The Encounter

I was walking home after a long, stressful day of work. I looked at my phone to check the time, it was 10:48pm. I sighed, 'another overtime with no extra pay' I thought.
I turned the corner into an alley, one I take on a regular basis, but this time there was something... off about it. I felt as if someone was watching me. I shrugged off the feeling and continued walking. A terrible decision.
As I walked, the shadows on the walls danced eerily. The cold, November wind blew against my skin making me shiver and tighten my coat. My stomach did a backflip as my eyes darted around. At least the full moon peeking through the clouds gave me some light.
Aside from all of these things, I kept walking. I thought about waltzing through my front door, being greeted by the warm air, slipping off my shoes and flopping onto the couch. I sighed happily, "almost home..."
I kept walking.
I was caught off guard when everything suddenly went dark. I looked up and there was no moon. Instead, it was hidden behind a dark cloud. I kept walking despite this.
Aside from there being almost no light, the shadows on the wall grew bigger and their dancing became more wild. I just kept walking, brushing it off as a trick of the mind.
I thought about home, about drinking hot chocolate with caramel and double whipped cream while soaking in a warm bath. I kept walking.
I started hearing the crunch of dead leaves under someone's feet. I stopped for a moment, thinking they must be my feet since no one else was around and it was too dark to see what I was stepping on. The crunching stopped. Pleased with the response, I kept walking.
The crunching noise seemed to go away, which I found strange but soon ignored the thought, thinking I probably just passed the pile of leaves I was stepping on. The crunching noise soon came back though, and this time I was getting paranoid. I tried walking around whatever pile of leaves there was to see if it really was me stepping on them. The crunching didn't stop, even after I did. My breathing faltered.
The clouds parted, letting the moonlight shine through again. I slowly turned around, expecting the worst. Was a man following me home? How long had he been there? We're there rats running under my feet? My heart skipped a beat. I finally laid eyes on... my shadow? That was it? I looked down, there were no leaves anywhere. What was making that crunching sound?
As I stood there questioning what little sanity I had left, I noticed the shadows on the wall were becoming more pronounced. It almost seemed as if they were growing and changing into human silhouettes.
I turned my attention back to my own shadow, but this time, it wasn't my shadow I was looking at. It was one of a girl. She looked to be young, probably still in grade school. Her long hair seemed to flow in the wind, whereas mine was short and motionless.
I just stood there, frozen with fear. I could hear a muffled sound coming from the shadow. It got louder. I could make out the words, "come... me... save... you." The voice became louder and the words more clear. "Come with me, I'll save you from this wretched world."
I had a million questions running through my head, which was thumping loudly. All I could hear was the girls voice. "I'll save you from this harsh reality"
The shadow became more than just a silhouette. It changed into a full on person, just, made out of darkness. She offered her hand to me. I knew I shouldn't take it, but there was something about her that was drawing me in. I couldn't control my own body. I reached out my hand, about to take hers when I heard something. No, not something, someone.
It was Dan, one of my coworkers! And he was coming toward me! He had something in his hand.
He finally reached me and bent over, panting from the run. "Lillian, you forgot your scarf" he said once he regained proper breathing. He held out his hand revealing my blue satin scarf that I had worn to work that day. I must've forgotten it. Taking it and wrapping it back around my neck, I thanked him. He smiled and nodded in response.
I turned back to where the girl had been standing and, to my relief, she was gone. Only my familiar shadow remained. I released the breath I didn't even realize I was holding. My coworker looked at me and raised a hand to my shoulder, "are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." I didn't know how to respond to that. I just smiled reassuringly, thanked him again for the scarf, and continued my way back to my house.
Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if my coworker didn't show up, if I took that demon girl's hand. I think if I hadn't forgotten my scarf, I could be dead right now or worse. I have my forgetfulness to thank for how that day ended, ironically. I never did see that girl again. But sometimes, in the middle of the night, when the full moon is high in the sky, I can still hear the distant crunch of autumn leaves and a voice whisper in my ear, "come with me."