Me, Myself and Him

Chapter 2

Chapter 2
My parents and I have planned to go to the city this weekend. We booked a nice place just outside it, within walking distance but minus the noise. We haven't had a real holiday in ages and probably won't have one again for a while so this pretty much just compensation.
I stuffed my bag into the boot of the car and slid into the back seat, the smell of the leather instantly hitting me. The trip up was quick, or at least it felt quick because I was daydreaming the majority of the time. A string of 'what ifs?' keeping me occupied.
We arrived at a cute little hotel. It head decorative black fences around the balconies and the sunlight seemed to illuminate the building.
"Well this is nice" is what my mum says as we park on the street and check in. She and the lady at the desk chat for quite a while before we finally manage to escape into our room. It's nice but the only view is of the places across the street; I think my curtains will be closed for the majority of the time.
I jump onto the bed. It's nowhere near as comfy as my one at home, but right now I think I could just close my eyes and drift asleep. So that's what I do.
* * * * *
I wake up with a sore back and quickly check my phone, 1:32pm. I can't believe my parents let me sleep through the day. I stretch my arms and walk into the living room, only to discover that my parents aren't there.
"Mum! Dad!" I shout. No reply. They must have assumed I'd be asleep for a lot longer and went out. What loving parents. I sigh and walk to the table, only to find the room keys resting there. I pick them up and walk out of the room, locking the door behind me. If they got to go out, surely I can. I mean, they did leave me the key.
The hallway is dimly lit and narrow; if I was claustrophobic I would probably be freaking out right about now. As I approach the elevator I notice that there isn't anyone else waiting so I press the down arrow, but nothing happens. I step into the emergency exit door that leads to the stairs and jog my way down.
I open the door at the bottom and walk into reception. I notice that the desk lady isn't there; she must be on her break.
I continue my trek out the door and up the street towards the tram stop. I look around and hug my arms a little closer when I realise how eerily quiet it is.
"Why'd you have to pick this place mum?" I murmur to myself.
As I keep walking I notice that there is still a tram waiting at the tram stop, so I speed up my walk and pull out my Myki as I step through the doors. But I'm met with silence. Not the kind of silence that hangs in the air when conversation has come to a halt, or the kind where everyone feels too awkward to start conversation with a stranger; but complete silence. Like when you're alone. Not alone in your room while the TV's on and the computer is humming and you're IPod blasts with music. But when you're really alone, and it feels like it's so quiet that everyone in the world had just vanished. Everyone except you. So when I looked around the tram car, I wasn't too surprised to see no one there. But when I noticed that the Myki machine was turned off and the driver's seat has been vacated, my suspicions rose.
Maybe the car had just broken down and no one had gotten here to fix it yet. But wouldn't the driver have to wait?
I shake the thought out of my head and step backwards, turning to walk out of the tram when my foot catches the edge of the pavement and I stumble forwards, straight into the metal fence outside.
"Ow!" I check my body for injuries and make sure no one saw me. I guess that's one of the perks of an empty neighbourhood.
* * * * *
Because the tram was down, I made the decision to walk into the centre of the city. It wasn't like I had a choice but at least we chose a spot that was fairly close. Apartments begin merging into shops and soon I can see exactly where the City Square is. But I was so proud of getting there without getting lost that I hadn't taken note of what was around me, or more like what wasn't.
"Wh-where is everyone" I ask myself. I turn in circles, examining every street, building and window in view. At this time, the city should be swarming with people; it's usually the busiest time of day. Crap! Did I sleep through the start of the zombie apocalypse or something? Mind you, if I did the city would be swarming with zombies and I would probably have been the victim of a jump scare attack already. Scratch that.
I see a fast movement in the corner of my eye and quickly turn my head to look at it. But as quickly as it was there, it had gone.
I walk forward a few paces and get a better glimpse at the figure as it runs past the other end of another street. I see the direction it is heading and run down the street next to the one the figure just ran past.
I pick up my pace and see the figure run in front of me when I was just 10 meters from the end. I make a sharp left and run after them, but thanks to my lousy stamina, I'm going to be pretty puffed out soon.
The figure, who I can make out is wearing a navy blue hoodie, makes another sharp left. I turn in after them and notice that I just turned into a dead-ended alleyway. And the figure is nowhere in sight. I take a few deep breaths when my mind processes it. If I've learnt anything from movies, it's that when the person you're chasing turns the corner and vanishes, they're going to jump out and capture you from behind.
I turn quickly, with my arms in a karate position that probably doesn't exist, but I am met with silence.
"Oh, well that was unevent-" A strong pair of arms grab me from behind and a hand covers my mouth. I try to speak but it comes out muffled so I do the only thing I can think of, I bite the person's hand.
"Ow!" They're grip loosens just enough for me to squeeze out and wipe my mouth.
"If there were any people here, I would be calling the police, but seeing as there aren't any..." I trail off as I turn to face the person, the person with all too familiar forest green eyes and auburn hair. "Bellamy?"