Disclaimer: The following character names are changed to protect their identities. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
This is a work of fiction.
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Thank you for reading Anthology of the Dark.
Get cozy. And let us begin.
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It was late. As all nights usually were. I fixed my things, turned of the computer and I waved goodbye to my office mates. I like staying late, I like the peace that you experience at night when everyone else is already home or inside shops and cafes. I don't mind being alone, I love the peace and quiet of it.
My office isn't far from where I live. I'm actually quite fortunate to have found this apartment that's just a few blocks away from my work. I don't need a bicycle or anything to go to work, I just walk and that's it. I like walking. Actually, I like walking and people watching. The neighborhood I live in has a chuck full of interesting shops and people actually swarm those shops and restaurants. It's colorful and bright and happy.
I love my evening walks.
It usually takes me just 20-25 minutes of walking from my apartment to the office building. I have nothing to complain about. So I go about my usual walking route; I go out of the office, turn to the first right corner, head on straight past of the baker's place where I buy my morning bagel and then turn on the next corner past the flower shop and coffee shop with the weird laundry shop which also have a secret bar inside that people love going into, and the turn another corner to this... Hmmm... Well, crap. There's an ongoing construction and there's no way I could walk in there. Probably the water tubes underground again. Yes, I'm definitely not going there because it's already flooding.
Seriously, why do they have to do these fixings at night? Well... Okay then, let's go to on the next route. I back up, turn back to the weird laundry and then turn to the street with the vintage signs who sells all the IG aesthetics clothing and knickknacks. This should take me to the alterna- Oh come on!
"Are you kidding me?" I blurt out in the open. There's another construction in the street. Geez man. I just want to go home. I ask what's up and the construction guy said there's a problem with the pipes so they're also working the whole block. I'm not allowed to pass through even if that route will take me at least 10 minutes closer to my building.
Alright, alright. Can't argue with construction people. So, I check my options. See, If I go the other way, it will take me another 20 minutes of walk just to get to my place. I'm thinking may be I should grab my Chinese noodles if I'm going to walk the long way. I stood there in the side walk thinking... Screw it, Chinese noodles it is.
So I head on to the street where the Chinese takeout is. I tell you, this is the best Chinese takeout in the city! Plus, the owners are very nice couple and their 13 year old kid handles the cashier, I believe she's become a sort of mini celebrity now because of Instagram. Anyway, I got my Chinese takeout noodles (Beef noodles with oyster sauce and buttered brocolli. Yummmmmm.) back to the walk.
I continue to walk and eat and I turn to this other corner and I remembered oh yeah, there's another street here that will cut my walk shorter!
It's not my usual route because this street, well this alley, is rather dark. It's like a whole new area from the usual bright lights with people. This one, this one is quiet. I'd say too quiet and gloomy and the kind of street where you'd probably get mugged or something. I don't see people walking tonight but there are lights along the way and I really just want to go home and hop into the shower. So, I held on my Chinese takeout tight and puffed a breathe of air.
Onward we go.
I walk. I didn't think about anything. Frankly, I'd rather not think about anything because I had just recently saw a horror film and it's still stuck at the back of my head. So, I started humming to myself to distract myself from thinking scary thoughts and focused on eating the remaining noodles and brocolli. I was simply humming random sounds but my heart was pounding a bit fast.
I would've been okay if it hadn't been for that feeling that something is behind me. So I told myself not to look back and keep walking but, of course I couldn't resist. I looked back.
I turned my head slowly, just enough to check if something is behind me from the corner of my eyes. And my eyes had never failed me before, I saw a figure, a shadow of a person on the wall. This is the part where I start to think this is where I'll be mugged and they will have a knife with them and take my bag and takeout and I will die on that street and no one would even know. So, I started brisk walking and would try to catch a glimpse of who is behind me.
I turned my head again and finally saw a girl. Well, not a girl, but a lady. She has long hair that stops on her chest, a mask on and she was wearing a long coat. I felt pretty relieved actually when I saw it was a girl. Okay, don't get me wrong, I don't mean anything by that I just simply meant that it is unusual for a mugger to be a female. However, I do know that sometimes, they could work as a team and there could be other people hiding in this alley just waiting to jump on me.
That, or I'm just panicking too much and she might think I'm being weird or she might also think I could mug her. Which I will never do. So, I continued my walk only this time I'm more comfortable and calmer. I continued eating my takeout. Then, there was a slightly rough shuffling just behind me, I turned around and the lady is now walking past me so I slowed down because I wouldn't want her to think I'm going to mug her. So, I let her walk past me.
I had a great walk that night and I got home and took and shower and slept.
That's what I would like to say... But then I wouldn't end up writing this down here if that were the case. You see, just right after she walked past me, she turned around blocking my way. I stopped. And I thought to myself shit. She's going to call her friends now and I'm going to be surrounded. This, because I chose to walk here in this dark and gloomy alley.
I looked at her. The light behind her made it difficult for me to see her face. She's just standing there. As if she's waiting for me to say something or do something. I don't know what to do. We are both in the middle of a dark alley, she's looking at me and I'm looking at her. I couldn't see her whole face because of the mask but I don't want to go anywhere near her too because she could have a knife somewhere. What is she doing anyway so, breaking the silence I asked "Are you okay?"
She tilted her head to the right and bits of her straight hair went to her cheeks. It's cute, actually. "I'm okay, you?" she said. Her voice was calm and it has that sweet tone to it. Like a girlfriend asking her boyfriend how he is. I'm relieved she could talk. But still, what does she want?
"I'm...Good." then silence again. She still had her head tilted which is now quite unsettling because she's still looking at me and we're still in the alley. "I'm going to go now." I said. As I took a few steps towards her she suddenly blurted out the words.
"Doyouhinkditty" she said
I couldn't understand what she was saying even if I was just a few steps closer to her so all I could muster up was "Sorry?"
"Do you think I'm pretty?"
Hold the phone, is she seriously asking me, a stranger, in the middle of an alley if I think she's pretty?
"I'm sorry," I said in confusion "I don't understand"
"Do you find me pretty?" She asked again
I thought maybe she's a... I'm trying to think of a better word than prostitute but, anyway. "Oh, I'm sorry I'm not interested. I'm just trying to-"
"So, you don't think I'm pretty?"
I thought maybe she wasn't a prostitute after all and I might have offended her. Or maybe, she might be asking me if she was pretty because she wanted to go on a date with me or something, but what a strange way to ask out a person. "No, no!" I just blurted out "I didn't mean to say that. I'm just..."
She moved her head straight and I wondered, what is truly going on here? I don't know what is happening so I looked at her and wondered. Even if I am close to her, I couldn't make out the rest of her face because of the lighting and her mask.
"I'm just wondering," I looked at her and stepped back a little "I don't know. I can't see you clearly because of the light and the mask. Maybe you should step back to the light so I could see you clearly."
"Okay." She said coldly. Suddenly, there's a cold breeze that swept through the alley and some of the lights started flickering. I don't like this. I also felt a shiver down my spine and that fight, flight and freeze response is telling me flight. Flight, run the fuck outta there.
She looked around and stood under the light. I can see her much clearly now, she does have long hair, and her eyes are stunningly deep. I can tell she's got good nose and probably a nice jaw line. It's just the mask that's covering the rest of her face. "Well," she flipped her hair away from her shoulders "What do you think? Do you think I'm pretty?" She smiled, I could tell she's smiling because her mask raised a bit.
But, I still couldn't see her face and for some reason I'm still not okay. My heart is now beating twice as fast as it did before and I'm really not interested to know whether she's pretty or not. I just want to get the fuck out of there. "Maybe? I don't know because I couldn't see your face." I started stepping back ready to make a run for it, away from her and go back to the bright street with no weird people asking whether I find them pretty or not.
"What?" She said, she sounded absolutely confused. "Maybe?" She looked down. It truly bothered her because she just stood there wondering confused with my answer. But even before she could snap out of it, I hightail it out of the alley. I didn't look back. I just ran. Like fuck her and her questions, she's weirding me out and the alley isn't helping as well. She's going to have to find another date. I'm not interested.
Finally! Out on the street with the bright lights and people. I headed straight to the nearest convenience store all out of breath. I didn't care that other people were looking at me, I just knew some how that I'm safer here with the light and people. I really believe I made a good call running away.
One of the teenagers sitting on one of tables called "Hey! Are you okay?" the rest of the kids on that table stared at me "You looked like you've seen a ghost."
"Y-yeah" I puffed "There's this lady on the other alley that's asked me if she's pretty or whatever. I'm like freaked out and ran away from her."
I might've said that a little louder because the rest of the people in the store froze and looked at me in disbelief. I looked back at all of them confused and waiting for an answer.
"What? You... You saw her?" One of the kids in uniform said, brows raised.
"Her? Wha-" It's as if I'm the only one who has no idea what was going on "What do you mean her, I haven't even said what she looked like."
"You don't have to man," the kid with the weird hairdo looked up from his bottled water "Everyone knows what she might look like. We just didn't bother standing around wanting to know."
"I'm confused."
"Clearly." Another one said
"You're not from around here, aren't you?"
"No." I said still confused. Trust me, I'm very confused. Safe but confused.
The tall kid smirked and grabbed his bag, the rest of them followed him. He stopped before leaving the store and placed his hand on my shoulder "I hope you didn't tell her she was pretty or you didn't tell her she wasn't pretty too. Whatever the case is, don't go walking in dark alleys alone man. She preys on men like that."
"What?! Wait hang on a sec---"
"Look," he puffed "did you tell her she was pretty?"
"No."
"So you told her she wasn't pretty?"
"No, I told her maybe I don't know because I couldn't see her face because of the mask she was wearing!" At this point, I'm just annoyed that these strangers know about this crazy lady and her questions "Who was that lady I was in the alley with?! And why do all of you seem to know who she is?"
"Bro, you're lucky. Not everyone gets to live and tell the tale."
"Your answer is correct and smart," one of the people in the store said "Here. Let me get you water. You just sit here for a while and I'll explain her."
So I did. The nice people in the store explained everything to me. It's like a story night on a windy Friday. I don't believe in ghosts, ghouls, and these so called creatures of the night... But this one, this one made me believe.
I called a buddy of mine to come pick me up and stayed over in their unit for the night. Everything is now clear.
Stay away from the alleys at night. And if ever you see a woman with a mask on standing in the middle of an alley late at night, you don't say she's pretty or she's not pretty. You just say maybe and run the fuck out of there. Actually, don't walk, get a bicycle or a scooter and take the long, bright and busy streets on your way home.
You don't want to know the face of the slit mouth woman.