The Walk Home

       Since the ruling had passed there was no more busing to her neighborhood in an attempt to cut costs.  It was a crock but she had no other choice but to walk to school.  Anyone who lived within 3 miles of the school had to now because the district simply couldn’t afford to run the buses for everyone.  She didn’t mind the walk really.  The exercise did her good.  Now that winter was fast approaching, the mornings were decidedly darker and by the time she reached home it was almost dark once again.  She did mind the dark.  It made her uneasy. 

        Now that she was forced to walk to and from school she wished she hadn’t joined the band and chosen to play the tuba.  Seriously, what had she been thinking?  The damn thing grew heavier with every step she took.  She was required to take it home to practice each day and cart it back day in and day out.  What with her backpack, her purse, and the damn tuba she was loaded down.  By the time she reached home she was exhausted from the trek.  Today was no different.  She approached the woods that provided her a shortcut home.  By all rights, she should stay on the sidewalk.    By that point in her journey she was tired and ready to be home, so with misgivings she took the shortcut anyway.

       Once surrounded by trees on all sides, the night closed in slowly around her.   She picked up speed, feeling a sense of foreboding the farther she walked.  The breeze rustled through the branches above.  A twig cracked behind her.  She turned quickly, but saw nothing.  Her heart beat double time as she walked a bit faster.  Another twig cracked.  The leaves rustled.  With her heart in her throat she looked back again.    In a split second her eyes focused on a shadow of a dark form lurking from behind the trees.  She saw a flash of metal…a knife.  The shadow smiled an evil white grin and started moving towards her.  With her heart in her throat, she ran.  He laughed and quickly pursued her, closing the gap between them.  He grabbed her arm and she screamed.  He pulled her towards him as she swung the tuba case at him.  The heavy case hit his chest, leaving him gasping.  She hurried away leaving the tuba behind.

       “You bitch! I’ll make you pay for that!” he promised as he chased her.  She tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground.  As she scrambled to gain her footing, he was upon her, slapping her hard across the face.  He grabbed her, laughing as he did.  “I have you now and you will be mine.”  He forced her to the ground, pulled duct tape from his pocket and bound her arms above her head.  She struggled and screamed for help.  He taped her mouth and produced a knife from his pocket.  Her eyes widened in horror as she watched him cut her and blood gush from the gash. “Ready to have a bit of fun?” he asked with a wicked grin.  Tears escaped her eyes as he raped her mutilating her body for his pleasure.

     “Oh dear God, help me escape!”  Her mind screamed.   The clouds shifted, casting an ominous shadow on the ground.  She realized then he was standing over her, finished and quite satisfied with himself.  “Thank you, too bad you didn’t seem to enjoy it as much as I did.” He mocked.  He walked away, as if he hadn’t a care in the world whistling a tune as he went.   Wearily, she closed her eyes, shutting him out, and welcomed the light that enveloped her.  She walked toward it with determination, away from the fear and pain that had consumed her only seconds before into the paradise that awaited her for eternity.

This is my response to the Speakeasy weekly prompt #161, which is to write a piece in 750 words or less (mine is 646).

 (1) using “The clouds shifted, casting an ominous shadow on the ground.” anywhere in the piece, 

 (2) making some kind of reference to the music prompt, which is Adele’s "Rolling in the Deep".  As an added challenge, we were challenged to write a story that was “family-free”, which means no mention of family relationships in the story.

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