She fell down my rabbit hole. Or rather, I pushed...
Bella walked down the alleyway, hands pushed into her pockets. Dear lord, she thought, it's damn cold out here tonight. Her breath came out in puffs and her heels did nothing to keep her feet warm. Nor did they make for an inconspicous passing. The importuning tap tap of her feet made her want to take the shoes off, but she didn't. She couldn't afford to stop. No. It would only take another five minutes to get to her hotel. She would stop there.
Why the hell did she have to follow the damn phone? Fast, yes, but it lead her on an odyssey of uncertainess. Why was the street so empty? Bella had just been on a busy street but the next one over was a silence that only came from hell.
Bella shivered. Think of something else. Her concert had gone well. The violin they lent her was a pretty little songbird, bending at will. The faces of audience didn't seem particularly impressed, but they gave her a standing ovation anyways. What was a standing ovation worth anyways? Bella wanted to be good enough to inspire shock. She wanted them to be unsure of what to do when they heard her last note. She wanted silence.
A left turn. Bella halted. This street was even more menacing than the one previous. The street lamps were off.
Her hotel was definitely not that way, it was in a better part of town. Bella scrolled the map, wondering why the same names yeilded different results. No, the street was the same.
Christ, it's gotten even colder. Bella could only be glad that she didn't have an instrument on her. It would be hell to tune when she got back to the hotel.
Onward? Or back to the busy street for directions? The blue pin on her screen seemed final, correct. Bella reloaded the map.
Tap. Tap.
Soft steps from shoes that weren't hers. Bella ignored, stepping to the side while staring intently at her phone.
Bella looked up finally when she realized that the stranger had not moved.
"You lost?"
Oddly enough, it was Bella trying to lend a helping hand. Not him.
"No, it was my impression that you were."
Tall. Dressed nicely. Bella couldn't see very well in the dark. She laughed nervously.
"Is it obvious," asked Bella.
"A young woman traversing the very wrong side of the tracks." The stranger smiled, showing off a lovely smile.
"I was just on Harrison, I can't be that far away." Bella finally put the phone away into her pocket.
"Harrison is on the other side of the city."
Bella's heart sank. What? Was she delusional now too?
"Is your name Bella Swan?"
The suspicion set in, a cold hand clawing at her throat.
"And if it is?"
"I just saw your concert. Your playing is the best I've heard in centuries."
Bella peered up at the man's face. He looked to be not much older than she was. Bella accepted the comment.
"Centuries, huh?"
"Centuries." The tone was flat and convinced. A level of sincerity that Bella was thrown off by.
"Can you help me get back to Harrison? I'm staying near there."
The man shifted on his feet, leaning towards her. Bella heard him inhale slowly.
"I can. The real question here is whether I want to."
Bella backed away, feeling the edges of the trap.
"Thank you for your help."
Bella's senses finally decided to warn her of danger. The fear trickled down her spine, cold and all consuming. She had tested the waters, but the process ended in her fall.
She reached for her phone, but a gloved had grabbed her wrist. The phone was chucked into the ever-darkening darkness. A hand came over her mouth.
A silent scuffle.
A silence that could only have come from hell.
My lullaby is the only one she will hear tonight.
Thank you for reading.
First story ever! yay
Thoughts?
M.E.
