Another year has come and gone and yet this year seems worse then most years for me cause it started out tragic and has not gotten any better lately. I feel however like something is going to change in my life soon just not sure if it will be for the best or worse yet. The Year is 2020 and today happens to be October 31st, All Hallows Eve or better known to all children as Halloween. "How odd, I don't recall the last full moon on Halloween night. It has been a long time since I seen one on this particular day, I thought as I stared up in the cold moon lit sky of night. Let me introduce myself, my name is James O'Neill. I just turned last month 46 and I have survived the worst patch of bad luck earlier this year.
I live in Rochester, New York. As for the patch of bad luck it is cause of the losses of all my family this last May. My wife Wendy with both daughter Sabrina and my son Patrick where killed in a tragic plane crash over the Atlantic. The FAA said it was caused from pilot error. I had missed the flight to finish up business deal in NYC and would catch the next flight over to meet up with them in Prague for a well needed vacation. This loss had now made me the last of my family bloodline. The loss of family also had taken its toll on me both emotionally as well as physically from me drinking so often to subdue the pain I felt with no one left to be with and share my days with. All I have now is my work and health and the local pub. I go out on a heavy drinking binge when anniversaries or birthdays pass. Tonight I felt something strange and out of place in my thoughts as well as my surroundings and decided to better go home and sleep this night off and not go drinking.
Since I was born and growing up as a kid, every once in a while I have a feeling I am being watched from the shadows. I told my father about it as a kid and he said it was ok and nothing to be afraid of. I had at times had thoughts put into my head that I knew were not my own. I also from time to time could feel something probing my thoughts to read them but I never could tell who or what was doing this to me. Once in a while in the distance shadows I could almost make out a woman's figure standing looking at me, but when I look back again the shadows were empty of any form or shape. Tonight I sensed that presence in the shadows of my mind once more. Sometimes in the past experiences it had triggered some deep memories of the past or emotions.
Some habits die-hard, I was a former member and veteran of the US Army's 2/75th Rangers that served in the 2nd Gulf War and now I am a security protection consultant. I felt often to be safer in the dark then in the light. The shadows gave me comfort most the time unless I got that reoccurring feelings again that I was the one being stalked and watched. Somehow tonight I have a strong feeling that something was going to go bump in the night and I knew I would be the one to have to do the bumping back first.
I was now walking back to my place from my security firm's office not paying attention to the trick or treaters out on the streets or the local night traffic on the streets. I made my way across the street ahead of me when I felt that feeling again of being watched. I turned and looked into the dark shadows but nothing. I only heard the kids laughing about the candy they were getting. This time of year I felt the loss of my family more cause my kids loved this day for the costumes the would dress up in and candy they get from going door to door. My nerves and senses by now were heightened from the strange feelings I was sensing as if someone was watching me as well as looking inside my mind. I lost my train of thought when I heard it a young woman's whimpering scream from an alley ahead of me. Hearing the scream made me jump and nearly gotten hit by a speeding taxi as I was still crossing the street. The Taxi driver shouted something but I paid no attention as I now ran towards the location of the scream I had just heard.
Not knowing the dangers ahead, I pulled out my concealed USP .40 cal. handgun I carry for protection and made my way to the building wall near the entrance of the dark alley where I heard the scream. Safety now switched off on my handgun and the first round now chambered. I peeked around the corner to see a young woman by a back doorway light with dark stranger leaning over her as she was laying there and the guy doing something to her. I then made my way up to them fast with my handgun drawn out and had taken aim at the dark stranger's back, center mass.
With my past training and experienced skills I took my posture and then made my presence known as I shouted to the stranger ahead, "Hey you freeze and don't move or I'll shoot! Now stand up and back away from the young lady slowly!"
As I shouted the stranger stood up and let the young woman's body drop to the ground with a thud at his feet as I now could make out blood covered her torn blouse. I took my eyes off the stranger for second when I seen the blood and the stranger took that second to dive out of my field of vision. Loosing sight of him I made my way forward to the young woman on the ground. I was still looking for her attacker when I heard a noise from behind me. With my fast reflexes I was able to swing around to just make out the dark stranger moving at me extremely alarming rate of speed. In the split second of sighting the attacker I was able to squeeze off two rounds at him at point blank when I felt his right fist make contact with my chest, the force of his blow flung me backwards down the dark alley twenty feet or more.
