as time Went On.. a collaborative story, ENTRY SEVEN

Tim took a moment to orient himself. They were currently walking away from San Jose.

They were currently so far from San Jose, that they couldn't realistically walk there. The sun was already starting to set, it would soon be dark.

He calculated how much he would need for them to catch a bus, realized he didn't have much money on him, and had no idea what the bus schedule was.

Damn! He should have brought his car! He still couldn't say what had compelled him to walk!

"Okay," he said, "I think we're going to have to chance going back for my car."

"You have a car? Why didn't you say so? Why are we walking then?"

Tim turned them back towards Sunnyvale before replying. He then told her about his bizarre morning. "I don't even know where the time went. I left my place at about nine o'clock, and now it's almost dark. But we can walk back to Sunnyvale, it's not actually that far. Then, once we have my car, we should go somewhere crowded, maybe the mall? We could get something to eat, and discuss our options."

The walk back took about an hour and a half. Tim questioned Mary about everything he could think of on the way. She couldn't remember her last name. She couldn't remember where she lived. She couldn't remember how she came to be in the bookstore. Tim's questions were making her more and more agitated.

"I can't remember!" she finally yelled at him. "I am so confused, so lost!"

They finally arrived at Tim's neighborhood. He cautiously led her towards his apartment complex. He didn't know why, but something felt seriously wrong here. He just wanted to get his car and go. It wasn't to be.

As they neared the steps of his apartment, where his car was parked, they noted someone sitting on the steps.

Tim already had his keys in his hands, but he wasn't fast enough. Before he could push the button on his keys to unlock the doors, the person on the steps practically flew down and grabbed them!

Tim pushed Mary away. "Run!"

Mary turned to run, but was grabbed by another set of hands.

Tim was also caught.

"What is going on!" He struggled against the hold on him.