|[Warning]|
|This story contains violence|
It was around 1 am, I was out on a midnight walk and had some spare change on me, so I decided to stop by a gas station and get myself something to drink.
The intense light poured through the glass doors, I had to let my eyes adjust as I walked inside.
A short woman with white hair greeted me from behind the counter. "A lovely night for a run."
I didn't respond, just smiled and walked back to the refrigerators to browse my options.
I heard a door open and then slowly shut again, as the woman said the same thing, "A lovely night for a run."
With peaked curiosity I looked back towards the entrance to see a large hooded figure facing the woman. They appeared to have nodded at her words and then walked back and stood just a few feet away from me.
The stranger was wearing a black hoodie and jeans. They had their hands tucked inti the pocket, and the hood up, hiding their face.
I had become extremely anxious and I quickly opened one of the doors, grabbed a can, and went back up to the counter. I handed the woman my drink and pulled out some money setting it on the counter.
I looked back to where the stranger was standing. They hadn't moved. I don't know what it was about that stranger, but my panic hadn't subsided.
I told the woman to keep the change as I grabbed the drink and headed for the exit.
I began to push open the door as I looked back at the stranger again. They were looking straight at me now, and I could see the were wearing a white mask. I froze in panic.
The masked stranger pulled out a gun and pointed it directly at me. They pulled the trigger instantly but only a small 'click' came.
The stranger looked at the gun, and in a panic I looked toward the counter to see that the woman was gone. I quickly ran out the door, and heard what I can only imagine was the gun hitting the tiled floor of the gas station.
They began chasing me.
I could hear their heavy feet hitting the asphalt alond with my own.
The lady's words started filling my head.
"A lovely night for a run."
Her words ran repeatedly through my head as I ran down empty streets.
I couldn't see anything, it was pitch black. I looked behind me, the masked figure was right behind me. I felt my heart pounding in my chest.
I tripped.
I felt my body hit the freezing concrete. I started to get back up, but I felt the pressure of the stranger grabbing my shoulder as they pushed me over onto my back.
I tried to stand up again but I qas pressed firmly to the ice cold ground beneath us.
The stranger lifted a large pocket knife above me, slamming it down into my stomach and yanking it back out.
My eyes began to water, I pressed my hands against the wound and all I could feel was the warm blood leaving my body.
I could feel everything. I was forcefully pressed to the ground. No matter how hard I pushed, I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I looked passed the stranger with blurry vision, and from what I could see, the sky was clear and bright.
She was right.
It was a lovely night.
