[Ongoing] A collection of unsettling or unusual short stories. Some have monsters, some have humor, some draw tears, some make you think, and some have artwork. Each is a revealing glance of someone's life.
Every writer has their own methods of comi...
Original story below, but you can find a revamped version in my collection "The Fall of Souls: and six other twisted stories about unlikable people", available on Amazon!
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There she stood, alone, clutching her purse close to her body as she craned her neck, searching the dark for the bus that never ran on schedule.
I walked up, giving her a slick smile. "Hey, baby, need a ride?"
She didn't reply, but she squared her shoulders and clenched her jaw.
"The bus doesn't come this late, but I'll drive a pretty thing like you anywhere you want."
She remained tense and silent, her gaze focused on the far end of the street.
I leaned sideways to catch her eye. "C'mon, baby, smile for me. I won't bite."
She reached into her purse and I stepped back. I hadn't yet forgotten the sting of pepper spray. She pulled out her phone and I sighed in relief.
"You want my number?" I asked with a dry smirk.
She turned her back on me and began walking away, her phone to her ear, and I followed. "Hey! You're just going to ignore me? I'm trying to be nice here!"
She walked faster, her heels wobbling over the cracks in the sidewalk as her voice echoed down the empty street. Whether she was really talking to someone or pretending, it didn't matter. I matched her pace, keeping myself between her and the road as I eyed the narrow alleyway coming up.
"You know, you shouldn't be out here dressed like that," I said, closing in on her. "Gives people the wrong impression. Or are you a tease?"
I reached out to grab her, but she managed to dodge me as she ran. Cursing, I gave chase, only to skid to a halt a few seconds later when she flung herself at a man who had just turned the corner. He seemed as startled as I was as she wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered something in his ear, but then he hugged her back and glared at me.
"Have you been bothering my girl?" he asked.
I shook my head and stepped back. They didn't know each other, but that didn't matter. Tall, muscular, clean-cut, and oozing wholesomeness, he was everything I wasn't. He was tailor-made to play the knight in shining armor, the hero that rescues poor damsels and whisks them away.
The woman shot me a cold glance as the man put his arm around her shoulders and led her away. Once they turned the corner, I tilted my chin up in determination, vowing that this would be the last time I let myself be humiliated this way.
The night was young at my former favorite haunt, and I ignored the drunk dancers, pulsating music, and heavy miasma of sweat, alcohol, and cologne as I made my way to the back. I knocked five times upon an unassuming door, then I took a deep breath before I knocked twice and twice more.
