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A Night To Remember

I'm really enjoying the trip down memory lane as i wade through my old english work. I'm amused at my dramatic streak. Apparently i could never write about bunnies, or boring things. I only do dramatics. Here's my applications story. Last one, i promise. Be afraid.

She’d heard about him from her friend, Kate, that day at work. ‘Jack’, they called him. Apparently, he’d been grabbing girls off the streets at night for almost a month now. The police were trying to keep the entire affair hush-hush so as not to cause a panic among the public. Kate had heard about it from her dad, who was a senior officer on the police force. He had told her so that he could warn her to stay safe and to not go out alone at night. Kate had told her. She hadn’t been too worried though; those sorts of things always seemed so distant to her. They never happened to people she knew.

By that night, she’d forgotten completely about what she had learnt that day. She was eighteen! She was about to legally enter a bar for the first time! The excitement of the moment drove any other concerns she may have had right out of her mind. She spent the next few hours twirling around the brightly coloured club, under the lights, slightly giddy from the heat of the bodies pressed around her, the loud laughter, the fast dancing and the alcohol, with her long, dark hair streaming out around her. Her friends were all around her and she lost herself in the music, pausing only a moment as Kate informed her that another girl had gone missing; a redhead named Rose, who lived on her street and she knew slightly. She felt a pit rise in her stomach as she realised for the first time that these things were real; they could happen to her as easily as Rose. But then the cute guy from the bar caught her eye and beckoned her over. All thoughts of anything more serious than getting his number flew out of her mind as she straightened her skirt and glided over to him, her smile at full wattage.

Three hours later, with his kiss still warm on her lips, his number safe in her pocket and a warm tingle remaining from the alcohol, she set off for home. The wait for taxis was ridiculous and she didn’t live far away so she decided to walk. Surely nothing could go wrong, she thought, still buzzing from the successful night and feeling invincible as only a teenager can. She set out, thoughts of her evening keeping her feeling warm, although the puffs of steamy air coming from her lips reminded her otherwise. She looked around her as she walked, taking in the huge houses, grand front yards, double gates and long gravel driveways. She loved to look at these houses and imagine she lived there. The moon shone through the trees, casting spindly shadows from the twigs and few remaining leaves. She started as the moon fully emerged from behind the clouds and she realised that it was full. As she gazed up at it, bathed in silvery light, something shot across the path in front of her. She stifled a shriek as she realised that it was merely a black cat, darting from shadow to shadow. She suddenly remembered what Kate had told her. She shook herself and told herself to stop being silly. She was perfectly safe.

She began to walk a little faster, telling herself that she was just eager to make it home. She tried to distract herself, attempting to recall every detail of her wonderful birthday night. Suddenly, she heard a fait noise behind herl the scuff of a toe on the uneven pavement. She spun, looking sharply left and right, then left again, heart pounding in her ears. Nothing. An empty street – and then that damned cat again. She took a deep breath and continued to walk, telling herself she was only imagining things. She turned a corner, off the large main road with the fancy housed, into a small side alley, with very few streetlights.
In the dim light, it was a stark contrast from the huge houses she had just walked past, even though they were so close by. She shivered, pulling her coat tightly around her, regretting her impatience to wait for a taxi.

A click, a quick flash of light, out of place in the silent gloom, caught her eye. She wondered what it was bud didn’t stop moving. Then she saw – and heard – it again. Suddenly it hit her like a slap in the face; they were camera flashes. Someone was taking photos of her! The memory of the shoe scuff on the pavement earlier sprang to mind. There was no longer a doubt; she was being followed.

Her hand flashed to her bag, searching for her phone. She pulled it out, flipped it open and started to punch in 000. Then her heart sank as she registered the most disheartening thing she could have seen; the flashing battery sign that told her she didn’t have enough charge to make a call. She viciously flipped the phone closed again, slipping the useless technological shell back into her bag. Tears of fear and frustration sprung to her eyes. She tried to walk silently, her ears straining for the footsteps of her pursuer. Try as she might, she heard nothing and her heart lifted in hopes that she had jumped to conclusions. But just as she was about to laugh it off as a case of paranoia, he heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps. Her heart plummeted back down into the toes of her shoes. Slowly, but surely he was closing the gap between them.

She thought quickly. She knew that she had to keep calm is she wanted to get out of the terrible situation. All the same, her breathing quickened and the blood rushed to her head. She was still minuted from the safety of her home. To make things worse, being preoccupied with staying calm, she had not noticed that she had passed through the housing district and were in the shopping district. It was still, cold and empty, nobody around to help her. If she wanted safety, she would have to make it for herself. She pulled at the corners of her mind for a plan. She wracked her brains and had but one reasonable thought. It would have to work. Time was short. As she heard the footsteps behind her become faster and more driven, she began to run. So did her pursuer. Wheeling around a corner, she flicked a glance over her shoulder, only to catch a glimpse of moonlight glinting on steel.

She pushed herself into the darkness of an ivy fence, still as a stone, not even breathing for fear of revealing herself. Her follower, huffing as he sprinted around the corner, flew past, then halted as he – and it was a he, she discovered, unsurprised – saw the empty street ahead of him. As he looked for his prey, she took advantage of his momentary indecision and ran at him from behind. She threw herself at his back, knocking him off balance while reaching for his knife. However, he reacted far faster than she had expected and he spun, using his greater height and weight to push her to the ground. Pinned, she bit, kicked, struggled and tried to get away. She tried to scream, to call out for help, but he shoved her mouth closed. She was beginning to give up. It had been a long ordeal and she was exhausted from terror.

Then he made his crucial mistake; he pinned her two arms under one of his, reaching for his knife at his waist. She saw her window of opportunity and drive her knee up into him, hard, adrenaline giving her extra strength. As he reeled back and made an attempt to lunge at her, she grabbed the knife and fiercely pierced his stomach.

He fell hard, head hitting the pavement with a sickening thud. He lay still, breathing shallowly.

She drew a deep breath, relieved, disbelieving and thankful for the turn of events. No longer would she take life for granted and throw it all away, She recognised that it was important to realise that these things could happen to her, just as easily as anyone else. She reached for the bulge in his pocket and pulled out his mobile phone, dialling 000 for the police.

Annie