“Almost got accosted, raped, and/or stabbed tonight. So there’s that.”
Just saying it out loud had me shaking, rage and fear rising up together as I thought about my close call.
“Holy shit,” Rory said, coming over to me at the couch.Avoiding the knife in my hand, she came in close and hugged me tight, and with my free arm I hugged her back just as hard.
“Are you okay?” Marshall asked. “Did you call the cops?”
“No,” I said. “I ran until I got here; then my parents were, well…my parents. I’ve been up here the rest of the time. Just trying to process it. Besides, my attacker sort of…disappeared.”
Rory pulled back from me, hands on my shoulders. “Um, what, now?”
I sat down on the couch, put the knife away, and told them the story from beginning to end, showing them the few sketches I had produced—the symbol on the man’s hand, his face, the alley where he should have caught up with me but instead disappeared. Well, flew away was what it had sounded like, but I didn’t share that.
“This is my fault,” Rory said. “If I didn’t get you these classes for your birthday, just trying to get you out of your work head space, you wouldn’t have been out there in this asshole’s path.”
I shook my head. “Rory, are you kidding me? Outside of this whole encounter, these classes are what have kept me from falling into a full-on depression. That whole weirdness is just random, you know? You can’t live all your life in New York City without having at least one criminal act happen to you.”
“True,” Marshall said. “Although, technically I’ve already been mugged, like, three times, which is way above the norm. I guess I look nerdy enough to have a high-paying job or something. I make a great victim.” He put his arms halfheartedly in the air. “Go me!”
Rory laughed, but it was cut short by a cacophony of sound rising up from somewhere in Gramercy Park on the east side of the building—tree branches rustling and snapping, followed by a heavy
slap-thud
. All three of us jumped, turning to face the terrace.
“What the
hell
was that?” Marshall asked.
“The city that never sleeps,” I said, grabbing my boots and heading out the French doors.
We came down the fire escape and hit the bottom of the alley at a run, lights coming on in all the buildings along the edges of Gramercy Park. I stepped out onto the sidewalk, a small crowd of passersby already gathering along the north side of it.
“What is it?” Marshall asked, as we headed up the west side of my block.
“I’m not sure,” I said, stopping once we hit the corner. The gathering crowd stood at the gate peering into the darkness of the park itself. “I think they see something, but they can’t get in.”
I started toward them with Marshall, but Rory grabbed my arm and pulled me back around the corner. It took Marshall a second to notice I wasn’t next to him anymore, and he spun awkwardly in his tracks and ran back to join us, jumpy. “We don’t want to go with the crowd?”
Rory shook her head.
Marshall peeked back around the corner of the black wrought-iron fence. “Do you think they saw me?” he asked, nervous. “That looked normal, right? I mean, people turn around and walk away all the time, right?”
Rory hit him in the arm. “Relax, crazy pants,” she said. “You acting normal would actually
draw
attention.”
“Why’d you stop us?” I asked.
Rory gave a dark smile, then nodded down the block to the south corner before taking off at a slow jog. “I hate crowds. Come on, Lex. You still have your key?”
“Yeah,” I said, breaking into a run after her.
“Good,” she called back over her shoulder.
“What key?” Marshall called out behind me.
I spun, grabbed his arm, and pulled him after me. He stumbled forward but managed to fall in next to me as the two of us watched Rory turn the corner heading around to the south side of the park.
“Gramercy’s a private park,” I said.
Just saying it out loud had me shaking, rage and fear rising up together as I thought about my close call.
“Holy shit,” Rory said, coming over to me at the couch.Avoiding the knife in my hand, she came in close and hugged me tight, and with my free arm I hugged her back just as hard.
“Are you okay?” Marshall asked. “Did you call the cops?”
“No,” I said. “I ran until I got here; then my parents were, well…my parents. I’ve been up here the rest of the time. Just trying to process it. Besides, my attacker sort of…disappeared.”
Rory pulled back from me, hands on my shoulders. “Um, what, now?”
I sat down on the couch, put the knife away, and told them the story from beginning to end, showing them the few sketches I had produced—the symbol on the man’s hand, his face, the alley where he should have caught up with me but instead disappeared. Well, flew away was what it had sounded like, but I didn’t share that.
“This is my fault,” Rory said. “If I didn’t get you these classes for your birthday, just trying to get you out of your work head space, you wouldn’t have been out there in this asshole’s path.”
I shook my head. “Rory, are you kidding me? Outside of this whole encounter, these classes are what have kept me from falling into a full-on depression. That whole weirdness is just random, you know? You can’t live all your life in New York City without having at least one criminal act happen to you.”
“True,” Marshall said. “Although, technically I’ve already been mugged, like, three times, which is way above the norm. I guess I look nerdy enough to have a high-paying job or something. I make a great victim.” He put his arms halfheartedly in the air. “Go me!”
Rory laughed, but it was cut short by a cacophony of sound rising up from somewhere in Gramercy Park on the east side of the building—tree branches rustling and snapping, followed by a heavy
slap-thud
. All three of us jumped, turning to face the terrace.
“What the
hell
was that?” Marshall asked.
“The city that never sleeps,” I said, grabbing my boots and heading out the French doors.
We came down the fire escape and hit the bottom of the alley at a run, lights coming on in all the buildings along the edges of Gramercy Park. I stepped out onto the sidewalk, a small crowd of passersby already gathering along the north side of it.
“What is it?” Marshall asked, as we headed up the west side of my block.
“I’m not sure,” I said, stopping once we hit the corner. The gathering crowd stood at the gate peering into the darkness of the park itself. “I think they see something, but they can’t get in.”
I started toward them with Marshall, but Rory grabbed my arm and pulled me back around the corner. It took Marshall a second to notice I wasn’t next to him anymore, and he spun awkwardly in his tracks and ran back to join us, jumpy. “We don’t want to go with the crowd?”
Rory shook her head.
Marshall peeked back around the corner of the black wrought-iron fence. “Do you think they saw me?” he asked, nervous. “That looked normal, right? I mean, people turn around and walk away all the time, right?”
Rory hit him in the arm. “Relax, crazy pants,” she said. “You acting normal would actually
draw
attention.”
“Why’d you stop us?” I asked.
Rory gave a dark smile, then nodded down the block to the south corner before taking off at a slow jog. “I hate crowds. Come on, Lex. You still have your key?”
“Yeah,” I said, breaking into a run after her.
“Good,” she called back over her shoulder.
“What key?” Marshall called out behind me.
I spun, grabbed his arm, and pulled him after me. He stumbled forward but managed to fall in next to me as the two of us watched Rory turn the corner heading around to the south side of the park.
“Gramercy’s a private park,” I said.
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