Those That Slither | ON HOLD

Eleven

In her mind, a million ways for her to end it played like a video roll. She imagined attacking him verbally and most importantly, physically. The things her mind came up with made city news look like a kiddie show. She wanted nothing more than for him to feel the other side of things.

But in reality, she was still in shock. So soon he had returned and his actions, his very presence, were so nonchalant as if it were all a joke. She could feel his eyes on the back of her head, watching and waiting.

Bile bubbled in her stomach whole voices in her head argued. Go get that son of a gun, hurt him like he deserves, one hollered. Don't do anything stupid, he could kill you, another said. Leah sat shaky for a moment trying to figure out what she should do. But the memories of her experiences came back, fueling a fire in her pit.

Her head turned again to catch his confident smirk. It was kerosene feeding the flames in her body. Wrath wrapped around her wrists until she couldn't just sit there and take it anymore.

She narrowed her eyes and leaned over to grab her purse. Shaking hands of frustration grabbed the handle and swung it over her shoulder. Enough was enough. She stood up from her booth and turned to meet his ugly stare.

He was gone. The door was still swinging closed and her ears perked to the sound of the bell when it finally sealed shut. Without thinking, she charged towards the door after the coward. Pushing it back open she flew out into the night air, not stopping to adjust.

A heavy pair of running shoes echoed from the restaurant parking lot. She took off after them, eyes scanning around parked cars and shadows. Moving forwards her head moved frantically side to side hoping to catch a glimpse of him. But the steps kept moving and so did she.

Out she ran until she was no longer in the parking lot. As her legs charged, she was now running down the sidewalk after the steps she heard. They were so loud it was as if they were right in front of her. She pushed herself to follow them, desperate for revenge. She didn't care too much for the people she ran past nor did she give a care about the cars entering and exiting the other lots of the street. She was on a mission.

The night breeze whipped her hair into waves behind her head. Each step she took burned her legs and her eyes, but she couldn't stop. Even when she rounded a corner and ran into a couple; all she could slip out was a pathetic apology before she ran across the street. And even that was done carelessly. A taxi nearly smashed into her, only swerving to barely miss her.

The Driver Honked and shouted a mouthful of obscenities, but Leah paid them no mind. She moved down the walk way, trying hard not to piss anyone else off but even harder to keep up with the footsteps. It was becoming harder when they began to fade in volume. Tilting her body forwards, she ran across another crosswalk and yet again another car slammed on its brakes to avoid hitting her.

Leah held up her hand to shield her eyes from the headlights that tortured her sensitive eyes. The car honked sending her up onto the curb and into the attention of a crowd outside another restaurant.

People were whispering and pointing fingers at her. She felt a spotlight hover over her. It was like she was the entertainment for the diners. I'm not crazy, she told herself, hoping they'd know it as well. But when her eyes met with those of a girl about her agr, embarrassment flooded her as the girl frowned and turned away.

Leah turned trying to ignore them and listen for his footsteps. To her severe disappointment, the steps were gone. Now all she could hear was the hustle of the night life. A panic rose up in her head causing her to feel confused and upset. She spun around trying to gain control of her emotions.