Alone Together by Namya Moffett
It was getting much colder at night thanks to the oncoming fall weather, so Priya zipped up her puffy black jacket and pulled the hood up over her head. She began taking quick and calculated strides, in order to get to the bus station that was three blocks away from the diner she worked at. Walking to the bus station after a late shift was always a daunting task for Priya and just the thought of being alone at night made her blood curdle. Thankfully her friend Darren was a chef at the diner, and they usually walked to the bus station together at night. Not tonight though. Darren got sick with the flu, and he was gone from work for the last three days. For those three days, Priya was lucky enough to have not worked the night shift but on the fourth day her luck finally ran out. So, there she was with her keys clutched between her palms, one key between each finger, classic defense mode. Her eyes were directed forwards, making sure to pay close attention to her surroundings. Priya hated being so on edge, but she knew that her precautions were extremely warranted, especially given her past experiences, and hearing the horror stories that some of her friends had to face while being out alone at night. She was about a block into her journey when she heard the footsteps start behind her. They were very faint at first, so Priya passed it off as paranoia but still quickened her pace a bit. After a couple more seconds, the footsteps got louder. Priya knew it wasn’t just paranoia, there was someone behind her. With every tap of her foot against the pavement, there was another slightly louder tap that she could hear a second later. Priya’s mind became frantic. “What do I do?” she thought to herself. “Do I run, do I turn around?” But surely she couldn’t turn around, right? Because the second that she did, the situation would become all too real, and the person would make their move on her. Priya had no idea what to do, she felt paralyzed with fear. Her legs were still moving but - 10 -
