The Woman in the Red Hoodie | After Midnight

For years, the park had been part of her morning routine.

She ran the same trail before work, at the same time every day, passing the same handful of familiar faces who shared the quiet early hours before sunrise.

One morning near the far end of the loop, she passed a runner she didn’t recognize. The woman wore a bright red hoodie that stood out in the dim morning light. They exchanged the quick nod runners often give each other before continuing in opposite directions. At the time, it felt like nothing more than an...