Second Snapshot (Picture This Sequel: Niall Horan)

-Vexatious encounters. [Chapter 63]

CHAPTER SIXTY THREE- Vexatious encounters.

My breath condensed into a thin vapour warm against the algid air as I exhaled heavily. It slowly faded out, leaving no trace after a few seconds. The tall brick buildings were towering above me, but they were caped in darkness now meaning I could hardly see to the top. It didn’t help that the clouds had accumulated into a thick canopy concealing the sky in a heavy blanket blocking light from the moon and stars. Small chinks of moonlight were occasionally slipping in between the minimal breaks in cloud but otherwise the only light I had was from the city lights in the distance. Since there were no streetlights around this place. I didn’t know where I was, I had obviously took a wrong turn and was now in a part of the city I didn’t know. If it was even a part of the city, I didn’t know either. My knowledge was pretty much limited to it seemed like a dodgy place and I needed to get out ASAP. And obviously being the clumsy and slightly dishevelled person I am or was I didn’t take my phone with me, I was hoping that maybe Louis would walk back and I could somehow find him, but no such luck. I could see nobody, there was nobody around here and it was eerily creepy. My legs were cold merely cloaked in tights that I had ripped a ladder in when passing a hedge and my feet were completely numb with the freezing air. I imagined Niall and the others would be looking for me, considering it had been about three hours since I said I was going to be back. All I wanted was to be back, back into Niall’s arm and the warm yet musky comfort of the flat, but no, I was lost. From experience and being mildly street smart from living in New York I knew that it was not exactly wise for a young girl to be wandering the streets of London alone in the empty parts. I just really hoped there were no gangs around here, like there used to be in some parts of NYC. It was the bleak and hollow truth that I knew way better than to wander the streets alone at night. But it wasn’t exactly like I had a choice, I was lost. Without a phone, and without seeing any kind of humanity in the last two hours.

It was so quiet I was really craving just any kind of noise to fill the unruly silence. But there was none. Apart from the sound of my feet softly massaging against the dusty pavements and rocky alleyways, but that was barely audible, the soles of my shoes were so thin I could feel the benumbed demeanour of the concrete beneath my feet channelling through my bones. A chilly breath of wind shot past me again, it seemed to be getting colder by the minute, and dark, for that matter.

Suddenly the sound of voices lingering in the air filled the silence. I stopped taking a nervous glance around me, but they seemed to be coming from ahead. Furrowing my brow I silently walked forwards a few steps, my footsteps quiet and quaint as I tiptoed along the concrete the voices getting more prominent. It sounded like a lower one responding to a female one, but the gaps between inputs to their murmured and muffled conversations were drawing shorter and filled with eerie silences followed by soft cries that were quickly hushed. I suddenly got the feeling whatever was happening, and whoever’s conversation this was I didn’t want to get involved. After all, this was a risky area. But I had no idea where to go and from trial and error I knew my best bet was forwards, and that meant passing the voices in some way or another. As I kept walking glancing behind me every few seconds they got louder and the sound of something hitting wood of sorts intervened. The voices were still there but they were on occasion now quaintly followed by feeble cries that were shhh’d to a halt. I had a feeling something was going on that would really not be a very good idea for me to get involved in so I started to walk faster almost convincing myself I was being watched, followed even. There was an opening in the buildings the crevice spilling out to be an alleyway. Knowing my past with alleyways I slowed down as I approached it preparing to run across, the noises were a lot louder now, slipping in between the tones of air whipping around the empty buildings. Curling my fingers around the rough surface of the bricks I peered down the alley and instantly snapped myself back behind the wall.