Atlanta

The last thing I needed was any drama.

Things had been hectic at the shop today, stuff getting stolen, cheeky customers, threats. Nothing you can't expect from the shitty little town like mine, of course. So I wasn't so much taken aback by that, more so the fact that an old flame had appeared, threatening not me, but my guitar.
My Ebony was more than my baby: I washed and polished and tuned her daily, when I wasn't strumming away. Most of the time I didn't know what I was playing, just some little tune that my mind had created. But anyone touched my guitar and they were in trouble. Everyone knew that.

I winced as I remembered how Harry described his slow torture of Ebony to practically force me to sell him a Fender amp for half the price. Thankfully my job and conscience had been at peace once more when my boss stepped in and gave Harry a good talking to. And now that i've had time to mull over it all, i'm even more terrified. He knows wiere I live, doesn't he? He won't touch her, will he?

Thinking about my flat, I have bills to pay. Electricity. Dani and I use way too much of it, but we do what we do. As long as we pay it, the landlord doesn't mind. Dani had been out visiting a friend, and was due to arrive home just minutes before me. At least there's something to look forward to at the end of the day.

I reached the foot of the bridge, a mental connotation that I was nearly home. Sighing breathilly and pulling my coat tighter around me, I continued to trod down the street, ignoring everything around me and only thinking about the lovely big cup of coffee I had planned.

Of course, that moment when I saw Harry that night, that changed everything. No more electricity bills, no more nice cups of coffee in front of the TV. Only survival.

*

I was just walking off the foot of the bridge when I noticed him. Harry. Cocky as usual.

"Are you stalking me?" I asked him dryly, and Johnny Cash slowly quitened as I removed an earphone.

"Yeah, like i'd want to stalk you." We were gradually approaching each other, but I knew it'd only be seconds before we passed, so I continued on my steady pace.

"Just stay away from me and my guitar, okay?" He gave me a dark look, before chuckling to himself.

"You know I just did that to make your day as uncomfortable and frustrating as possible." I didn't even turn around as I continued walking away.

"Luckilly for me, this day is over, all that's left is relaxing, and absoloutely no you. So i'm actually quite looking forward to tonight." I paused, expecting a response. Usually I would pray for silences like these, since I didn't have to hear his droning, monotonic voice go on and on, but in this freezing cold dark night, another voice was comforting. "And don't bother coming tomorrow. I'm not working." I called out, a little louder. Still no reply.

Confused and a little nervous, I slowed to a stop, and slowly piveted around to see where he was. I didn't expect for him to be directly in front of me, so naturally when his body crashed into mine, I let out a shrill scream.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!? I told-" I pulled away, ready to crack him directly in the cheekbone, but his face cut me off short like a knife through the heart. He was petrified. I had seen Harry angry, and I had occasionally seen him when he was a little frightened, but nothing compared to this. He looked like he was about to cry. "What-?"

"Don't...go...over there. The path, the bridge don't. Please don't." He stammered over his words, seemingly forgetting who and where he was, just too completely absorbed in the events of the last couple of seconds.

"Why not?" I asked trying not to let my guard down, but I couldn't help a little fear creep up my spine and into my neck.

"They're...they-they're-the....they're coming. No, they're here." He was gripping my hands. terrified, I held onto them tighter and tried to calm my breathing. Whatever he was talking about was near. Very near. I was about to ask what he had saw when I saw it - the twitch in his frown. He was begging to smile. The fear washed out immediately, and I gripped him tighter, more for his pain than my comfort.

"Oh are they now?" Harry let one last inch of a smile, before bursting into a fit of unecessary laughter.

"Did you see your face?" I glared at him before walking on. I continued on in the silence, furious with Harry. I tried to continue with my thoughts, but I was cut off yet again by a distressed but manly sounding scream. I instinctively stopped in my tracks, a tingle of fear rippling across my skin, but once I had time to collect my thoughts I concluded that it was probably just Harry being an asshole again. It wasn't until I heard the snarl that it didn't seem like an act anymore.

"Harry?" I called out as I turned around to face the direction he had left in. He let out another cry for help as I locked eyes with him. I was about to question him, when I noticed the blood dripping from his arm. Slowly, I followed the trail of blood to his shoulder, where a massive chunk had been ripped out. Feeling all the blood drain from my body and my eyes widen further than physically possible, I struggled to find words; I could merely gape and point at the horrific sight before me. It was the thing behind him that finally elicited any noise from me.

A scream echoed through the streets for miles, and then it was two. After a few seconds to regain a grip of reality, I realised that I was on my side, propped up by my hands, and the scream came from my own mouth. I watched in terror as the creature sunk its teeth into Harry's back, and ripped it out, like it was meat it had been craving all its life. With another scream and a flood of tears, I stumbled to my feet, and clutched my head. Not knowing what to do. My head darted from side to side, searching for something, anything. I didn't want to be the only human here. Looking back over to Harry, who was now on the ground, I tried to piece together what it could, and I was hit with an epiphany. I knew what was going on. I knew what that thing was.

Feeling adrenaline pound through my veins, I pulled my coat tighter around me, and set off in the opposite direction, as far away from the cries of pain as possible, and closer to the place I had to be.