"FRESH MEAT! GET YOUR FRESH MEAT HERE!"

"WE HAVE FRESH JUICY FRUITS HERE! GET THEM BEFORE THEY ARE OVER!"

The market was buzzing with people_their voices jambled up in the crowd. It was brooming as usual under the scorching sun.

Children were running across the market street, playing while their laughter filled the air.

"You've come by again today. I assume the usual." the vendor woman said.

"Yes, the usual." I said while I looked for my purse.

She still wore her green scarf from the last time we met.

Her hands were the colour of green, her face, dripping with sweat and her stall was packed, but nothing else changed.

A young kid bumped into me, his friends chasing him from behind.

I smiled, seeing how happy eveyone was. I felt relieved and knew I found peace.

"Here. I packed a few extra." 

"Thank you."

"Come by again."

I left her stall, as I walked down the path.

"My dear, how are you doing?" ... "Don't forget to eat well!" ... "Greet everyone!" ... "Hi girl..." ... "Hello Luisa!"

"Hello everyone!"  

"Yes, thank you everyone!"

A man in a navy blue hoodie passed by me and headed for the stall behind me.

I am enjoying the life I have now. Their is nothing and no one that can take it away from me.

Little did I know that things will change that day.

                                                                                           ...

The city was exhaling. A tide of exhausted commuters surged toward their homes, their faces washed out by the flickering neon of shopfronts. High above, the glass-and-steel giants swallowed the last of the sun, leaving the streets in a cold, bruised purple twilight. I adjusted the weight of the grocery bags in my arms, the plastic handles digging deep into my palms.

I ducked away from the main road, seeking the silence of the backstreets. But the moment I stepped into the alleyway, the air changed. It felt heavy, smelling of damp brick and old rain.

The night will be livelier soon, I thought. I must head home quickly and prepare a meal for them. They must be hungry by now.

But the peace I craved was a hollow shell.

The hair on my neck prickled before I heard the footsteps_that frantic, sixth-sense alarm that rings when eyes are glued to your back. I remembered him then: the man in the navy blue hoodie. He'd been hovering near the fruit stalls at the market when I left. I'd told myself I was being paranoid, but now, the rhythmic thud-scuff of boots behind me matched my heart rate perfectly.

I tried to play it cool. I shifted my bags, pretending to not notice him, but in the reflection of a darkened window, I saw him. He was close. His head was down, but his pace was an intentional, predatory stride.

The "shortcut" suddenly felt like a trap. The brick walls seemed to lean inward, narrowing until the sky was just a thin ribbon of grey. Fear, sharp and metallic, tasted like copper in my mouth.

But is it just me or has his pace started to increase?

That's when I knew it I broke. I didn't just walk; I lunged forward into a run.

The alleyway transformed into an endless corridor of shadows. The grocery bags swung wildly, the cabbage I bought thumping against my leg. Behind me, the footsteps shifted from a stroll to a heavy, terrifying gallop. I heard the fabric of his hoodie whistle in the wind. A hand reached out, fingers like cold talons grazing my blouse, reaching for my wrist.

My ribcage felt like it was about to shatter. I wrenched my body to the left, dodging his grasp by an inch, and pushed harder. My lungs screamed, inhaling the stagnant, freezing air.

Then, at the very end of the tunnel, a flicker. A jagged, beautiful shard of yellow streetlamp light shown in the path.

The exit!

I didn't look back. I knew that if I turned my head, the momentum would break, and he would have me. I poured every drop of adrenaline into my legs, my boots slamming against the cracked pavement until I was a few feet farther into the open air. Bursting out from the shadows, I stood for a second, gasping, trying to find a way to lose the creep in the crowd.

But what if he follows me? What if he knows where I live? Is he here to kill me? Or to take them away from me? The thought of him finding my door, finding the ones I protect, made my blood turn to ice.

I had to move. I had to get lost. I spun around, desperate to see if he had emerged from the mouth of the alley, but I didn't see the shadow looming right in front of me.

Off!

I slammed into something immovable. It wasn't a wall, but it felt like one_hard, warm, and solid as a rock. I stumbled back, my bags finally hitting the ground, the groceries I bought finally toppling over.

I looked up, my breath dying in my throat, and realised the ordeal wasn't behind me anymore. It was standing right there.