The streets were silent, my footsteps slapping loudly enough on the concrete sidewalk to make me cringe. It was Friday and I had just gotten out of my English night class. No one was out at this time of night, other than the few students I passed who also had lectures and classes to attend. I usually took the short route home through the parking lot and across the mess hall to get to my dorm, but tonight I had decided to try something different by taking the long, scenic route through the park.
I breathed deeply and stared out across the soccor field to my right. I had been so focused on watching the goal net blowing in the slight breeze that I hadn't seen the tall man I had bumped into. "Oh, I'm sorry," I said, glancing up at him.
He turned too quickly for me to catch sight of his face, but he gave a low chuckle.
Rather than asking him what the hell he was laughing at, I stepped around him and continued walking, shaking off the eery chills that stranger had given me. I was almost successful in distracting myself from the man when I became concious of a pair of footsteps behind mine a few minutes later.
I faltered in my walking, but refused to turn around. Was it that man? What did he want? I forced myself to continue heading home, then glanced nonchalantly behind me, faking a look at the library to my left. There was nothing there.
You're just being paranoid! Just keep going and don't pay attention to it. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief after firmly convincing myself I was imagining things.
I was trailing my hand along the top of the waist-high wall encircling the chemistry labs when I walked directly into someone else. "I'm sorry, this seems to be happening a lot to me tonight and-" the words ceased to come out of my mouth as the identity of the man in front of me sunk in.
I hadn't seen his face last time, but I was sure this was the same man I had run into earlier. He had the same thick-set shoulders, hooded jacket, and abnormal height. His face was pale, eyes a strange golden brown color, not quite the same as my own hazel eyes.
I staggered backward a step. The sharp features of this man exuded something almost predatory.
He grinned and moved forward, gripping my arm harshly. I let loose a scream and hit out at him as he lowered his face to my neck. I assumed he was trying to rape me, but when he sniffed delicately, then licked out hungrily at the skin of my throat, I felt almost completely certain he was going to bite me.
I threw myself at him with everything I had, kicking, slapping, punching, clawing, but nothing helped. His impossibly strong hands flexed and effectively immobilized me. Just as his teeth were beginning to brush the top layer of my skin, he was yanked away, flying backward a few feet and landing on his back.
Without his hardened grip on me, I fell back on the concrete, sitting up. What in the hell had just happened? I cast around frantically. Had something even worse come to take out the original threat?
Out of the darkness came a man of African descent, dark skin and black leather trenchcoat helping him to blend into the night. And it was no wonder he would want to travel inconspicuously; he had a minimum of 8 pounds of various weaponry strapped to him by leather belts, holsters, and harnesses. Black sunglasses concealed his eyes and tattoos formed a pattern on the lower half of the back of his head.
His combat boots gave a thud-crunch and the leather of his coat scraped against the sidewalk as he walked nonchalantly toward the man on his back.
I stared, horrified, as he unhesitatingly ripped a sword from his back and leveled the blade at the man's throat. Though I was mortified and confused and disgusted, I couldn't look away as he decapitated my attacker.
I don't remember it clearly (my vision and conciousness were beginning to waver), but I must've made some noise; the dark man's attention was brought to me immediately. He straightened up, put his weapon away, and began walking in my direction.
I was too shocked to move and too weak with dizziness besides, though I wanted to scamper backwards in what I knew would be a futile attempt to escape. I thought, for a moment, he might walk past me, but he dropped into a crouch next to me.
Instead of cringing away like my instincts were telling me to, my eyes widened in fright. He put a finger to his lips and shushed me. That was the last thing I remember before I passed out on the side of a darkened road with a menacing stranger.
