I Can't Save You From Yourself

The sunset was situated in the west. I walked in the shadows of the buildings up the block to Main Street. Most of the buildings here were old apartments, chipping brick exterior. I walked past them quickly in attempt to avoid attention. But these neon green leggings were begging to be gawked at because of their color. It wasn't long before I regretted them.

I had been to the book store a few times (Okay... Hundreds of times) during my entire time of living in Rodeo. I have actually became pretty good friends with the shop keeper Mr. Prim.

I walked up the street. Seeing the store in the distance. One more block. My mom wouldn't be happy about my going out alone after dark. Which is probably why I won't tell her, I walked up the rest of this block and pulled open the door with a light chime and greeted Mr. Prim on my way to the classics selection.

I was in awe, as I am every time I am in this store. All the books with ancient fonts reading their titles. Binders of ever color lined up along six shelves. So many books, I had read a lot of them already. But still I saw a few I'd never read. Like Flowers in the Attic. I brushed my fingers across the binder. It was smooth and cool. As if I'd been expecting anything different. I smiled to myself and looked through more.

Fifteen minutes and at least twenty different test reads later, I settled for a copy of the 'Wizard of Oz'
I went and paid for it.

“Sure is dark out.” Mr. Prim commented as he rang up my book. I looked at him and then out the big windows at the front of his shop. It was indeed dark out. Eery even, on this road, from here to my house, their are only a handful of street lights. It is very dark out the whole way. I shivered at the thought of being out there alone in less than a few minutes.

“Hmm, yes. It uh, it is.” I replied while still looking out the dark windows.

“Have a nice night.” he warned. Also implying to me to be careful on my way home. I had decide to walk because it had been so nice. But sunshine does not last forever and that heavy reality just set in...

I nodded and exchanged the same words before picking up my book and grudgingly going out the front door. It was dark out, down the long empty street, I could only see three street lights right now. All spread out very spaciously, allowing several yards of gloomy darkness between. Dark alleys all the way home were wedged between the ageless apartments. The upscale rich life isn't in this section of Rodeo. Rodeo is actually a very small town, but still, it's big enough for the big shot Barbies to wedge themselves into.

I ran a nervous hand through my hair. As brown as it looked, it was freaking red in sunlight. I began walking towards the sidewalk that would wind a full four blocks before it took me home. I knew that there were a few alley ways on the way there to cut my trip in half. And I was kind of desperate to get home. Because as seconds passed, I became anxious.

I began walking. The sound of my boot tread scuffing against the cement was the only sounds besides the distant sounds of dog barks, train horns at Christie Road, and other sounds I couldn't identify. I shivered and rubbed my arms, scolding myself mentally for not bringing a jacket, then again I thought I'd be home before the sun even finished setting and I hadn't expected to spend a good half hour at the book store...

I had began to hum quietly, a thing I do when I'm nervous or anxious to calm myself. I was walking, humming the Beatles Let it Be when I began to hear more boots scraping besides my own. I began to walk quieter without stopping completely, I tossed a glance over my shoulder and saw a single bulky shadow. I blinked twice and it was still there, walking through the darkness. There were no street lights on the side of the street I was walking on, so I prayed he couldn't see me, and was already making plans to turn off into the next alley and cut my way home.

I saw the opening to the alley in the shadows ten yards ahead. I took a deep calming breath and tried to get myself to focus. I dusted a strand of brown hair that had escaped my bun off my forehead.

I was closer, and when I finally approached it, I ducked in it and quickly darted to the other end. I ran out the end and slammed into something hard. I stumbled back, realizing how soft the object had actually been but it was too dark to see much in the alley way. I stumbled back into the gritty brick wall and looked up to see a tall stocky figure, whom in the dim light was very muscular and was wearing a jean jacket with cutoff sleeves. 

“I'm sorry.” I murmured out loud in apology.

“Don't worry about it.” he laughed. A sinister, musical laugh.

I nodded slowly “Where are you going?” he asked lowly as if he were afraid that someone would hear.

“Home.” I said warily while looking up at him, carefully calculating in my head how far I could run if I kicked him now.

“And where is home?” he grinned seductively in the darkness. I already felt a tight twist in my stomach and didn't want to tell him. I don't even know him. And for the second time that day, my mouth lashed out at someone.

“None of your fucking business.” I growled.

But he just laughed his musical laugh. “Haha, actually it is my business that beautiful girls like yourself get home safely.” he explained while extending an arm and picked up a strand of my hair and wrapped it absentmindedly around his finger.

I jerked back and glared up at him. He just smiled apologetically as I turned to walk away from him, keeping a careful eye on him as I moved away. I listened for footstep of pursuit as I walked briskly down the street, none came. I kept moving, darting into another alley to end up on my original street. When I'd get there, I just run for home, maybe make a loop around the neighborhood before going inside.

I emerged under a streetlight, moths beat against the bulb above, the ambient tapping noise echoing in the empty street. I was also met with the low thudding of footfalls.

I stopped in dead in my tracks.

“Hi, again.” the voice laughed, emerging from the darkness behind me.

I couldn't even squeak in fear. I was frozen. All that rage I'd had when beating up Conner was gone... Into thin air I now felt totally weak. I wouldn't be able to fight them, or even be able to hope for the chance too. They had me cornered like a animal. I could turn and run, but really? How far would I actually get before one of them snags my bun, yanks me back and slits my throat? I don't even know them, but I know them well enough to make assumptions.

Well, the way they were sauntering towards me told me that I had no other options. I turned and I fucking ran. I fucking ran for my goddamned life.

I focused on where I was going. And I was running, not for home. Not for the bookstore, because I didn't want to put Mr. Prim in danger. I sprinted for the 'other side of the tracks', as everyone called it. The lesser known, lesser loved side of Rodeo.

I ran, aware of how close to the bay I was getting because of the salty cool smell in the air and the fog rolling off the water, gathering in the empty streets like an old horror movie, chasing shivers up my spine. I turned sharply at the next corner and kept running though the pain from each time my feet connected with the hard cement seemed to vibrate my bones as I put another block down between us.

Suddenly I stopped and I looked around myself, I had no idea where I was. Just that the fog from the bay was filling up across the street, making it harder to see and easier to suspect that lamp posts were people in the night. My eyes were playing tricks on me. My heart raced loudly in my chest and I couldn't concentrate on running. No matter where I ran, it'd be a lot better than here. I was becoming incredibly anxious and looked all around me with the skittering of pebbles across the asphalt of the street was the only sound.

I was freaking out, the sound was leisurely. But as I listened, they were definitely approaching.
I was looking over my shoulder when I slammed sharply into the wall of the warehouse behind me. I stayed quiet though. A sharp pain in the side of my head and in my shoulder.

“Haha, where you going to run?” the deep voice laughed at me. Laughing because he'd found me, because he'd caught and cornered me, with nowhere to escape, nowhere to run, and no one to protect me.

My eyes were wide with fear and somehow my heart was racing more now. I had no time to judge what was going on around me as I got shoved to the dirty ground in a alley way. His dark silhouette above me. I stumbled backwards, trying to get away. Trying to do anything to stay alive, to put distance between us. But he had planned this well... It was a dead end at the end of the alley. So unless I was magically Catwoman and could climb my way out of here, I was stuck.

I had a lot of fear built up just then, only for it to all be heightened by a sharp punch in the face, followed by a crackle of laughter, from more than one person. That sent me sprawling across the cold ground on my stomach, a sharp cry escaped my lips as he knelt over me. Pulling out a knife and dragging the blade playfully up and down my forearm. Dark chuckles escaped him as he decided exactly how to kill me. 

I kicked him away when he was about to plunge the blade into my arm. I squirmed until I was right up against the wall. I had nothing to fight back and defend myself with. Just this book gripped tightly between my white knuckles in terror. He growled and was on his feet in a blink of a eye. He charged me and slammed me harder into the wall, I felt like from the impact, I could have faded right into the bricks. A sharp shriek of pain came from me when I felt the blade, plunge in, not deep, but enough for a pain cry of agony to tear from my chest. Then followed by pained sobs, I stumbled forward, trying to keep my head, to not let the crazy bloodlust make me feel hopeless. I reached out, trying to grip something to keep from falling down. I merely glanced down to see the red gash across my ribs. I felt like I was going to be sick. I was grabbed once more and slammed into the wall for what I prayed would be the final time. I closed my eyes tightly. Expecting more pain, expecting this to be the end, an end... When I heard a familiar voice.

“Get the hell away from her!”