“Have a good one,” the young girl working the register says as she hands me my receipt.
“Thanks, you too.” I smile and take the waxy piece of paper, heading towards the door. The bell fixed to it jingles softly as I leave. I reach into my pocket and swap the slip for my phone, checking the time and my messages. 8:30 at night and not a single call or text.
“Next bus is in 15 minutes, I should be able to make it in time.” I mumble and look back and forth between the empty main street and the back alley contemplating which one I should take. Main street would likely be safer but the other is faster. I didn’t tell anyone that I would be out tonight so I opt for faster. Checking for traffic I hustle across the road and into the barely lit alley. A cold wind blows past, catching loose trash like urban tumbleweeds. My shoes on the pavement crunch with every step I take. I look up at the pitch black sky, looking for stars I know I won't find. A loud metallic clattering echoes out in the narrow space, startling me back to reality. My pulse quickens, fear creeps up my spine to my arms, goosebumps start to raise on my flesh. Curiosity winning out over the sense of danger pricking at my instincts as I move toward the sound. I peek around a corner and see a knocked over trash can rolling to collide with the brick building I'm tucked behind. A blur of movement darts out into the middle of the path. A black cat. It stops momentarily to look at me and hisses as it scampers away.
“Just a stray cat, so ridiculous.” Shaking my head I let out the long breath I didn't even realize I'd been holding before continuing on my way. I only make it a few feet from where I saw the cat when I hear a door slam nearby followed by rustling noises. Panic starts to set in and I pick up my pace. The footsteps are growing louder.
“You lost, miss?” A gruff voice calls out.
I quickly glance over my shoulder to see two men slowly step out from a dark intersection. One is a tall, slender man, the other short and burly, both have their faces obscured by worn out baseball caps.
“Fuck.” I whisper, quietly chiding myself for not having stuck to the main roads.
"You're a pretty little thing aren’t ya? We could lend you a hand if you like,” the tall one leers. His voice a high pitched wheeze, it grates on my ears making me shudder. I can feel their eyes examining me from head to toe. Sizing me up, deciding what to do.
Disgusting.
“I’ll pass,” I fiddle with my phone in my jacket praying that I'll get lucky enough to click the number of someone who can help me. I want to run, but I'm having a hard enough time just staying on my feet.
“Come on now, don’t be like that.”
“Why don’t you go fuck off somewhere else,” I turn so I can see them and slowly step backwards.
"Oh, we've got a feisty one here tonight. Why are you in such a rush? Got a hot date?” The short man asks mockingly.
“That’s none of your business,” my hands have started shaking, and the quiet voices at the back of my mind have started to grow, pushing themselves to the forefront of my thoughts. Trying to goad me into doing things I may regret later.
As the men start getting closer, I can make out more of their appearances. Both are dressed in dingy denim jeans covered in holes. Their coats are just as foul looking, with stains splattered all over. Two clicking noises bring my attention back to my precarious situation. The blades of their cheap pocket knives glint in the dim light.
Fear has taken over now, my instincts choosing neither fight or flight. A buzzing sensation flows through me. The voices in my head are screaming, telling me to hurt them, before they can hurt me. I don’t want to, I just want to go home. A sudden piercing pressure in my brain makes me nauseous and dizzy. In a flash the pain is gone, replaced by an all encompassing numbness, my body is frozen in place.
