The girl who saves werewolves

9. Empty lot

The shoe.

An uncomfortable feeling started to overtake me. My legs turned heavy and my head light.

The man was carrying the woman's missing shoe. And the way he walked, told me he was not looking for her to just return it to her, like in an "Oh, excuse me, miss. You seemed to have dropped this," polite way. No, no, no... His hand in tight fist was a clear sign he was not a gentleman.

I started to follow him but kept my distance. I don't know if he knew where the woman was, but he didn't hesitate or look around. He stopped at the red light. I watched as he lifted his chin and inhaled. Then exhaled. Maybe he was trying to calm himself, I guessed. No one breathed like that. When the light changed he kept walking with that same determination in his steps. He passed a playground. I tried to keep up with his fast pace but made sure not to get too close.  He walked all the way to Van Sinderen Avenue before he stopped again. And again he did that chin up and inhale-exhale thing. It did not calm him down. He let out a weird sound from somewhere deep in his chest. Like a growl. Steroids? That sound was not normal.

The man started running. I followed though I did not like the dark area. There was a giant metal structure above me with train tracks. There were no lights under the train tracks. I ignored my heart, which had somehow jumped to my throat. I kept running hoping and praying he wouldn't stop in this darkness and do something to me.  He didn't.

Maybe he didn't realize there was someone following him - or he didn't care. Never once did he turn to look at me. Finally the I was no longer under the train tracks, but there still wasn't much light. Only half-empty parking lots and old brick buildings with closed offices. I was relieved when the big intersection with heavenly light appeared. This time the man did not stop at the red light. He ran straight across East New York Avenue ignoring the cars. I stopped but made sure to keep my eyes on him. He ran to the small oneway Williams Avenue.

The light was still red, but I nervously questioned my decision not to cross. I could lose him.

"So what?" I said out loud. I could just walk back to the subway station and forget I ever saw an angry man running through Brooklyn streets with a woman's shoe. And the woman happened to be on a subway looking strange. Hair messy, shirt stretched to its limits and missing a shoe. I could go back. Besides, what could I do? He looked like a navy seal on steroids!

Greenlight.

I could still see him. But not for long.

Maybe the whole Alex thing and travel the world without money idea weren't little bumps on the road to my perfect and logical future. Maybe I was the bump. I ran across the street.  The man didn't go far on Williams Avenue. Between a red brick building with a huge black carriage door and a light brown building with "Best service auto body" written on with big faded red letters, was an empty lot. The entrance was blocked with a plywood wall that had a chain-link fence gate. But you could not see through it for a green tarp had been attached to it with cable ties. The wall and the gate were tall, like maybe 10 feet tall. But that was not an issue, as the man took a few steps back to get enough speed. He ran towards the gate and with a swift bouncy movement, his hands were on top of the gate. He swang his body over the gate. All this in just a second or two.

What. The. Hell.

I didn't feel like running anymore, but I forced my legs to move. I shouldn't have left the train. I shouldn't have followed the man. I shouldn't have crossed that street. I shouldn't have stood there staring at that green tarp. I was so close I could've touched it with my fingertips.

I heard footsteps behind it. They were getting closer to the gate. Before I had time to do or think, something flew over me and landed with a thud. I turned on my heels. And saw the woman from the train. Her eyes darted at me and her lips parted.

"Shit," she whispered. "Hide behind the cars."

There were parked cars on both sides of the street and when I heard someone else's footsteps behind the gate, I was not about to argue with the woman. I picked the closest car, but before I was able to get even two steps towards it, the man jumped over the gate and landed so close to me that he knocked me off my feet. My head bumped against the side of the car and my vision went black for a moment. But only for a brief moment. When it came back I was alone, on my fours and could see as the woman ran like a wind and the man was right behind her. They disappeared behind the corner.

"Ouch!" I moaned. I touched my forehead. I didn't feel any moisture, so I figured I wasn't bleeding. But there would be a huge bump tomorrow. Perfect. Just perfect. I tried to get up but felt dizzy. I sat down and leaned against the car.

No good deed goes unpunished. I burst out laughing. I should've listen to that green skinned witch on Broadway tonight as she sang her heart out.

I don't know how, but somehow I did manage to get to my hostel that night. I took an aspirin and fell asleep after wondering what had happened at that empty lot.