Novels by benita promise

Nora stood motionless under the streetlamp feeling the night's chill still in her bones, as she sat in bench, in the park, while her thoughts ran wild with the strange man's words. “I worked for Eric’s father.” The words of that sentence played continuous refrains in her thoughts. The shaking photograph which she held provided concrete evidence that he was telling the truth. The proof uncovered that Eric's existence was involved in profound frightening secrets she never suspected. And yet, he had vanished. Just like that. Her legs remained paralyzed because she wished to chase him for more explanations. She remained unmoving while seating at the park center because a single searing question hammered through her mind. Eric needed to know about the information that someone was concealing from his knowledge. The process of concealment left her puzzled about what motives drove everyone to secrecy. Eric woke up when the feeble sunlight passed through the bedroom blinds. Th

Nora thought hard but her mind was spinning while doubts and suspicion took over. What she heard from him stayed in her mind because he revealed, "I used to work for Eric's father.". Who was this man? He wanted Nora far from Eric because of an unknown reason. Despite the chilly nighttime temperature she continued to grow more upset. She desired authentic details about her situation rather than receiving further vague guidelines. He resisted her every attempt for information. She yearned to discover the truth because he did not stop her inquiries. The man gripped his coat pockets and appeared ready to defend himself physically. Nora saw through his protective expression to sense what he tried to hide beneath. Regret? Fear? She couldn’t tell. She held the question firm as she asked it one more time because she would not accept silence any longer. “What does that mean? What were you to him?” He looked away from her and toward the horizon with a small movement of his head

Nora was furious The man turned to leave. As Nora looked at the stranger turn away his figure vanished into the changing shadows of the park ward. She should have let him go. She should have chosen to depart on her own. An instinctive part of Nora pushed her to interrupt to ask him to stop. “Wait!” Her voice emerged as intense but trembling cries. The man halted mid-step. For a moment, he didn’t turn. He kept his back toward her as his stiff posture revealed his strong emotions. Nora put self-respect aside to take control of her emotions. She repeated herself askingly this time. “I need answers.” “Okay? I…. I’m just having a bad day,” Nira said. A heavy silence followed. Then, slowly, he turned. His gaze explored her face to figure out some idea his behavior did not express. After considering, Nora put the pepper spray back into her handbag. A silent truce. The man took her signal to proceed. From his starting position he walked forward one step before ind

Nora's intense bodily shudder which gripped her from the base of her neck. Nora remained motionless at Central Park while her heartbeat produced such strong auditory signals that she could hear it thumping. The dim electric lights above shifted and created ghastly silhouettes that highlighted empty spaces. By the dim light the man standing in the dark stayed outside its reach while his features dissolved into the night. Nora felt a strong internal voice telling her to flee for safety. The chill in her fingers caused her to slowly retreat from the scene. Nora turned slowly to the direction of the voice. “Who….. who… is there?” She asked. The figure didn’t answer. The figure proceeded with a methodical single step towards her. Nora’s pulse jumped. “Don’t take another step!” She ordered him to halt with a loud voice while standing alone in the deserted park. The man held his position because the darkness covered his facial details. Nora panted heavily while she tried t

When Nora looked at her phone's text a sudden wave of fear flowed to her body. “Meet me at Central Park at 11 PM for a meeting by yourself. Alone.” She read the message again. “Pizza Guy.” The name rang in her head. Flashback of events played in her mind, from mysterious men, to the strange delivery. Her stomach twisted. She did not hear that name again after many days except for those unsettling incidents. This couldn’t be real. It shouldn’t be real. Yet, there it was. The text in front of her demanded she trust its contents as she stared at her phone screen. A sudden deep inhalation pulled her from her thoughts. The text shocked both her and Sandra and we stopped what we were doing. Sandra reached for Nora’s phone. The sudden motion of Sandra taking her phone made Nora freeze. Sandra opened the text, and read it. Again. Sandra scrunched her eyebrows and her face turned strange as she tried to grasp what the text message said. “This is the Pizza Guy?” Nora swall

Nora sat in the small café by a window that showed the dim light of a streetlamp shining through. She tapped her fingers on the table while her cell phone stayed flat face up without any light. She waited. No response. The message had been delivered. The call had gone through. But Eric wasn’t answering. Nora released a deep breath as she studied Sandra who stirred her coffee mindlessly while watching Nora intently. Sandra exhaled, breaking the silence. Sandra cut off her third spoonful with her words preparing Nora for her response. “Maybe he’s just busy.” She muttered. Nora shook her head. “No. Something’s wrong.” Sandra arched an eyebrow. “The fact he isn't responding to your text message alone feels wrong to you” Nora kept pushing with her response. “After I made my initial phone call he answered but seemed agitated during our conversation. He looked ready to share information, ready to hear what I’m about to say but our conversation ended before he could start.”