I nodded. “I will.”
“Good night, Scarlett.” He beamed at me.
“Good night, Ethan,” I replied in the same soft tone.
And with that, we both went our separate ways.
The city was quiet at this ungodly hour as I strolled down the lonely streets, heels clicking against the pavement. My hands were buried in the pockets of my leather jacket, the moonlight silvering everything in its path.
I had my headphones strapped on while descending the gentle slope. The gentle breeze was cool against my skin, the music in my ears silencing the world around me.
This was my street, and I’d been walking down this path every night for the past few years now. The neighborhood was peaceful, and I’d never had any reason to fear for my safety. Never.
I thought tonight would be just like every other night—that I would tread this lonely road in the cover of darkness and still return home safe and sound.
I was wrong.
At first, it was just a feeling, a prickle at the back of my neck—like a signal—one that I chose to ignore. Then it transformed to something more sinister, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being followed.
I could’ve ignored it too until I heard the sound of a twig snapping behind me. I took off my headphones and turned around—to my surprise, there was no one there. My eyes squinted, a whisper wondering whether or not I had heard what I thought I heard.
I clasped the headphones back on and continued my journey. However, I didn’t walk for long before I heard footstepsbehind me. I thought it was just some random person walking the same path as me. But soon enough, I realized that every time I took a turn, this figure would follow me.
To test my theory, I stopped in my tracks, hoping they’d move past me.
They didn’t.
I picked up my pace again, and they did the same, the footsteps pounding against the pavement.
I stopped abruptly, and so did the footsteps behind me.
What the fuck?
At this point, my heart began hammering in my chest, and I was too afraid to look back. So, I kept going, gradually increasing my pace. To my shock, the faster I moved, the heavier and closer their footsteps became.
Holy shit!
Somehow, I summoned the courage to glance over my shoulder, and that’s when I saw two hefty figures rushing to catch up with me.
My heart sank into my stomach, and without thinking twice, I bolted. I could hear the heavy footsteps as they chased after me. I flicked off my heels and ran barefoot, my breath coming in ragged gasps.
“Help!” I screamed. “Somebody, help!”
No answer.
The only sound other than my voice was their footsteps catching up behind me.
I had no idea who those guys were or what they wanted from me, but I wasn’t going to slow down at all.
The wind brushed against my face as I ran like my life depended on it—because it did.
Running was much easier after I ditched the heels, and although shards of glass and other sharp objects on the pavement pierced my feet, I refused to slow down.
I screamed when a black van screeched to a halt in front of me. Two masked men hopped out of the vehicle and grabbed me by the arm. Reflexively, I kicked one in the nuts and scratched the other in the face. My nails dug into his flesh, peeling off as much skin as I could.
However, before I could take two more steps forward, a huge hand covered my mouth and nose from behind. I inhaled the intoxicating scent from the cloth, and within seconds, my vision blurred. My legs turned to jelly, my body felt weak, and the world around me began to swirl.
My kidnappers’ voices echoed in my ears as my hands fell to my sides, and I was whisked into the air.
