were hired for some kind of work.
“I’ve met a lot of people like your brothers,” she said frankly but gently, hoping that talking about his brothers would make him feel better about whatever happened between his brothers and their family after their father died.
“They’re cowards and very few people value life in this country. If I had it my way, I would kill all of the people who are here now and let those who are trying to become Americans have this country back.”
“If you had it your way, you would have killed me before I joined the army,” David said bitterly as if she were trying to make him feel worse than he already did. “What kind of person would you be if you had it your way?”
Katherine sighed and shook her head. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad,” she replied. “I’m trying to make you feel better by telling you that there are cowards like your brothers out there who don’t care what happens to people who live here in this country.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” David replied as if he knew exactly what he was talking about.
“I do know what I’m talking about,” Katherine snapped back at him. “I’ve been here for almost two years now and I learned how the people who live here treat others because they don’t have any respect for anyone else’s lives or property.”
“I’ve only lived in America for two years,” David said coldly as if he couldn’t understand what she was talking about and didn’t care anyway. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Katherine said firmly, hoping that he would understand what she meant by that. “I know exactly what I’m talking about and I don’t appreciate being told what I am or what I’m not.”
David’s eyes caught hers and he glared at her before he turned his back on her and jumped down from the horse. He walked away without saying another word and Katherine watched him go.
She didn’t know whether he understood what she was trying to tell him or not but she knew that she would have to find another way to make him feel better about what happened between his brothers and their family after their father’s death. It may have been too late for any kind of reconciliation, but she would try anyway.
***
David almost wished that she hadn’t come back with him because there was nothing more uncomfortable than walking down a street with a woman. With a woman around, there was always the chance of someone seeing them together and making trouble for them.
Although Katherine may have been a prostitute, she wasn’t the kind of prostitute who would try to get into his pants or try to make trouble for him. She seemed like a well-bred woman who would be hard-pressed to find someone willing to sleep with her for only five dollars.
Still, there were plenty of women in town who would jump at the chance to sleep with him for five dollars or even five cents, especially if they knew that he was a soldier serving in the army.
Many women had probably tried to sleep with him since he joined the army because they knew that he was a soldier in charge of giving orders and giving out punishment to anyone who disrespected them. Whatever happened between his brothers and their family after his father died made David feel bitter toward the people who were here now.
He wanted to shoot any of the men who tried to anger him or put him in pain, just as he had shot at the other soldiers in the army who were going after him. Most people are cowards, he thought bitterly as he walked beside her, watching her closely as if she was one of those women who would try to jump him for five cents or five dollars and not much else.
He thought that he could see some resemblance between his brothers and her but he knew that it could be something as simple as the fact that they were both from the same country.
“I told you before that I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad,” Katherine said carefully after they walked in silence for some time. “I’m telling you this because you’re a good man — one of the few good men I’ve met here in this country — and I don’t want you to think badly of me.”
“I don’t think badly of you,” David replied in surprise. “I think badly of all of those who are here now.”
“That’s just as bad,” Katherine said sadly, as if she had read his mind and knew exactly what he was thinking about. “You shouldn’t hate all people just because you hate some people.”
David shook his head and walked away from her without saying another word. Katherine watched him go, wondering why he had suddenly stopped walking beside her. It was probably nothing, she thought as they turned down another street where some people were walking along the sidewalk looking at the window displays of the stores on the far side of the street.
But how could it be nothing if he stopped walking right in front of her?
“David?” she called out after a while as if waiting for him to return to her side again. After a moment, she finally decided that it was time for her to return to Nevada Avenue and leave him alone to think on his own. She didn’t dare say anything more to him lest he misunderstood what she had to say again because she didn’t want to upset him more than he already was.
***
David stopped in front of his house and stared at it in disgust before turning around and walking away from it, not caring that it was almost three o’clock in the afternoon. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had been at home, except when he was ordered home by a commanding officer or when he had met with his brothers about something important.
The whole house seemed like one big reminder of all of the painful memories that were associated with it now: memories that he didn’t want to have anymore.
He walked on past his house and down another street before walking into a barbershop and asking the barber who was waiting for a customer if he could leave his horse in the back alley for a while so that David could ride off and think on his own for a while.
“You can leave your horse here,” the barber said, looking at David as if he had never seen him before. “But I’m warning you now that you will be sorry if you do.”
David nodded and left his horse in the alley, then walked across the street and strolled into a store that sold whiskey, telling the clerk that he wanted to leave his horse behind because he didn’t want to be bothered with it for a while because there were too many people around here now.
The clerk stared at him for a long moment and then shook his head as if nothing could surprise him anymore. He didn’t know what David’s problem was but it couldn’t be much worse than what others dealt with daily.
Any man who had been raised by his brothers would have trouble adjusting to life in a new place, especially when he was surrounded by people who were only interested in making money or getting into fights with him over something insignificant like who got a better price on goods or who got more customers because they were more attractive than others.
“Get out of here,” the clerk said curtly, “before I call the sheriff and have him throw you out.”
David eyed him silently for a moment before walking out of the store. There seemed to be so many rules that had been forced upon him by others over the years that he simply didn’t know what he was supposed to do anymore.
He didn’t know how to tell anyone where he was going or why he was going there except that he felt like getting out of town for a while and seeing something different than what he saw every day.
***
Katherine sat down on a bench near the hotel at the end of Nevada Avenue and watched David walk away from her house, wondering why he had stopped walking beside her earlier today. She knew she hadn’t been saying anything unusual but she still wondered what he was thinking about.
He had seemed upset when she began to talk about her childhood, but what did it have to do with anything? Kevin had told her that she would probably have to deal with his anger toward women sooner or later because he had never really been close to any of his sisters, but she hadn’t expected it so soon after meeting him.
And why did he hate women so much? Was it because his mother had died when he was little? Or was it because his father was dead as well? Or maybe someone else had died because of a woman’s hand?
She knew that she had killed men in battle, but she hadn’t done it intentionally or because she was angry at them. She had killed them because she wanted to protect others from their bullets, knives, their horses, their friends, and their guns.
The End