Playing with Fire A Short Story By Saadia Sultana
She walked quickly with her shoulders slouched forward against the bitter cold wind. It seemed to Penelope that the wind had only one intention, and that was to knock over her small, shivering frame and send her tumbling down the dark street.
She looked up and noticed that she had stepped into her neighbourhood. It was the rat hole of the city; broken glass and stale cigarette butts littered the grass and sidewalks. Low income houses lined the street, shaped like boxes. Rusty bicycles and other unrecognizable garbage was thrown over the small lawns. The sickly yellow paint on the fences was chipped, reminding Penny of puke.
Out here, at midnight, it only looked all the more frightening. Almost all the street lamps were broken, making the street look like a blanket of darkness had fallen over it. Tired and hungry, all Penny wanted to do was snuggle up in a nice, comfy bed and fall asleep. But she knew she would have to wake up two hours later and go looking for a job, only to be turned down. Again. She was stuck in her little alley, watching out for gangs, and the only bed she was getting tonight was a flattened out cardboard box.
Penny was brought out of her thoughts by an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. All of a sudden, the deep sound of male laughter cut through the silent atmosphere. Penny's head snapped up in the direction of the sound. She did so, just in time to see the three, bulky men cross the street towards her. Her eyes widened into the size of saucers. She felt cold, sharp fear pierce her chest, it was almost enough to take her breath away. Okay, calm down Penny, they probably won't even notice you, She thought, trying desperately to calm herself.
"Hey, sweetie, wanna c'mere for a second?", one of them called. His eyes wandering over her body.
Penny turned around sharply and started to swiftly walk away, taking hurried strides. Trying to put as much distance between them as she could.
"Don't be like that, babe!" They called.
That was all it took for Penny to break into a run. Over the sound of her frantic heart trying to shoot out of her chest, she barely registered their heavy footfalls, coming directly towards her. The wind was as fierce as ever, whipping her hair back from her face. Panting, she turned a sharp corner and almost ran into a pole.
Penny looked up and almost missed the sleek black car that came to a screeching halt in front of her. Great, She thought, now I'm trapped. She looked behind her and could see the men moving towards her in an increasing speed. Just then the back door to the car was pushed open from the inside.
Out stepped a tall man. His body was lean and slightly muscular. He was dressed in a designer suit, despite the cold. He held himself in an powerful way, it seemed that the air around him demanded respect. Penny's gaze traveled upwards and rested on his face. She gasped, his golden blond hair looked like a halo in the pale moonlight. His straight nose and plump lips looked so perfect. Overall, he was beautiful, but it wasn't this that had a sense of familiarity running through Penny; it was his eyes. They were a deep, electric blue. Penny felt that she could drown in the bright blue ocean that was his eyes.
Penny thought she was possessed. When the handsome man stuck his hand palm upwards, and said, "Come", the amount of power in his command had her grabbing hold of his large, rough hands, engulfing her delicately small ones, and scurrying into the car.
The strong smell of leather invited Penny as she sank into the hard, yet comforting seat. The man slid silently into the seat beside her. He ordered the man behind the wheel to drive. As she watched the man lean back into his seat, it finally hit Penny. Hard. She had just gotten into a car with a complete stranger. She mentally face palmed herself. The man shifted in his seat, his arm lightly brushing hers. On instinct she flinched. She knew he hadn't missed it.
"Who are you?" She muttered, under her breath.
Surprising her, the man leaned in, the strong sent of his cologne filled her nostrils and she felt her stomach do somersaults, he said, in a voice that was barely above a whisper, "Your asking the wrong questions". He leaned back in his seat and stared at her, his gaze burning right through her skull.
His last comment had her thoughts running a mile a minute. Where was he taking her? Who was he? Why did he answer her question in a riddle? Why did he look so familiar?
Somewhere in between her thoughts, she must have fallen asleep because when she opened her eyes, she realized she was in a soft, comfy bed. The sheets were silk and the comforter was wrapped snugly around her. Penny was about to let her head hit the pillow again, but all of a sudden last night's events came rushing back like a roaring tsunami.
Just and she flung the covers off of herself, the door was violently ripped open from the other side. In stepped a fat, lumpy man. The little hairs that were left on his balding head were greasy. His belly hung out in front of him and his small, black eyes were scanning the room before they fell on Penny, standing by the bed, shocked.
"You", She whispered.
"Good Morning, Daughter, tell me, how do you like being stalked?", He asked, grinning sickly.
A searing hatred for this man filled Penny. Right now she was on fire and this time she wasn't going down without a battle.
