"Lydia" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

It had been three days since George Mason had anything to eat and now, he stumbled down a dusty Texas road looking for any kind of food. As he struggled through the stifling heat, memories of his old life tormented him.

At one time, George had a good job and was about to be married but then the factory closed and he was looking for work like thousands of other men. George was able to pick up odd jobs from time to time but nothing permanent. Eventually, he was forced to hit the road in order to find something.

The last job he had was picking onions in a dried-up south Texas field, but the contractor skipped out with the payroll money and none of the workers received a dime. Since then, George had been wandering and scrounging meals wherever he could find one. Walking in the mid-day sun was brutal, and he sat down for a short rest.

Sometime later, George awoke in what felt like a very comfortable bed. Old photos and samplers covered the walls of a small bedroom. The door opened and a beautiful young woman with light blond hair entered.

"How are you feeling?" she asked in a heavily accented voice.

"Much better, but who are you and how did I get here?"

"My name is Lydia. I found you on the side of the road and brought you here."

George wanted to ask why she would do such a thing, but he remained quiet. Later in the evening, Lydia fed him a wonderful meal and for the first time in weeks, George felt a little hope.

For several days, Lydia cared for George and then one day, without warning she was gone. He got up and searched everywhere until he found the grave.

According to the marker, Lydia Petrov had died three years before. 

"Headlights" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Surgical nurse Jill Peters was exhausted after an intense late-night shift at the hospital, and she was anxious to get home. Traffic was almost non-existent as she made her way to her condo.

As Jill drank a little coffee to keep awake, she noticed two tiny pinpoints of light behind her that quickly grew larger. In just a moment a large truck was right behind her. The headlights of the following truck were so bright that she was nearly blinded.

Jill stepped on the gas pedal and her car lurched forward, but the truck behind her easily kept up. Sarah spotted a place to pull over and quickly steered her car onto the shoulder. The truck behind her honked loudly and sped down the highway.

Slightly shaken, Jill resumed her drive home until once again the bright headlights appeared in her mirror. Jill pulled off the road and this time the following truck up pulled behind her. Frantically, Jill hit the emergency button on her cell and told the dispatcher what was happening. The 911 operator assured her that a police officer was on the way.

Jill made sure all of her doors were locked and closely watched the big truck. So far, no one had left the vehicle. Jill considered getting back on the road, but she wanted to be here when the police came. It had been such a long night already and now this. For a moment, Jill rubbed her eyes and when she opened them, the truck behind her was gone. Soon after, a police car pulled up.

Jill explained to the officer what had happened, and he promised to follow her home. After arriving at her condo, Jill waved goodbye to the officer and punched in the code to the parking garage.

Jill felt immense relief as the garage door closed, and she parked in her assigned spot. As she walked to the elevator, dazzling headlights pierced the gloom of the parking garage and Jill knew that there was nowhere left to go.

"Encounter on Pike Street" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Security guard Christopher Milton was enjoying the air conditioning in his tiny office when he got the call about removing an unwanted person from the property. Chris dreaded going out into the heat, but he would catch hell if he didn't do his job.

The mid-day temperature was nearing 95 degrees and Chris grabbed some bottled water before he exited the office. The radio said that the trespasser was sitting on a bench near Pike Street and yelling at people walking by. 

Chris spotted the man immediately and walked down a slight incline to confront him.  The man was older than he expected and did not appear to be carrying any weapons, but his shirt was torn, apparently from an earlier fight.

"I'm afraid that you will have to leave sir" Chis said to the man in his best authoritative voice. "You know I could kill you right now if I wanted to" the stranger responded in a low growl.

Despite the threat, the man had the look of someone who had been defeated by a hard life and Chris took out a bottle of water and handed it to him. The anger drained from the stranger's face, and he nodded in gratitude.

After finishing his water, the man ambled down the sidewalk and Chris never saw him again. Later in the day, Chris thought about embellishing the story of the encounter to impress his girlfriend Julie, be she probably already knew that he just wasn't the heroic type.