TO LAST A LIFETIME

Flight-Or-Fight

Gennie

I hurried down the long busy lane in an attempt at getting away from all the tourists that'd crowded the small lane. I had to get to the coffee shop as soon as possible, away from the blood-freezing flakes of snow, before the sun went completely down and before I turned a mass of statue in the snow. All I needed right now was a hot cup of coffee and a warm relaxing bath.

New York City was a lot different from Abuja in Nigeria but I think they had some similarities, in a way. The only thing that was completely different was the snow with the extreme cold that stung through my black winter jacket to my bone marrow. How I missed the smell of harmattan.

Finally safe inside the warm coffee shop on the lane, I settled myself comfortably on a seat adjacent to the gigantic Christmas tree which stood out in the neatly decorated shop.

Impatiently drumming my fingertips on the mahogany table, my eyes briefly glanced around the shop, noticing people, mostly Americans chatter as they drank their coffees. I ordered for a freshly brewed chai latte with extra milk and patiently waited for my order to be ready.

By the time the coffee was ready, the sun had completely dipped beneath the horizon, darkness took over the once bright and vibrant sky. The smiling brunette swiped my card. With a satisfied beam, she handed back the card, and off I went with the hot coffee, heading straight back to my hotel, which was only a ten minutes walk.

I walked as fast as possible ignoring the sloshing sound I made with my black winter boots. I turned into the dark alley, hoping to take the shorter route to the hotel.

I looked up at the starless sky and sighed. I sighed once again at the ominous dark alley. My breath was warm when the muffled air was let out from my lungs through my mouth. Smoothing back my dark hair with my left hand, I realized how rough the silky strands were. Too bad they weren't used to extreme temperature.

Walking on, I heard footsteps behind me. Immediately, I turned just in time to see a tall masculine figure zooming up behind me like a hundred feet away. I shrugged, doubling up my steps down the alley, holding on to the warm cup of coffee as my life depended on it.

In a split second, someone grasped my arm from behind, vigorously pulling me hard against the hard wall of the alley, knocking off the coffee from off my hand, sending my heart fluttering. I was alerted, my flight-or-fight hormones kicked in, preparing me for the deadly danger ahead.

I looked up in the dim light to meet two glaring eyes filled with lust and hate. My dry mouth snapped open, about to scream but was nipped off with his thick fingers around my windpipe. I choked and coughed. A knotted ball of fear coiled inside of me like a spring.

At the nearest corner of the alley, three other men approached us. I managed to see one with steel and the other two came closer with weed in their hands.

"Look what we got here!" The man that had me pinned me to the wall said in a raspy voice, with a devilish smirk. His breath stung, I wrinkled my nose at the smell of stale cigarettes mixed with alcohol.

"Oooh! She gotta do us a lotta good tonight Brad!"
Didn't know which one of the three guys said that, but well, maybe the one with dreadlocks.

I blanched. The features on my face were grotesque with terror. Fear gripped me to the marrow replacing the cold and seizing my entire features. I began to wish I never left my hotel room for the tour, I wished I had taken the normal route which was void of danger. But the hell, it was just Seven-fifty pm.

"Whatcha got in this small bag?" One of the hungry-looking guys ripped the bag from around my neck, it hurt but I stifled a moan, it wasn't too wise to arouse a healthy libido in a deserted place like this.