Insusceptible

1. Curiosity Killed The Cat

Claire felt the cool October wind brush against her pale skin as she walked through the alleyway, her tennis shoes crunched against the damp broken concrete below her feet. I wish I'd brought my jacket, she thought to herself. She walked along the alleyway, making sure to avoid the large pot holes  that scattered the ground.

Claire looked to her right and noticed a homeless man sleeping on a dirty wooden bench. She recognized him as John.

  John was a kind man; he'd always shown up outside of the bakery where she worked and sit out by the trash cans and wait for the old bread and sweets to be thrown out. Often she would find herself sneaking two loaves out to him before her shift ended at 10 pm every Friday and Saturday night.

Claire wondered over to the homeless man and shook him awake. "John, wake up." He stirred from his sleep, his eyes slowly opened, revealing a dull brown.

"Claire," He'd asked, his voice hoarse from sleep, "What are you doing here?" He sat up, "What time is it?"

Claire took in his appearance, dull brown eyes stared back at her, disheveled shoulder length salt and pepper hair draped over his worn coat. She held her breath for a second, trying to adjust to the musk radiating off of the man.

"John," She paused while looking at her watch "It's well past ten o'clock."

  He gave her a look, "Is it really? You didn't wait for me at the bakery, did you?" He asked.

  "I did, but not for long. I was getting cold and besides, I had a feeling I would run into you." She smiled. "Oh, I brought you this." Claire reached into her light grey messenger bag and pulled out two loaves of bread and a bottle of water, "I thought I'd bring this with me just in case I saw you on my way home." His smile was instant, a bright one that reflected his appreciation.

"Thank you," He said, taking the food from her hands. She smiled at him brightly.

Claire stood, dusting off her knees, "I've gotta get going before it starts to rain," She looked him in the eye, "Be safe, okay? There've been a lot more murders and break-in's happening around here as of late." She told him, concerned for her friend's well being. He nodded, "I will," He paused and stood up, standing next to her, "I should be the one warning you, young ladies have no business being outside in alleyways at night."

"Where's your coat?" He shook his head.

  "I know-I know, I'll be safe. I left my coat at home. The news said that it would only drop to 60 tonight. Not-," She looked at her phone, "54." She shook her head at the inaccuracy of the weatherman. Claire looked up at the dark sky, the clouds looked heavy, she could practically feel the rain in the air. She hoped she could get home before it started to pour down."Bye John," she waved at him as she walked to the end of the alleyway and onto the heavily lit sidewalk next to the main street.

The streets were surprisingly busy for this time of night, especially since it was about to rain. Nobody liked driving in rain, she reasoned. The feeling of near ice cold sprinkles hitting her bare arms made her shiver, she crossed her arms trying to keep in as much heat as possible. Her pace quickened as the sprinkles slowly started to get heavier, she hoped she could get home before it started to pour.

  Claire approached the last alleyway before her small apartment complex, she only hesitated a second thinking of John's warning about the alleyways at night, but with the rain starting she made her mind up. Claire stepped into the alley making sure to keep at a decent pace. The faster she got home, the sooner she could take a hot shower and crawl into bed.

She quietly navigated her way through the alley, taking all the necessary turns needed to get home.

A loud noise caught Claire's attention making her stop her brusque pace. The sound came from somewhere to her right, but there were at least three alleys connected to the one she was in, she had no way of knowing which it came from.