Alyssa glanced up sharply, feeling the sudden absence of a presence. The man was gone, nowhere to be seen. Alyssa silently contemplated whether the man's departure was good or bad thing. After all, it was getting dark out. Would he be waiting for her the moment she set out for home? And if he was, what would he do next? Kidnap her? Kill her? Alyssa took a deep breath and gathered her things, shoving them carelessly into her bag. She'd stick to the main route going home.
-:-
Alyssa stopped momentarily at the grocery store to pick up a few things for her mother. Having lost the grocery list while walking from the park, she chanted the ingredients to herself quietly.
Milk, bread, coffee, lettuce, grapes; milk, bread, coffee, lettuce, grapes; milk, bread, coffee—
"Well, hello there."
Alyssa gasped, and quickly spun around, dropping the milk carton and grapes on the floor. The man from the park was standing behind her, wearing an annoying smirk.
"Are—are you stalking me?" Alyssa asked incredulously.
"More like, let's see, admiring you from afar."
"You were staring at me for an hour straight. That's not 'admiring', that's being a creep."
The man chuckled, "Well aren't you feisty."
"Who are you, anyway?"
"That," he said, grabbing Alyssa's wrist and practically dragging her outside, "is none of you business, missy."