I tried to ignore it, but it was too strong. When I heard footsteps behind me, I turned around. A fleeting figure moved behind a black Range Rover, making my heart skip.

Someone was following us.

With my heart in my throat, I turned around and urged Beth to walk faster. But her being drunk hindered our pace.

When we passed the head of an alley, I almost ran as a whistle reverberated across the street. Some middle-aged men were huddled under the damaged streetlight, and I could feel their gazes set on us. When one of them pushed against the wall, standing straight, I tightened my grip on Beth and dragged her as fast as I could.

“Come on, Beth! Walk faster! We need to move fast!” I urged her.

She groaned. “I don’t wanna go home!”

“We’re going to my place, don’t worry. Now walk faster!” I said, glancing over my shoulder. No one was there.

As we turned to the road I had my car parked on, I almost sighed in relief. Until footsteps behind us reached my ears. And this time, there were several. My heart pounded in my chest as I walked as fast as I could with her along. With another hand, I fished out my pepper spray and phone from my pocket and kept them in my hand.

Shit! I shouldn’t have come here alone. I should’ve taken the bartender’s help.

The footsteps came closer when we were almost near my car. My brain screamed at me to run, but I knew I couldn’t. Fear gripped my chest, making my knees wobble, but I didn’t stop walking. I almost screamed when one of them yelled out something in a foreign language as they came closer and closer, their footsteps were fast. Tugging the door open with shaky hands and pounding heart, I pushed her inside and whirled around, with the pepper spray ready.

But to my utter surprise, I found no one. As if they suddenly vanished into the thin air. Just like that. The entire street echoed in silence.

What the hell just happened?

Not wasting any more time standing there and waiting for more trouble, I ran inside the car and drove off. When we were out of that area, away from those alleys, only then I let myself breathe in relief.

While Beth slept next to me, I messaged Tess about us heading home. I was so definitely going to talk to this friend of mine tomorrow morning about the stunt she pulled tonight. While I felt like I just escaped heart failure, she was sleeping in peace. It was just sheer luck we got out of there safely.

But what I wondered was, where did those men go?

“Good morning, Alfred,” I greeted the old doorman, as I entered through the glass doors of OC Textiles.