My Sin City

Emily*** Sarah and I walked the pathway home after long hours at work. It became a rule that all females took the morning and late afternoon shifts and left the night shifts for the boys. Not in all forms though, we were lucky to have been employed by this particular one. A nice firm it is. With 15 girls in a year, everyone had become more than alert. No trace, no evidence, no footprints. Just like they had vanished into thin air. The police were ridiculed by this person, man or woman. Even top investigators were lost at this. Me, I think it’s a man, only those creatures are wicked enough, but I never voice my fears lest I attract anything. Except for my boyfriend, he was the cutest. “Emily!” My best friend called out, startling me, “Did you hear anything I said? You make me feel like a blabbermouth” she said frowning. I only had to make a face, and I sent Sophia laughing loudly, she was an easy girl. I loved her dearly. After my parents, she came next. “I said, Phill asked me out yesterday, and I haven’t given any reply. I really don’t know what to say, he good….” She let her voice trail away. I could read her mind, her thoughts. Phill was a good person but didn’t really look attractive. We glanced at each other and laughed all the more. Friendship of 18 years and it was still thriving. We couldn’t have done life without each other. We were practically sisters. People do mistake us for being in a relationship with each other. That is how close we are. The thought of losing her to the mystery sent a shiver coursing through my body. I shook my head slightly, and I felt her soft hands on my shoulders. “I’ve been having dreams too, but nothing would happen as long as we’re with each other. Worse still we get taken together.” And we both laughed though not like the hearty one. I was grateful, we didn’t need words to communicate. Before Sophia went into her own apartment, we hugged each other. “Tomorrow by 6, same place,” she said and smiled. “Goodnight love,” I replied, waving until she was out of sight. My house was just a few blocks away. With Sarah, I wasn’t scared, but now I was alone, the shiver came back again. I kept glancing over my shoulder. My heart thudded like it’d explode from my body soon. He first targets his victim, giving them a “be careful” signal first, before attacking. That was how we got to know the signal. The sound of his metal bar scrapping against the metal floor. And when his a few distance away, he stamps it twice on the ground. Like some kind of ritual. “Emily stop!” I cautioned myself, I wasn’t doing myself any good. Good God. You know that feeling you get when you know someone is watching and your skin pricks? That was clearly what I felt. I felt eyes burrowing into my soul. I didn’t know if it was my heart beating or I was making up the sound, but I knew I picked up something. And soon the noise was all around me, surrounding me. It took me a while to realize it was my phone ringing. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding in and made a mental to change my ringtone to something less scary! It was my babe, Jason. “Boo boo bear, tell me your home,” we all shared the same fears, but you couldn’t blame us. The night swallowed girls like me without any trace. “Yes,” I answered unlocking the door, the skin pricking was still there, but being on the phone with my boyfriend calmed me a bit. For some reason, maybe fear, my hands were shaking and I couldn’t get my door unlocked. “Babe, I’ll call you later, let me get settled down…. Love you too,” the call ended and I dropped the bags I was holding. It wasn’t late night yet, but it was already getting dark. And though people still crossed the roads it didn’t guarantee any safety. I wanted to be in the comfort of my bed, waiting for my boyfriend to get home. Were my keys changed? I struggled unusually long to get the door unlocked but it wasn’t bulging. I started getting paranoid. There wasn’t any reason for alarm, yet. I tried and tried and soon I was breathing heavily, my head felt dizzy. I turned to face people strolling down the road but didn’t know who to trust, the face of the mysterious person hadn’t been revealed yet and this was a too-small reason to call 911. I thought of calling my boyfriend, but I’d scare him, he was too protective. Before he got transferred to a busier section of his work, he always took a leave to take me home and get back to work. Things were different now, and even if I still insisted on calling him, it’d take so long before he got here. I thought of going over to Sophia’s and waiting, but before I’d get there, the night would catch up with me, leaving me at the mercy of anything. “Emily! Get a grip! Get it together and stop whimpering!” I scolded myself cause I needed it. My throat scorched as I struggled to swallow. I felt my lunch churching inside my tummy, threatening to spill out. There was something about fear, being vulnerable that made me throw up. I tried one more time, thinking “This is the last one, after this, I’d skip over to Sophia’s real quickly…” I was already calculating how long it would take me if I took the short routes, though they were emptier and less filled with people, but that would be my last resort. If this tipis door won't budge. Oh! Thank Goodness!” I exhaled as I heard the click of the lock. I bent down to pick up my bags, then I felt before I realized masculine hands gripping me, proceeding to cover my eyes.