Making Brook's Life

Tsubomi - Masakatsu Takagi

There are dark streets, which are scary, and there are streets with the streetlamps facing the wrong way. Worse still is when said street lamps are not watched by one of the various security cameras the council so caringly placed viewing the bar enterance-overflowing with a heavy bass track-rather than the street itself.  These streets are animated by long shadows and soundtracked by the roaring of traffic not far away, people talking, leaves rustling and the deafening silence of being alone.

Any other person I'm sure would have much appreciated the watchful eye of the cameras on the dwelling of dangerous drunk thugs, but not this girl. Call her selfish but the girl with wild hair and satchel bulging with books was a lot more interested in the ominous street she was walking down than the groans of drunk students falling out of the bar. They weren't a problem. The man in the car was.

She knew the first rule of walking through city's was to always look like you know where you're going, never hesitate or they'll be on to you in no time. It's such a shame that hesitate is exactly what she did.

Unfortunately, it would seem that finding the train station was not as simple as originally anticipated. The slight turn of her head and step backwards was all the man needed to pull over to park just next to where she stood.

"y'allright, love?" (this was Yorkshire there was no existing "Are You" in the local dialect). He looked greasy. Sloppily Sleaked back hair that shone in the orange lamp-light, pasty pale skin, and sunken eyes. 

He could be a Vampire prawling the streets for his next prey.

Or a crackhead kiddy fiddler.

The Girl continued walking. A stag party walked past heading for the bar, roudy and already stinking of alcohol. Their high-spirits weren't a threat but they weren't exactly a comfort in the shadowy street, the concrete walls were so tall towering up above her head, just one more thing to make her feel small. "I SAID: Y'allright, sweetheart?"  the temptation to correct him was rediculous but she just about managed to keep it together.

"Yes. I'm fine thank you."

"You look cold. I'm sure I could keep you-"

"I. Am. Fine."

just a few more steps, than the end of the street.

A car door opened and shut behind her. Foot steps. Out of the corner of her, eye she caught sight of a guitar case.

"Don't worry, my friend's here now!" A quick dash accross the road and she was on the other side. Grabbing the persons hand she looked back over her shoulder at the Car Man. To say he looked bewildered would be-well-wrong. He looked pissed. And he was walking their way.

"What the hell are you doing?" A voice above her asked. She turned and found herself looking into the face of a boy, aged somewhere between late teens and twenty, with dark brown eyes shadowed by eybrows at such an angry angle it was cartoon-like. 

"Hello, Boy, and welcome to the escape the creepy Car Man (who may or may not be an age old vampire) game! All you have to do is have the ability to run." The boy glanced back to the Man who was now getting quite close.

"Well my Mum said I should get fit...This way." They turned and ran.

Hey, look at that, there's a tiny side street. How did I not see that?