"It's You Again"

5

The man nodded in response, and without another word, turned and walked away down the alleyway. Mia and Lily watched him go, both still processing what had just happened.

"Who was that?" Mia asked after a moment, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lily shrugged. "I don't know, but whoever he is, he saved our lives."

Mia nodded, still feeling a sense of unease. Something about the man had set her on edge, but she couldn't place what it was.

"We should go," Lily said, breaking the silence. "It's not safe here."

Mia nodded in agreement, feeling grateful for the sense of normalcy that came with Lily's presence. She followed her friend out of the alleyway and back onto the main street.

As they walked, Mia couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. She turned around, scanning the streets for anything out of the ordinary, but everything seemed normal.

"It's just my imagination," she told herself.

But then she saw him again. The man in the hat and coat, standing on the other side of the street, watching them. Mia felt a chill run down her spine at the sight of him.

"Lily, do you see him?" Mia whispered, pointing towards the man.

Lily turned, following Mia's gaze. "Who is he?"

"I don't know," Mia admitted, feeling a sense of unease growing inside her. "But I don't like the way he's looking at us."

Without another word, Lily took Mia's hand and led her down a side street. Mia glanced behind her, but the man was nowhere to be seen.

By the time they reached Lily's house, Mia had almost forgotten about the man in the hat. But as she said goodbye to her friend and walked home, she couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.

When she got home, Mia's mother was waiting for her, a worried look on her face. "Where have you been?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

Mia told her mother about her encounter with the men in the alleyway and how they were saved by the mysterious man in the hat. But she didn't mention her unease at the sight of him watching them from across the street.

Her mother listened, her face growing more and more alarmed as Mia spoke. "We need to call the police," she said firmly. "This is getting out of hand."

Mia nodded, feeling a sense of relief at the thought of getting the authorities involved. But even as she lay in bed that night, she couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.