Welcome to our first Blogging from A to Z post! (Actually, we had a theme reveal a few weeks back.) We asked for ideas on what to bet, and decided that the winner gets a $50 shopping spree at a local book store courtesy of the loser! Thanks to everyone who tossed out ideas, and please like, comment, and share our posts (mostly mine – Jayden). At the end of the month, we’ll count up the number of likes and comments, find the average, and declare a winner.

A is for Ahhh

by Jayden

I went out the door at 5:30 am like I would any other day. I worked the early shift on Thursday morning at the BDSM Resort Casino. I turned left and headed for the staircase that would take me down a back alley, but it came out only a block from the train. And from here, the train was a free ride and dropped me off right in front of the Resort. So why wouldn’t I take advantage? Otherwise, I had to walk about a mile. Ultimately, it took about the same amount of time regardless of whether I walked or grabbed the train, but it was early, and I was tired.

As I got near the stairs, I saw a car parked along the side of the road. That wasn’t terribly unusual. It’s a big city, and there were other cars parked along the same stretch. But what made it stand out is that the headlights were on. The inside of the car was dark, and that was very odd. If someone had pulled over to do something on their phone, the phone would at least partially illuminate the inside of the car. If they were looking for something, they would have turned on their interior lights. But no, the car was completely dark on the inside.

The staircase in question was often referred to as “the rape stairs.” Ominous, right? But it really wasn’t. It was just one of those things people say. I think there had actually been rapes there decades ago, but now it was well lit, and I often saw police patrolling the area. The reality turned to memory turned to rumor.

And here I was, just fifteen feet from the darkened car and thirty feet from the top of the stairs. I slowed my pace, staring intently at the front window of the car, but my gaze couldn’t penetrate it. I wondered briefly as I got nearer and nearer if there was some kind of darkening film on the windows, even though I was pretty sure it wasn’t legal on the windshield of a car. Just as I got level with the passenger side door, just fifteen feet from the stairs, the driver’s side door opened.

I didn’t look. I didn’t stop. I didn’t turn. I didn’t hesitate. I just ran, my internal voice screaming, “Ahhhhhhhh!” I hit the top of the stairs, lurching as my feet carried me down the first flight, surprised I didn’t fall in my haste. It almost felt like I was flying. One level of stairs, across the landing, down another level stairs, onto the pavement. The stairs were well lit, but the alley beyond was dark. I didn’t hesitate. My feet carried me further; my mind was still screaming. I ran, my backpack bouncing off my ass as I ran. My lungs burned. The chilly air I sucked in did nothing to slow my gasping breath. The alley wasn’t long. I got to the end of the block, the world around me mercifully illuminated by a street light. A train was just pulling up. It was a divided road with the train coming down the middle. I crossed to the train platform and got on, sliding into a seat. My lungs burned, my calves screamed in pain, cold sweat trickled down my back.

I glanced back toward the alley where the darkness stared back ominously, but I couldn’t see anything but black.

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Continue the story tomorrow with B is for Backpack!