Run like hell, I told myself.
I looked back once to find him just walking and tossing that same damned knife. One wrong move and it could be in my lungs.
Keep moving.
I only had one goal. To live.
I crossed the busy street recklessly and the cars started honking crazily at me.
"Watch where you're going you dumb slut!" a man yelled from a car.
I had no time to apologise or even really to flip him off. I had to keep my head straight, but when I heard a loud crash and multiple car alarms go off, I turned.
It was that man who just called me a slut. I stopped and looked in his car's sideview mirror from afar.
A knife was stuck in his neck.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
The killer, who blended in with the night, got on the cars and held up one finger.
One minute.
When he hopped off the car, he left a dent on the roof of the vehicle, continuing to follow me.
Oh damn, he's a heavy one.
No chances and no turning back, I kept repeating to myself.
I trusted no dead ends and definitely not those 'asking for death' alleys.
I pushed past tons of people but one strong man grabbed hold of me. He smelt like tobacco and straight shit, "Where are you off to tonight, little one?"
Before I could cuss the man out, I heard a large screeching sound.
One long knife scraping against steel.
My time was up.
I tried to kick the man in the balls but he caught my knee, "Let me go bitchass!!"
"Whoa whoa now, young lady, you're coming with me," he lifted me over his shoulder and I bit and scratched until he fell, but not to me.
I screamed. The blood gushed out of his neck and onto my dress.
To him.
It was pure horror in my vision and I did my best to hold in my gag reflexes, swaying from left to right as I tried to stand.
God, please throw a blessing this way. Even if it's an accident, I'll praise you for it.
•••
I ended up finding a vacant road by a river and slowed down, heaving. I was going to throw up all that liquor I chugged down.
Before I could hold onto the rail and puke into the beautiful body of water, a familiar wind came from behind me.
The man appeared in front of me, standing on the rail to block my view of the river. Everything was just black.
Keeping his boots balanced on the bar of the small fence, he squatted down and clasped his hands together, looking down at me.
I was scared I'd be too weak to push him in my sorry state, and he looked too strong for a simple budge, so I stayed put, holding in a scream.
The moon shining over him gave him a vibrancy I had never known before.
A necklace fell out into view from the neck of his shirt. A mini item attached to the end of the chain.
A compass?...No...A clock.
"Spare me..." my voice cried out of nowhere.
He said nothing. He never spoke. A sound never once left his lips.
"Please, I'll give you my body. Do you need money, what do you nee-"
He put both of his hands up. All fingers. Ten.
Ten seconds, minutes, hours, days?
Ten what?!
"My time..." I managed to whisper just as an explosion was going off in my mind.
"Can I buy my time?"
The gem on his necklace began to light up, and for the first time, he spoke.
"I don't know. Can you?"