The blonde woman sauntered out of the bar, having changed out of her uniform. She was just a waitress for now, but she hoped the next time auditions and interviews came around, she'd get picked to be one of "the girls". Social hierarchy dictated the hostess girls sat on top, the waitresses sat at the very bottom, next to the janitors.
And I'm too fuckin' pretty to be a janitor, she thought as she walked down the street, smelling like cloves and dark liquor. She heard foot steps behind her,turning to see a man in a suit. He'd been walking behind her for some time now, and she wondered if he followed her from the club.I f it was man from the club, he was too drunk to do anything .
Either that or the girls milked him for everything in his wallet. Maybe he meant to rob her. She wasn't particularly afraid.
Besides, She flicked the switch on her taser, if he tries any shit...I'll zap him to kingdom come.
Rain began to fall, but she was safe under the canopies of the various shops. At least till she got to the train station. It was 4am, so it'd be empty, but Charles worked tonight. If this bozo really was stalking her, Charles would kick his ass and throw him onto the tracks.
The streets were silent, only the clacking of her heels could be heard. She turned her head slightly, to see the man had fallen pretty far behind.
"Hmm...maybe he's not a creep after all," she said to herself. The rain began to pour down harder, and she flipped her hood up.
As she moved forward, however, she heard him pick up the pace. She turned again, to see him running at her. He didn't have an umbrella, and from the look she'd got at him earlier, his suit was expensive. His dress shoes sunk into the puddles, splashing loudly as he ran, but he didn't seem to notice.
She fought down the nervous butterflies that had begun to batter the insides of her ribs and her entrails, turning to walk at the same steady space. Taser in hand, she ignored her thumping heart as it came to match the steady run of the man. She heard him cross the street, no more than maybe a block behind her. She picked up the pace, to a fast trot, keeping her head down.
"If this is some joke, it's far from funny!" she yelled. Behind her, she heard a laugh. It was deep and rich, echoing around her.
It had sounded so close...too close.
Heart racing, she turned, and he was no more than a few strides away. Her eyes widened in fear.
How has he gotten so close?! He was a lot further away not but a second ago?!
And he was still laughing, red eyes gleaming.
She didn't think, her heart leaping into her throat. She just ran, her shoes flying as she stepped out of them. The train station was close, she could make it if she ran fast enough.
She ran, heart racing. She prayed those endurance classes she'd paid for paid off. She flew down the street and took a sharp left, and as she ran through the cross walk, she could see the man had stopped on the other side. He was no longer laughing, but the ghost of a smile grazed his thin lips.
She still ran, fear telling her she needed to get to the Metro and to make it quick. She ran another block, down the stairs of the metro. She saw Charlie in his booth, eyes wide as he looked at her soaked form. She stopped, chest vibrating with every beat of her heart.
"What the hell happened to you?" he asked, signaling for her to come close. She sighed, hitting herself on the forehead. Safe now, she tucked her weapon into her purse.
"Some creep followed me home from work," she said, half-laughing as Charlie put a hand to his chest. He opened the door of his booth, walking around the back.
"You're a mess, let me take you to the terminal at least. If you see the guy, I'll blow his kneecaps out, mmkay?" He grabbed her hand, walking hurriedly down the flights of stairs, and helping her over the turnstiles.
"You're train'll be here soon, so we must hurry." she smiled, picking up her speed. They ran some more stairs, and they stood at the terminal, as the train rumbled in the dark.
"I was being so stupid. I could have zapped him and been done with. The fucker's gone now, and if I'd stopped to deal with him, I would've missed my ride," they laughed, and the woman smiled. She hugged him, and he hugged back despite her wet coat. Beside them, the train was coming to a stop, and the door to train car opened.
"Just stay out of trouble from now on. Get some pepper spray, a taser is much too risky, calls for small range of distance. I'll tell Rick about your stalker so he can be on the lookout tomorrow. Goodnight!" he waved, and the woman got on the empty car train. She sat by the door. Leaning her ruined hair against the window, she sighed, relieved to be safe and on her way home.
She remembered she'd forgotten to feed her cat, and she knew that the little animal was vindictive.
The little prick's probably pissed on everything, she groaned. The lights above her flickered, which was normal, but it made her skin crawl. She felt herself shaking, as the train moved smoothly through the tunnel. She focused on her reflection in the glass across from her, breathing deeply to calm herself.
"You're overreacting babe, calm down," she said, closing her eyes as she tried to slow her beating heart. She inhaled, exhaled, breathed in again, and then breathed out. The buzzing of flickering lights kept going.
"Be calm," she chanted, over and over. After a few minutes, she felt her heart stilling, and her muscles relaxing. She sighed, lips curling into a smile.
"That's a good girl, shhh..." a baritone voice echoed through the train car. It jolted her eyes open, to see the same man from earlier, nose to nose with her. He had an insane smile of his face, all spittle and fangs, like a rabid dog.
Before she could move to pull her taser out, his mouth opened wide, wider than anything she'd seen. Too terrified to scream, she sat frozen.
The mouth closed around her head in an instant, her bag dropping to the floor.
Note: No, our OC has not been eaten.