lot better if you’d let me walk you the rest of the way.” He looked around again, almost like he was trying to catch the scent of something. “You never know what might be out there.”
“You mean who, don’t you?” Anne asked.
“Hmm?” he said looking back at her as if he had forgotten she was there.
“You said what might be out there, you did mean who, right?” she replied with a smile.
He smiled back. “Yeah, right—who. You never know who might be out on a night like this: axe murderers, demonic clowns, overachieving students who don’t watch where they are going. Could be dangerous.”
“Hey,” she reached out and punched his arm (very firm indeed), “I am not an overachiever.”
He let out a little laugh, but then sobered up. “Seriously, I know that you don’t know me, but I really would feel better if you weren’t out here all alone. I won’t walk too close if it makes you feel better.”
He definitely seemed sincere. Anne’s heart had resumed normal rhythms by now and she had always considered herself a fairly good judge of character. Besides, if he had wanted to do anything to her why wait? This street was no more or less secluded than the rest of her walk and it was, after all, just a few more blocks.
“Okay,” she replied tentatively, “but let me find my pepper spray first,” she smiled, “just in case.”
He smiled back. “Of course.”
Anne tried to ignore how nice that smile seemed as she turned to scan the grass for the tiny bottle. She pulled out her cell phone, the screen giving off a surprisingly bright, if rather narrow light.
“Here, let me help you,” he said, coming around to the other side of the sidewalk.
Click!
Anne spun around and her heart began to beat madly again as flickering orange light bathed the sidewalk and surrounding grass. The man was leaning over the stretch of grass nearest the curb, a silver lighter in his right hand.
“Here it is,” he said standing up, “must have bounced a bit.” He reached out his left hand, offering the small black bottle to her. She didn’t move.
“What is that?” she demanded.
The man gave her a puzzled look. “It’s your pepper spray...isn’t it?”
“Not that,” she huffed, “in your other hand.”
He looked confusedly at her. “It’s a Zippo; you know, a lighter.” He flicked the wrist of his right hand and the flame was extinguished.
Clack.
Darkness reasserted itself around them, the stranger’s features now obscured by the shadow of the trees. He stood there, not advancing, still holding out her bottle of pepper spray. She reached out and snatched it from him, turning the tiny bottle towards him.
Idly, in what might have been a nervous habit, he flicked the lighter open and close again.
Click, clack.
“What are playing at?” she asked, her breath now ragged as if she had been running. “Why were you following me?”
“What are you talking about?” he asked gently, not moving in the slightest, the lighter now silent in his hand. “I was just out walking. You ran into me, remember.”
“I heard you, before,” she said, panic making her voice shrill, “the noise of your lighter: first behind me and then in front of me. How long have you been following me?”
“Look,” he said with quiet calm, “I admit that I wasn’t exactly walking around in a straight line, but I didn’t know anyone else was out here. I promise I was not following you. Besides, if I were following you, why would I have let you hear me in the first place?”
“I don’t know,” hysteria trumped logic in her frantic mind, “maybe it’s all part of your sick game. Well, it’s over now, unless you like the taste of pepper!” Anne winced, in her head that had sounded a lot more intimidating.
“I don’t want to scare you” he continued, his voice still calm, “I just want to make sure you get home safely. You have no idea what is out there tonight.”
“Again with the what: so much for the non-psycho speak.” She chanced a quick look; now that her eyes had re-acclimated to the dark she could see that the path was clear. “I’m going home and you’re going to stay right where you’re at. If you take one step closer I will scream so loud that everyone within three blocks will wake up and then we can discuss what’s out there with the cops.” She took a tentative step back and he made no move to stop her.
“Please, it’s really not safe,” he said, looking imploringly at her.
“Yeah, it will be as soon as I get away from you.” And with that, she took off in a run.
At the corner Anne ignored the crosswalk and ran to the opposite side, not that there would be any traffic in this part of town at this time of night. She stopped her running as she turned the corner; past the big hedge that lined the old Victorian house. Surreptitiously, she peered around the hedge row, back toward the spot she had run into the stranger. He was still standing there, just as she had left him. Although she knew he couldn’t see her in the shadow of the hedges, she had the odd feeling that he was still looking at her with those imploring eyes. She waited until she had her breath back, a few minutes, and he had still not moved an inch. Maybe the threat of the police had scared him. He probably has a record, she thought, hysteria welling up again, or maybe he’s an escaped con. Well, either way, he wasn’t making any move to follow her; if she hurried she could get home and be inside before he changed his mind.
Anne took off in a quiet jog, occasionally throwing furtive glances behind her. Her backpack seemed to have doubled in weight and she belatedly wished she had brought along fewer books, not to mention her laptop, which wasn’t one of those newer, paper-thin models. Anne desperately wanted to be at her apartment, safe behind a locked door. It was only two more blocks to her building and then she could rest. Looking up she could see the abandoned school, home was just on the other side.
In fact, she thought quickly, I don’t even need to go around; I could take the short cut through the alley. Right past the old playground of the old school was an L-shaped alley that was formed between the main school complex itself and an outbuilding that had been built later. She usually didn’t use the short cut at night, the alley had no light of its own, so once past the aging security lamp overlooking the playground it was just too reckless, not to mention creepy.
As a rule Anne avoided pitch dark alleys at night, where anyone could be waiting to jump you, but as rule she also avoided being stalked by psychopaths, so it seemed like a rule-breaking kind of night. Besides, a quick trip through the spooky alley would save her the time it would take to go around the school. Her apartment building was just on the other side and—she thought with a quick look behind her—the stranger probably didn’t know about this short cut.
That thought alone decided it for her and she hurried across the street, heading toward the chain fence surrounding the old playground.
The light from the ancient security lamp, fixed high up on a telephone pole, seemed more subdued than she remembered. Although there were no trees here to block the light, at least the street lamps had been bright. The gravel path running along the chain link fence crunched noisily under her feet, the only other sound coming from the quiet creaking of the rusty swings, swaying in the light breeze. As she rounded past the corner of the fence she couldn’t help but notice the shadows playing on the old brick of the outbuilding: from the lightly swaying swings behind her, as well as her own slowly walking form. In the dim light they seemed oddly distorted, even sinister. It’s just your nerves, she resolutely told herself but quickened on, turning to face the alleyway. She stopped, hoping her eyes would adjust even more, but the alley still seemed unbelievably gloomy, especially down at the bend. With the wan light behind her she could just make out the old boxes and other debris that lined the alley. As usual it was mostly pushed to the side and as far as she could tell the center was reasonably clear. At least I have the security lamp, she thought, without its faint light she probably wouldn’t be ab
le to see anything at all.
As if waiting for that very thought, the security light blinked out. The alley was plunged into inky darkness.
Anne felt as if her heart had stopped beating. After what seemed like an eternity she realized that, yes, her heart was indeed beating (and very quickly at that) it was just that she had forgotten to breathe. She gasped in a lungful of air, silently willing her heart to calm down yet again and fished into her pocket for her cell phone. Once again she illuminated the ground before her with the slim beam. She thought that the light would be brighter here in the total darkness, but instead it also seemed pale and dim.
Just your imagination, she told herself with little conviction, it’s just a short way through and then you’ll be home! Grasping what little resolve she had left, she began to walk slowly down the alley. Why had she taken this stupid short cut; at this rate it would have been quicker to have taken the long way! Sweeping the phone’s light around to be certain of obstacles she started down the alley.
Crunch!
The gravel walkway; someone was there, probably him! Anne quickly closed her phone and pressed herself against the wall of the alley. Although there was no direct light now that the security lamp was out, the playground area was still fairly clear from the ambient illumination of the distant street lamps. She scanned the vicinity: nothing! All she could see were shadows, but