The Beginning Of An End

ELAINE

It was pitch black when I finally ended my shift at Betty's Burger.

The night shift was the hardest and longest shift available. It was the time when all the drunks who ran out of places trooped in, with some of them— if not all, trying to get handsy with me.

By the time I would wrangle them all out and close up shop, it'd be well past midnight.

But the tips were nothing to complain about, and walking home at this hour had never bothered me. Not only had I traversed this path so much that it was permanently etched in my brain, I had nothing of value in my possession to make anyone remotely interested in mugging me.

Still, I tried my best to be cautious since there were people out there who did worse things than stealing purses.

But tonight, the exhaustion in my bones made holding my eyelids up an arduous task, and I was fighting yawns every five seconds.

I hugged my handbag to my chest and tried to look as non-threatening as possible just in case someone got an idea and tried something.

A sharp cracking sound somewhere behind me made me jump and filled me with adrenaline.

I looked back, and with the aid of the streetlight I passed a few feet away, I could make out the silhouette of a man. It was hazy and could've been something else, but I was sure it was a man. There was no one there a few minutes ago.

With my heart going a million miles an hour, I tried to keep my steps on the worn concrete even and not betray the panic I was starting to feel.

It could be a homeless guy, Elaine. You need to calm down.

Taking a surreptitious glance behind me, I confirmed that it really was a man walking behind me, his steps perfectly matching mine.

I tried to think of a way out, but my tiredness was like a thick blanket over my consciousness, and I couldn't produce any ideas.

Letting my feet guide me, I crossed to the other side of the road and increased my pace.

Trying to stamp down on my growing paranoia, I took the brightly lit alley next to the bakery to put as much space between me and whoever was following me.

At this point, it was a miracle that I was still upright. Every muscle in my feet complained bitterly, and I was now operating on autopilot.

As the alley spit me out at the end, I felt a drop of cold liquid drop on my nose. Another one followed on my forehead, and before I could adequately decode what it was, the rain started in earnest.

I hated when it rained. Something about the rain put this sense of foreboding in me. The feeling that something terrible was going to happen. The fact that it was also cold and wet solidified its place on my blacklist.

Like magic, the sleep in my eyes vanished, and my measured steps transformed into full-blown running.

I didn't know why, but I sensed something was chasing me.

The rain pounded hard on my head, and before long, my yellow waitress uniform and sensible Mary Janes were soaked through.

Oh God, please don't let this be the end. Please spare my life. If not for me, then for the sake of my little baby. I'm all he has. Please.

As I offered my supplication, I didn't know when I started to cry. Big, fat teardrops mixed with the raindrops until it was impossible to tell where one started and the other stopped.

Thunder clapped overhead, and my fear deepened.

My feet could take no more of the running, so I stopped under a street lamp to catch my breath. I was now a good number of blocks away from the restaurant.

Glancing back, I found no one was there. The man was gone, and the only thing I could see through the thick curtain of rain was the everyday things expected of an urban city. Dumpsters brimming with trash, abandoned cars lining the side of the road, and a flickering light bulb from the barbershop I just ran by.

Nothing was remotely threatening.

Relief so thick it almost suffocated me descended upon me. I had to bend over and clutch my knees to stop from keeling over.

See, there's nothing there, Elaine. You really need to learn how to calm down. You're too jumpy.

I would've laughed at myself if this was the first time this sort of thing had happened.

For weeks now, I had felt that I was being watched at random times of the day. As I walked to my job, as I sat reading in the library, even while I was at home. It would just not go away, and I wasn't sure if it was in my mind.

Tonight was the first time the faceless evil I tried to convince myself was made up had assumed a physical form.

But there's nothing there. Let it go.

Deciding to listen to myself, I controlled my breathing and straightened up.

"Thank you, G . . ."

The word had barely left my mouth when something large and heavy wrapped around my head, limiting my airflow and impeding my ability to see.

My heart, which I'd managed to get under control, started up again as I frantically tried to free myself.

But the cloth around my head was attached to something very strong and hard.

Screaming wasn't an option as I couldn't free my mouth, so I did the next best thing. I reached behind my head and started scratching at the person behind me.

I struggled with all my might to get free, even using my feet to kick the guy off me, but it was no use. He was as immovable as a brick wall and just as silent as one too.

A few seconds later, a harsh, sharp smell invaded my nose. It was intense and chemical, and I became frightened at my inability to breathe properly. I tried to free my head, but its grip was vice-like, pining me in place and making sure I inhaled as much of the substance as possible.

The action of my limbs intensified, and I even managed a few muffled cries for help.

I continued scratching and clawing, but gradually I could feel the strength in my limbs diminish.

Bit by bit, my scratches were getting less forceful, and my kicks were only harmless flails in the air.

The rain fell harder as I discovered my limbs were too heavy to lift. I let them fall innocuously at my sides.

I let out a few tears as my eyelids followed the downward slope of my body, finding it a burden to keep them open.

Is this the end for me in this wicked world?

That was my last thought before I finally gave in to the waiting arms of unconsciousness.