TAIYE AND OTHER STORIES

LIVES WITH ME

Sofia sped up as she passed by the alley that always gave her the creeps.

The same alley that had produced twenty four dead bodies and counting. It wasn't that she wasn't wise, oh no, sofia was wise.

It was just that she had no choice, her house had only one safe direction and even that wasn't safe.

Either she went by this alleyway or she went through the other side of town. The other side of town had more deaths in months than this alley had in years. The small town of forth lane had almost a thousand inhabitants and yet deaths happened weekly, gang fights, bar fights and now for almost two years it had been the killer named by the town as the choker.

It wasn't because he choked his victims but because he first made them believe they were crazy first, slowly choking away their happiness before ending them. And the killer left a black choker on the victims after the murder like a signature.

The small police division were having difficulties catching the bastard and at this point in time he had even choked a policewoman.

'What make's you think it's a he? Stereotyping fool,' she scolded herself.

She shivered as a cool breeze blew by, well chiffon was really not cold weather friendly and whatever had possessed her to wear this during autumn was a demon.

Sofia got into her apartment building without greeting anyone, her rule was simple.

She liked being alone but if you started greeting someone, from a harmless Hi, it becomes how was your day and before you knew it, you guys were discussing life issues.

She opened her door, went in and dropped the keys into the bowl by the door.

Sofia scowled when she saw her windows opened, this was the twenty fifth time she had come home to meet her window open when she had closed it before leaving.

She even made an alarm to remind her every morning at 8:15 to close it and here she was again, her apartment widow open and the apartment cold.

It was always cold when she came back, and she had no air conditioner.

Fear gripped her heart once again as she flipped on the fluorescent bulb in her one room apartment and she picked up her trusty sidekick, 'umbrella whacky' and held it like a weapon over her head.

Slowly she tiptoed to her small bathroom and flung the door open, 'nope no killer there' she moved on to her small kitchen, still no killer and then she kicked the door to her small store room open and she breath out in relief.

She felt like she was going crazy and that was because a: she looked like most of the ladies the choker had killed, black curly hair, black eyes, tan skin and robust hips.

Basically the killer was targeting anything remotely related to black people. Jesus, just what the black community needed, a serial killer.

She sat heavily on her bed and fell asleep without changing, she always woke up at four o'clock naked, and sweaty from the same nightmare she had been having for four years now.

The killer smirked as he stared at another beautiful lady, sleeping open mouthed, he always saved the best for last. When he was done he promised that he was going to come for her, she was the icing on the cake, Sofia was the deal.