The streets are abandoned except for a few cars. Why would anyone be out at this hour? Other than me, of course. I have my reasons.

     I hear a cough from behind me. My heart nearly jumps out of my body, and I turn around. The streetlights are not bright enough for me to get a good look at the stranger, but I notice his rigid stance and his dark eyes staring straight into mine. His 70’s pornstache and business-casual outfit make me queasy. I see enough of that at work.

     My pace quickens. Nine blocks to go. I try to glance into the windows of buildings around me to see if he’s still following me. He is. And he’s gaining on me.

There is no point in me looking both ways before crossing the street right now. I jaywalk my way to the other side of the street to see if the stranger follows me. Of course, he does.

    Searching for anything that can throw off his path, I notice a pair of headlights speeding on the street towards us. A second before the car is directly in front of me, I sprint across the street in its path. I look back to see if the stranger survived the impact.

    He’s standing right in front of the car. Except the car is stopped. The driver didn’t beep, or swerve, or skid to a stop. It just stopped. And the stranger stares through me, as if I’m standing in front of something he wants. There is nothing behind me, except for a city trash bin and a boarded-up barber shop. I am confused out of my mind, but at least I broke his momentum. I start running.

    Up ahead, a figure comes around the corner, straight into my path. I shout for help. He turns around, not at all startled by my sudden yelling. The same dark brown eyes stare right into my soul. Oh, shit. I turn back around and see that the two men look identical.

    I duck into the alley on my left. Can I make it two more blocks without getting myself killed? I never would have thought I’d be in this position an hour ago.

    My phone buzzes, and I remember that I should definitely be calling the cops. I’m vaguely paying attention to my surroundings as I look up the city police’s phone number. Suddenly, another figure steps in front of me, seizing my phone from my grasp and crushing it in his bony hand. Of course, the guy looks the same as the other two. Getting the hang of this whole situation now, I run in the opposite direction.

    Except the other two men are directly behind me, blocking my only escape. They grab my wrists and push me against the brick wall.

    “What the hell? Who are you… all?” I ask, my voice quivering.

    “You’ll find out.”