“Guys you are not going to believe this one, I was walking through the airport and Steven Tyler walked right by me! It was crazy!” Celebrity encounter stories are always fun conversation topics while hanging out with friends. However, what if your “celebrity” story was not a typical encounter. What if instead of running into Brittany Spears at a Starbucks, the encounter was with one of America’s most notorious serial killers without even realizing it.
I was walking out of the chemistry building at school and realized I should have brought my sweater. Even though it was the middle of the day, summer was long gone, and so was wearing t-shirts and shorts. Sighing, I made a mental note to remind myself tomorrow to grab one. The leaves were falling and I could smell winter approaching. Looking around, I saw a few lonely leaves still on some branches. Glancing down at my watch, I realized I was close to being late for my first day of work at the diner. I continued my walk, passing by a missing person poster. I started thinking about all the disappearances in the news. Newspapers everywhere had headlines like, “MYSTERIOUS SEX SLAYER TERRORIZING THE NORTHWEST,” and “POLICE URGE YOUNG WOMEN TO BE EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS.” The sketch of the man was on every news station and every street post. The campus had increased the security, but most students joked about the headlines and didn’t take them seriously. Stacy, my roommate, knew one of the girls who went missing. She said the girl was really boy crazy. Her theory was that the girl went on a road trip with her boyfriend across the country and did not tell her parents. 
Still lost in thought, I looked up and noticed a man a couple of yards ahead of me. His left arm was in a cast and sling; I could tell that he was struggling with the books he was carrying. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, which seemed strange for a college student. He was wearing all white, and had long brown hair. He pulled the look off well and was actually kind of attractive. As we made eye contact, he winked and smiled at me. He said, “Hello pretty lady, my name’s Ted, do you think you could be an angel and help me carry these books to my car?” The question caught me off guard, not the question itself, but more his confidence and charm. He did not seem to have a care in the world and had a bit of arrogance about him. “Um…” I mumbled while glancing down at my watch. I was really going to be late, and trying not to be rude I said, “Actually I’m on my way to work and running late.” Looking over my shoulder, I noticed one of the guys in my chemistry class, Ryan, not too far behind me. “Hey Ryan! Do you think you could help Ted carry his books to his car?” Turning back to Ted, I noticed his whole demeanor had changed. I saw what I thought was a quick flicker of anger flash in his eyes and his smile had faltered.  Getting a weird feeling, I mumbled a quick goodbye hurrying away towards my car. Now late to work I got into my car feeling bad about how rude I was. Why didn’t I just take a second to help him carry his books to his car? I thought as I pulled out of the lot. I glanced over to where I was standing looking for Ted and Ryan, but they were both gone like it had never happened. The rest of the night, while I was busing tables, Ted’s charming smile flashed in my mind.
Three months later I was working a double shift at the diner. The quaint mom ‘n’ pop diner was a lot busier than a usual Tuesday in January.  The small space was bustling with crowds in every table and corner. All kinds of people were out celebrating the capture of the killer who was responsible for the missing college girls. The night went by quickly and finally the crowds started to thin out. Sitting at an empty table, I rolled silverware getting started on the night’s side work. I glanced up at the news and I froze. I recognized the man the police had apprehended. It was Ted, the man who asked me for help carrying his books.
The news anchor said, “Today police apprehended Ted Bundy, who is the main suspect in over thirty-six murder cases. Bundy was known to have targeted brunette, petite Caucasian women aged twelve to twenty-six years old. Victims were either in college or had a middle-class background. While looking for his victims, he would consume large amounts of alcohol and then would use a fake cast, have his arm in a sling, or use crutches to play on a potential victim's sympathy. He would ask them for assistance of some kind, such as helping him put something in his car or asking for directions. They were then struck in the head with a crowbar, shoved into his car, and forced to wear handcuffs. His first initial attacks involved him raping his victims and then fatally hitting them over the head with a crowbar…” The news anchor kept rambling on about the horrifying details. I sat there in shock.
Not being able to listen any longer, I ran to the back and out into the alleyway the cold air was like needles piercing my skin. Standing in the alleyway, my mind started racing a million miles per hour. The only sound I could hear was my heart pounding in my ears like a drum. That could have been me, kept running through my mind. It could have been my face on missing person posters around the campus and on every news channel. It could have been my family having officers show up telling them about my disappearance. I can even picture the officers asking my family standard protocol questions like, “Did Ann have any enemies?” “Do you know anyone who would want to hurt her?” “Has she disappeared for this long before, or has she been acting strange?” I was realizing that all of these outcomes could have been possible if I would have helped Ted carry his books to his car. If I hadn’t been late for work and in such a rush I can’t say for sure that I wouldn’t have helped him.
Still standing in the alleyway, I wasn’t sure how long I had been out here in the cold. My mind was still racing, thinking about every possible outcome and all of the what ifs. I was starting to shake and my hands were numb as well were my feet. Suddenly the back door of the diner opened. It snapped me back into reality with the same effect of having a bucket of ice water poured on me. Stacy, my roommate, popped her head out looking worried. “Ann?” she said. “What are you doing out here? It’s freezing! You look like you’re about to be sick. I was rolling silverware and I looked up and you were gone. Just because they captured the freak doesn’t mean there isn’t more like him out there.” Rolling her eyes, she asked, “Can we go inside now?” I was still shaking and I just stared at her with a blank look. From the expression on her face I must have looked as bad as I felt.  The anxiety in my stomach that had been making its way up through my body started to get worse. I ran to the dumpster almost not making it before emptying the contents of my stomach. Not being able to keep my emotions in anymore, I fell to the ground, my knees hitting the frozen ground. I began sobbing with relief, his smile still haunting my thoughts.