Killer

It looks quiet. Normal. I’ll be fine.

I’ll do this lockup.

“Martin is such a prick, why did he give me the closing shift.” I’d started my call to Maisie already, that’s step 1.

“You should’ve quit last week.” Maisie wasn’t particularly helpful to my situation. “That psycho is just out there right now. You need to worry about yourself.” She had a point but I was gonna be fine, it wasn’t that late.

“Maisie I’ll make it home ok. It’s a 10 minute walk home, I’ll stay on the line and everything will be ok.” I undid my ponytail, I didn’t like having it down because the ends would always be at the level of the bar, and coming home with Carling all over my hair was too much, and hard to wash out. I had my phone brightness on the highest setting, it was ok I had 70%, that’s enough for 10 minutes, right? If not, my keys were between my fingers, attack me now, psycho. He’d been in the news, or she, or, they? Are in the news. Three bodies now, all in the quays. Some poor guy found them on his morning walk, solved two cases just like that. Scary.

“Maisie” I called out to her. Almost like I wanted her to come to walk me home. It would’ve been really nice. I don’t feel safe at night, not here not back home, and definitely not now.

“Yeah what is it?” She didn’t seem bothered, she went home early, didn’t have much of a walk.

“What if that guy gets me? Like he actually kills me tonight?” Maybe it was a stupid question.

“Relaaaaax. It’s ok, you’re not gonna die on a ten minute walk. He’s probably killing someone else right now.”

“That’s so rude.” I wanted to find that funny, but I just felt so scared. I hate walking at night, I remember having to go to those assemblies where they told us how unsafe it was out there. I thought that I would be safe in this little town, but even that got shattered. Those poor people. They didn’t deserve to die.

“Maisie, I’m 5 minutes out.” I had been looking around as much as I could, trying to see if anyone was near. Especially past that park. It looked like a black hole, almost like the psycho would jump out and attack me. Maybe he was near. Maybe he was right behind me. I gripped my keys tighter. I thought about that self-defence course, straight for the kneecap, hit him in the liver and head. Or was it the other way around? Fuck. “Maisie.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll be ok?”

“Of course! Just get back in time.”

I made my face look more aggressive, I didn’t want him to think I would be a good victim. I didn’t want to be on the news. I wasn’t going to be. I remembered back home having to do the exact same thing when I went to the shop after school in winter. There was so much to keep track of. Sometimes I’d come home and have my hair up, “What if someone grabbed you?” Sometimes I’d forget to text my friends when I got home and they would have to call my brother in the middle of the night, he didn’t like that. Sometimes I’d walk past someone and my face wasn’t glaring, and I would get scared that they wanted to attack me then. There was so much to just survive it took me so long to learn it all. I figured if they thought I’d be a problem or be loud and bring attention they wouldn’t attack me. I think a couple of people tried to follow me, but I always stuck to well lit main roads and I was pretty fast. Just a few minutes, and then I’ll be more safe.

“Maisie I’m just two minutes out, I’ll be there so soon.”

“Ok just give me the heads up, don’t want the psycho killing me hahahaha.”

“Haha.” That wasn’t fucking funny, what does she think she’s playing at? Bet she’ll regret that if he does get me. My hands were so tight around my keys they felt like they were about to start bleeding. I was almost sprinting now, I’d been sweating for a good 4 minutes now, and I had vivid flashes of having to fight off whatever demon was attacking people in the night. I’ll kill Martin for this. I should’ve listened. Just quit last month, that customer had no right to do that, and he still defended him. I’m just gonna focus on my degree.

“Maisie I’m back!” I felt so relieved walking up to my door. I felt safe. All I had to do was put my key in the keyhole.

No need to look over my shoulder now.