Overactive Imagination

After successful therapy, Christopher's phobias disappeared, even his paralyzing fear of spiders.

But the whispers on his cell? They seemed louder. And had the phone even rung? Glancing in his rear view mirror revealed the imaginary black car that was always trailing him. "Get over it," he told himself. Looking back again, he simply ignored the dark fog swirling up from the back seat.

Tendrils of black fog encircled his neck, consciousness fading to dark. His eyes closing, he choked out a muffled scream. His last glance, a black widow spider creeping across the surface of the rear view mirror.