If Roses Weren't Red

Chapter 1

Just down the street was a bar, a nightclub frequented by every gang, biker or criminal in town. During the day, old couples strolled down the street, the bakeries were full of people and teens would flood the clothing stores but, when the sun started setting, after 6pm, the streets became full of other type of people, far more dangerous and vicious people. Unfortunately, my shop closed at 7pm, so I always got out at 7.30pm and had to walk towards my car, parked just down the street. Yes, I was a lucky woman.

Despite those facts, I had lost my fear of walking in the dark alone since I had been doing it for over three years and nothing had happened to me, yet.

When my clock on the wall striked 7pm, I turned the sign from 'Open' to 'Closed' and prepared myself to go home, craving a few more hours of sleep. I finished putting the books in the shelves, turned off the computer and went to the little room behind the counter, where I had my coat and purse.

Closing the front door, I shivered when the cold February's breeze kissed my skin and tightened my long black coat against my body. Tired, cold and in seriously need of sleep, I quickened my step as I walked down the street towards my car. As usual, there they were.

Right in front of the bar "Nightly Sins", was a group of five men, five very dangerous men. They were well known in the city, all part of some kind of gang and had been meeting there, in front of the bar’s door and surrounded by their expensive cars, since I had started working in the bookstore. I should be scared but I wasn't because not once had they approached or talked to me. Staring was all they ever did, well, not all of them, but one, in particular, always seemed to watch my every move. Every night. I always saw them at night, so I couldn't quite tell how they looked, but I could say that he was tall, well over 6 feet, and that he was big and, when I said big, I was referring to very wide shoulders and the rippling cords of muscles that filled his arms, that I could see even in the dark night. Threatening, all of their postures said, dangerous.

Averting my eyes from them, I felt their eyes on me as I continued walking down the street, finally reaching my car. Seeing my old black Toyota Corolla was a relief as I, even used to their stares, always got nervous with their penetrating gazes, specially because I didn’t know why would they stare at me so openly. Quickly, I got in and started the engine, driving towards my small apartment, only a few blocks away.

As I owned a store that didn't make that much money at the end of the month due to the lack of clientele, my financial situation was mediocre, translating into an apartment of the size of a shoe box, mac and cheese or a soup every almost every night for dinner and I didn't even have the luxury of call the plumber to fix my bathroom's water heater. That meant warm/cold water showers for another month.

Sighing, I entered the crappy elevator and reached the second floor of my crappy building, walking past the other three doors on my floor. A yawn escaped my lips as I opened my door, not even bothering to turn on the lights. I walked past the tiny livingroom, dropping my jacket on the couch and laying my low heeled shoes on the floor, starting to undress as I strolled towards the bedroom. Even in the dark, I saw my two white couches, placed around a small coffee table, a dark blue rug, a few paintings and fotos in the walls, a tv in front of the couches and a few bookcases. Right across the living room was my kitchenette, all in white tiles and black cabinets.

Another yawn got away as I undressed my dark jeans and wool crimson turtleneck.Only in my dark blue set of underwear, I searched for my flannel pajamas in my wardrobe, still with all the lights turned off. Finding the white and grey pajamas, I went straight to bed, so tired that I even skipped dinner, completely and utterly exhausted.

The moment I laid on my bed, nestling under the warm covers and my head touched the soft pillow, I was out like a light.

Beep, beep, beep.