January 12, 1967 - New York - Going To Janet's
I stayed there for a fleeting moment, staring at the step Donna had just been, before turning on my heel and bolting into the street. "I'm dead," I whispered. "Absolutely dead. Oh God, Irene. Think!"
I walked down the crowded sidewalk. People slid by me like water, and the cars that zoomed in the street puffed exhaust that hung in the air. With a sigh, I picked up my pace and jogged to the end of the block where I stopped and scoped the area.
"Even if I do go home, I'll be in a ton of trouble." I frowned at the thought of the trouble and then shook my head to clear the thoughts away. "Janet lives only a few blocks away, I could call my mother there, tell her I'm spending the night. She can't say no to that, even if it's a school night," I thought aloud, already making my way to my friend's house. "Janet won't even mind me coming over, her mother loves me...Yes, that's the perfect choice." I sighed making my way across the busy street. I walked halfway down the block and then stopped in front of an alley way. "Question is," I whispered to myself, looking at the dark alley, "do I take a short cut through here, or walk around?" I snickered at the fact I even considered it, and made my way through the alley. "Nothing bad's going to happen to me. I'm just a random kid walking through a dark alley way. I'm not valuable. No one's going to mess with me," I muttered, reassuring myself and resisting the urge to move my eyes from any place but in front of me.
Unsurprisingly, the temperature seemed to drop in the alley way, and a stale, prominent smell of garbage and waste lingered in the air, burning my nostrils. It was dark, even though bright lights shined in on both sides. It was a typical, creepy alley. The alley was big enough that I could extend both of my arms and not hit the nasty walls. I walked back into the light of the street, and was a few feet from stepping out of the alley when a voice startled me. "You," it snarled.
"Darn it," I mumbled. I glanced back before I turned around. I thought about just walking away, but the sight of a man made me stay. He was short and blonde. He had dirty, pale skin that was wrinkled with stress and scars and wore thin cloth clothing. He must have been freezing. "I'm so sorry, sir," I said, my voice soft, "but I'm kind of in a hurry here..." I was about to offer him my jacket, but he moved faster than I though possible and grabbed my arm. I snapped my mouth shut, and winced at his tight hold. His grip was surprisingly strong even though the man looked weak.
"This is my alley way," he said. His voice resembled one of a madman. The man's dark eyes looked back and fourth between me and the well lit street. "What are you doing walking in it at this time of night?" I didn't answer. He shook me and gritted his teeth. "Why's a child walkin 'round in my alley?"
I looked at the man, trying to figure him out. Was he on drugs?
"I was just trying to get home, sir," I whispered, afraid that if I raised my voice the man might do something regrettable.
"Home? Where have you been all day, kid?" I flinched at this words, and my nose wrinkled at the smell of his horrid breath when he leaned closer to my face. His voice got louder. "Do you know what I have to do with you now?!" He gave me a dark look and his eyes narrowed in on me.
I gulped, finding that I couldn't seem to look away from his eyes. His mad, dark eyes.
"It's your fault I have to kill you."
I felt my mouth drop open, and I sputtered to say something. "Kill me?" I exclaimed. I felt my eyes crinkle with panic and my breathing picked up. What the hell?! "What the hell is wrong with you?" I grabbed my arm and tried to pull it from his grasp, but he was stronger than he looked. I let out a pained gasp when he tightened his grip on my arm. "Let me go!" I hissed. I glared at him, but I was more panicked than angry, so I made more of a pained face.
"I can't," he whispered, more to himself than me. He didn't even acknowledge my attempts at escaping and instead, looked around the dark alley; it was as if he was looking for something. His face slid into one of confusion as he continued to look around, dragging me away from the street and deeper into the alley. I struggled, but my efforts where in vain. "I can't let you go, kid. I'm sorry..."
"Help!" I screamed, looking at the people who passed by. They all seemed so wrapped up in their own lives that they didn't notice me or my screaming. "Help! Please! Someone!"
"They can't see you," the man said. "Not now that I've got a hold of you."
My face scrunched up into something ugly. "What are you, some sort of magical ghost?" I spat, mocking him. I looked over at the people in the street and, again, yelled for help.
"No." The man laughed. It was a sickening sound. "Ghosts aren't real, and I'm very real. Only problem is that people don't care 'bout you. Not that I've got you, you're gone." The man smiled proudly showing off his brown teeth. I cringed. "I just need my...fix, and the boss only pays in blood." He looked around again, his eyes brows scrunching up.
I turned to look at the man, and then shook my head. "You're crazy." I shin kicked the man, and let out a disbelieving laugh as he let go of my arm like it burned him. His mouth opened in a shout, but, without another thought, I threw my hand out and punched the man straight in the jaw. Fearing the worst, I turned and ran out of the alley into the crowd of people.
And I, being the idiot I am, bolted through traffic and to the other side of the street, not caring about all of the horns honking at me and the insults. My breathes were coming out as pants even though I hadn't run far, and I turned around to see if the man had followed me, but there was no sign of him.
It was like he vanished.
Against my better judgement, I let out a laugh. He was gone. I was safe.
With a deep breath, I turned around, ready to hustle it to Janet's, but as soon as I did, I ran full force into someone. I let out a yelp as I flew back, and a waterfall of papers came raining down on me. I let out a worried groan as my hands instantly started picking up papers. "Are you alright?" I asked the man sitting across from me.
He was short, I noticed. He was also covered in clothes that looked too thin to provide any warmth, and messy red hair that stood up on his head in every which had blue eyes that were narrowed into slits as he glared at me. Even if he was small, he wasn't scrawny like the man in the alley. I could tell there was muscle under his shirt. He had a shadow of facial hair on the lower half of his face. I flinched away from his menacing look, but continued to pick up papers. His blue eyes were bright with annoyance.
Don't offer him your jacket. "Sir?" The man was on his knees now, and he snatched the papers away from me.
"Don't need help," he growled. He picked the rest of the papers up with shaking hands and I stood up, offering him my hand.
"I'm so sorry," I said. He glared at my hand as if he were insulted and stood up on his own. "I should have been looking where I was going..." I trailed off as the man walked by me, only grunting in response. At his lack of manners, the regret in my stomach turned into anger. "Well screw you, too! Least you could do is say something!" I was going to flick him off, but I decided not to give this prick another moment of my precious life. I whirled around and stomped off in the direction of Janet's house.
Little did I know that as I fumed away like a child, the man had leaned down to pick up a brown, worn wallet. My wallet. The man sighed, annoyed, and turned around to find me gone. He frowned, and for a moment wondered if he should just take it, but decided against it. He let out another huff of annoyance, but then looked away from my wallet to see me stomping away a little ways ahead of him. Seeing me, he began to follow.