the streets alone at night.
The park wasn’t much, it was an old, neglected thing, but it always managed to calm her. The quiet here. The deep shadows from lack of lighting since most of the bulbs in the lamps had burnt out a long time ago. No one came here anymore, which was a shame, Stella thought, her eyes seeing quite well in the dark, seeing what the place once was - an oasis. A playground for children, but now the slide and climbing frames were either rusty or rotting away, more danger than fun. Trees and brushes grew wildly, without a guiding hand; dead leaves and rodents being the only visitors here.
Walking now at a leisurely pace and not hurried anymore, Stella took in the trees, the wind rustling in them and drank in the lonely, forsaken atmosphere. Could she end up like that, forgotten in the darkness, if her friends should one day stop seeing her moods as funny but find them downright odd? Yes, Stella thought, loneliness stabbing her, which for once wasn’t pleasant or welcome at all.
When she reached the entrance of the park that would lead her back to the city lights, the hinges of the gate squeaked sharply in the air as if threatening to close her in forever. Rushing through it, Stella looked back at it, inwardly shaking her head at herself. It was just an old rusty gate, for God’s sake.
Turning around, she stifled a yelp. A dark figure stood in her way. Her heart a drum in her chest, Stella gulped, swallowing the scream that had threatened to escape, and wondered whether she shouldn’t have let it loose. Though who would have heard her? Or who would have helped her, to be more exact?
Looking away and down, Stella tried to turn as casually as she could, never letting the guy out of her peripheral vision. Only to find another one had snuck up on her from behind.
Shitshitshit .
Both wore dark clothes, hoodies pulled into their faces. Shitshitshit.
Her pepper spray! Thank God and Bianca, she had taken it with her.
Her brain instantly analyzed. Two guys, one of them bigger than the other, broader, more mass. She figured she would just have to mace the leaner one and try to outrun the other. Sounded easy, but probably wasn’t.
And then everything went fast, and yet it felt as if it took ages. Every move, every thought took too long. Her left hand was still tugged into the pocket of her sweater, with the mace. For a fleeting second she chastised herself, wishing her right hand was stuck in there. Praying that the movements weren’t visible, that the shadows would help her hide them, she pried the cap off and gripped the can tightly in her hand, without ever leaving the guys out of her sight.
What if she didn’t pull out the spray fast enough? What if it didn’t work? There should have been no time and no place for doubts, but they existed in a world beyond laws and logic, and threatened to swamp her. Her blood was rushing in her ears, her breath felt too hard in her lungs.
Now or never.
Ripping her hand out of the pocket of her sweater Stella maced the lean one, while covering her own eyes with her elbow. He screamed.
But it was no human sound.
The can dropped to the ground. But instead of running as fast as she could the way she had planned, terror froze her in place. And then she was knocked to the ground by the other guy. Kicking and fighting with all that she had she tried to get away, but he was too strong and soon he was on top of her, pinning her down.
It was then she got a good look at him , and this time Stella did scream.
The light of a street lamp nearby was enough to show her what the hoodie had hidden so far – the face of a monster. Staring into the eyes of a lizard, as cold and sharp and alien, Stella’s brain analyzed what was in front of her and at the same time rejected it with all its might. The skin was an unnatural mix of orange and black, and scaly. Parts of it seemed to move with every breath the thing took through its flat nose, the two barely visible black slits.
The park wasn’t much, it was an old, neglected thing, but it always managed to calm her. The quiet here. The deep shadows from lack of lighting since most of the bulbs in the lamps had burnt out a long time ago. No one came here anymore, which was a shame, Stella thought, her eyes seeing quite well in the dark, seeing what the place once was - an oasis. A playground for children, but now the slide and climbing frames were either rusty or rotting away, more danger than fun. Trees and brushes grew wildly, without a guiding hand; dead leaves and rodents being the only visitors here.
Walking now at a leisurely pace and not hurried anymore, Stella took in the trees, the wind rustling in them and drank in the lonely, forsaken atmosphere. Could she end up like that, forgotten in the darkness, if her friends should one day stop seeing her moods as funny but find them downright odd? Yes, Stella thought, loneliness stabbing her, which for once wasn’t pleasant or welcome at all.
When she reached the entrance of the park that would lead her back to the city lights, the hinges of the gate squeaked sharply in the air as if threatening to close her in forever. Rushing through it, Stella looked back at it, inwardly shaking her head at herself. It was just an old rusty gate, for God’s sake.
Turning around, she stifled a yelp. A dark figure stood in her way. Her heart a drum in her chest, Stella gulped, swallowing the scream that had threatened to escape, and wondered whether she shouldn’t have let it loose. Though who would have heard her? Or who would have helped her, to be more exact?
Looking away and down, Stella tried to turn as casually as she could, never letting the guy out of her peripheral vision. Only to find another one had snuck up on her from behind.
Shitshitshit .
Both wore dark clothes, hoodies pulled into their faces. Shitshitshit.
Her pepper spray! Thank God and Bianca, she had taken it with her.
Her brain instantly analyzed. Two guys, one of them bigger than the other, broader, more mass. She figured she would just have to mace the leaner one and try to outrun the other. Sounded easy, but probably wasn’t.
And then everything went fast, and yet it felt as if it took ages. Every move, every thought took too long. Her left hand was still tugged into the pocket of her sweater, with the mace. For a fleeting second she chastised herself, wishing her right hand was stuck in there. Praying that the movements weren’t visible, that the shadows would help her hide them, she pried the cap off and gripped the can tightly in her hand, without ever leaving the guys out of her sight.
What if she didn’t pull out the spray fast enough? What if it didn’t work? There should have been no time and no place for doubts, but they existed in a world beyond laws and logic, and threatened to swamp her. Her blood was rushing in her ears, her breath felt too hard in her lungs.
Now or never.
Ripping her hand out of the pocket of her sweater Stella maced the lean one, while covering her own eyes with her elbow. He screamed.
But it was no human sound.
The can dropped to the ground. But instead of running as fast as she could the way she had planned, terror froze her in place. And then she was knocked to the ground by the other guy. Kicking and fighting with all that she had she tried to get away, but he was too strong and soon he was on top of her, pinning her down.
It was then she got a good look at him , and this time Stella did scream.
The light of a street lamp nearby was enough to show her what the hoodie had hidden so far – the face of a monster. Staring into the eyes of a lizard, as cold and sharp and alien, Stella’s brain analyzed what was in front of her and at the same time rejected it with all its might. The skin was an unnatural mix of orange and black, and scaly. Parts of it seemed to move with every breath the thing took through its flat nose, the two barely visible black slits.
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