I wished I were rich so I could rent him an apartment and buy him as many canvases, paints, and paint brushes he wanted. At Hank’s age, he should be enjoying the rest of his life, taking vacations, creating all day because he could. I knew he was one of millions, and that only made me angrier about life and how things should be.
My mood now deflated, I mustered up a friendly wave. “Good night, Hank.”
“Night, Jeraline. See you tomorrow.” He walked away, and I felt slightly better when I heard the crunch of him biting into one of Grandma’s delicious cookies.
With one last glance in Hank’s direction, I turned and entered the store, locking the door behind me.
I was so close to leaving I could taste it.
Grabbing my backpack from the back room, I tossed it over my shoulder and headed to the front of the store.
Almost out of here.
Rachel finished up the count, and Josh looked ready to go like I was.
I made eye contact with Rachel. “I’m going to head on out, if it’s all right?”
So close, only a few steps from the door.
I got the barely-acknowledge-my-existence nod, which sent a thrill of relief through me.
Almost out.
“Good night,” I said, taking my key and reaching toward the lock.
“Jeraline, wait,” Josh called out to me.
I turned, all fear gone from my body.
“Yes, Josh?”
Josh hurried over to me and held me in his arms. “Jeraline, I can’t hide my feelings for you any longer. I love you. I’ve loved you since the day I first saw you. Say you’ll be mine.”
We kissed.
Pulling away, I said, “Of course I will.”
Yeah.
That didn’t happen.
Unlocking the door, I exited into the night air.
Finally out.
Free to go home.
Locking the door behind me, I wondered what Josh must really think of me.
Because after today, I’d bet he never wanted to talk to me again.
Here it came.
The alley.
I didn’t know why I kept walking home this way. I could avoid the alley entirely, but there was something about it, something I needed to conquer. The alley was my enemy. My foe. If I didn’t defeat it in some way, my life would be forever ruined. It was as if all the torment in my life had manifested itself into this one alley, the physical embodiment of every fear I’d ever had. And simply walking past it was a test of bravery because I knew if I gave the alley a chance, it would swallow me whole.
The old familiar twist of my gut brought me to reality. Ten feet and I’d be there. My daily fear could almost be construed as “normal” at this point. It certainly happened every time I walked by the alley, my alley.
And there it was.
Out of a living nightmare.
Approaching cautiously, I kept at least eight feet of distance from the maw of the beast. Wanted signs plastered the bricked edges, framing the entrance like gatekeepers of evil.
Because that was what this alley was.
Evil.
Evil and alive.
As if all my fears had brought it into existence.
It breathed in and out as I walked by, the darkness within an inky black. I had no way of knowing if someone was standing right there, staring at me as I carefully moved forward. The two side-by-side brick buildings that were forced to share one of their walls with this terrifying dream were affected by the power of the alley as well, their brickwork going from solid red to blackened, moldy stone the closer they were to the entrance. And the sounds! They emanated from the blackness itself, not human, not even animal, though that was the closest reference that came to mind. Growling, snarling, or sometimes a kind of rattling stillness that was scarier than any bestial noise I’d heard.
But today there was a different noise.
The clattering of footsteps.
Someone was in there.
And they were coming out.
I found my feet unable to move.
The silhouette of what looked like a man walked closer, but let’s face it, it was probably some kind of demon.
Echoes of gunshots rang in my ear, and all I could think was . . .
Run.
My intuition finally kicked in.
I ran fast, though I knew I must look like a crazy person to anyone who happened to be staring down from their apartment.
I didn’t stop until I swung the door open to our apartment building, ran up the stairs, and practically flew into the living room.
I immediately locked the door behind me as if the alley itself had followed me home.
Grandma looked at me from the couch in front of the television, holding her chest from shock. “You scared the crap out of me.”
“Sorry. I just got spooked,” I admitted without going into detail.
Turning off the TV, Grandma nodded for me to join her. “How was the signing?” she asked.
I plopped down on the armchair next to Grams. “Good. He was super nice, and Rachel was mean, but not the worst.”
Grandma grumbled, “There’s something wrong with that woman. Do you want me to talk to her?”
“Definitely not. She’d fire me on the spot.” I didn’t believe that though. Rachel had been horrible since day one, and the puking incident alone should have been means for firing me, but for some reason she kept me around. I was pretty sure in her own warped way she liked me to some degree, but I also wondered if the bookstore itself was watching over me, protecting me in some way. It was like my second home, and even though Rachel was the gatekeeper, I still felt welcome there.
But Grandma seemed to enjoy the idea of me leaving the bookstore. “I’m not sure if that’s a bad thing. Ever since your parents were killed . . .” She paused, obviously gauging my reaction, which even I wasn’t sure of at the moment. “I haven’t
