everything. He walked around back and I heard him shout.
“Damn it. Well, give me a sec to change this. I have to get the jack in the back and we will be on the way in no time,” he said, kneeling next to the flat tire.
“Ok,” I replied, getting out of my seat.
I don’t think he had noticed where we had stopped and I wanted to keep a lookout while Eugene was trying to get the car off the ground. This really wasn’t the best place to get a flat tire. The lone working street light overhead flickered in and out of life as the moths fluttered around it, throwing ominous shadows on the concrete walls that were heavily covered in gang signs and graffiti. Overhead, the subway roared past, rumbling the tracks and sending a small amount of dust floating down and shaking the ground. Something warm hit me on the shoulder and made me jump. I reached over and felt where whatever it was had hit me. It looked like something black and it felt sticky. I turned to go get a napkin and a glint of red from whatever it was on my finger caught my eye. I was completely puzzled as to what it was when a gust of wind from another train blew steam coming from a nearby manhole my way. When it cleared, I saw her. I never heard her approach, but I’d never forget her voice.
“Hi,” she giggled. She was very young, I’d guess maybe twelve or eleven, with red curly hair down her back and dimples that would put Shirley Temple to shame. Her head was tilted to one side like I was some fascinating toy, her scarlet eyes unblinking, unnerving me. She tilted her head to the other side as if another angle would show her something new. Her white top, red skirt, and big red hair bow matched her scarlet eyes.
“Uh, hi,” I said, trying to keep fear out of my voice. Normally I wouldn’t be scared of a little kid, however, there was something cold about this one.
“Are you lost?” asked Eugene, not feeling the same sense of danger that had my heart racing.
“No, I’m not lost, but I think we can help you.” The little girl giggled.
“We? Aren’t you alone?” I asked.
“You know, it’s not safe to be out late like this. It’s your lucky day we came along,” came a much deeper male voice; somehow he had gotten very close to me without me noticing. He took a long, thin, grimy finger and swept my hair aside to get a better look at my face. He looked into my eyes and I could see my reflection in his black ones. He grinned a smile of yellowing teeth, all but a single canine that glinted in the dim light. There was a hole where the other should be. A horrible smell slowly arose from his clothes, which were covered in dark brown stains and other dirt. The smell drew my eyes to his hand where he clutched a dead rat.
“Hey, don’t touch her,” Eugene yelled, standing and balling up his fist, which would have normally been a threat, but Eugene was visibly shaking.
“Calm down little boy, I’m not going to hurt her,” the male said, now next to Eugene. “I find that girls don’t taste as good,” he whispered into Eugene’s ear, licking his lips while running that same finger across Eugene’s neck. He grabbed onto Eugene’s wrist as he flinched away, tossing the rat to the curb.
“Let go of him!” I screamed, taking a step forward, but was blocked by an older girl.
“Where are you going, sweetie?” asked a female voice, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me closer to her. Her other hand was on my cheek, forcing me to look into
“Damn it. Well, give me a sec to change this. I have to get the jack in the back and we will be on the way in no time,” he said, kneeling next to the flat tire.
“Ok,” I replied, getting out of my seat.
I don’t think he had noticed where we had stopped and I wanted to keep a lookout while Eugene was trying to get the car off the ground. This really wasn’t the best place to get a flat tire. The lone working street light overhead flickered in and out of life as the moths fluttered around it, throwing ominous shadows on the concrete walls that were heavily covered in gang signs and graffiti. Overhead, the subway roared past, rumbling the tracks and sending a small amount of dust floating down and shaking the ground. Something warm hit me on the shoulder and made me jump. I reached over and felt where whatever it was had hit me. It looked like something black and it felt sticky. I turned to go get a napkin and a glint of red from whatever it was on my finger caught my eye. I was completely puzzled as to what it was when a gust of wind from another train blew steam coming from a nearby manhole my way. When it cleared, I saw her. I never heard her approach, but I’d never forget her voice.
“Hi,” she giggled. She was very young, I’d guess maybe twelve or eleven, with red curly hair down her back and dimples that would put Shirley Temple to shame. Her head was tilted to one side like I was some fascinating toy, her scarlet eyes unblinking, unnerving me. She tilted her head to the other side as if another angle would show her something new. Her white top, red skirt, and big red hair bow matched her scarlet eyes.
“Uh, hi,” I said, trying to keep fear out of my voice. Normally I wouldn’t be scared of a little kid, however, there was something cold about this one.
“Are you lost?” asked Eugene, not feeling the same sense of danger that had my heart racing.
“No, I’m not lost, but I think we can help you.” The little girl giggled.
“We? Aren’t you alone?” I asked.
“You know, it’s not safe to be out late like this. It’s your lucky day we came along,” came a much deeper male voice; somehow he had gotten very close to me without me noticing. He took a long, thin, grimy finger and swept my hair aside to get a better look at my face. He looked into my eyes and I could see my reflection in his black ones. He grinned a smile of yellowing teeth, all but a single canine that glinted in the dim light. There was a hole where the other should be. A horrible smell slowly arose from his clothes, which were covered in dark brown stains and other dirt. The smell drew my eyes to his hand where he clutched a dead rat.
“Hey, don’t touch her,” Eugene yelled, standing and balling up his fist, which would have normally been a threat, but Eugene was visibly shaking.
“Calm down little boy, I’m not going to hurt her,” the male said, now next to Eugene. “I find that girls don’t taste as good,” he whispered into Eugene’s ear, licking his lips while running that same finger across Eugene’s neck. He grabbed onto Eugene’s wrist as he flinched away, tossing the rat to the curb.
“Let go of him!” I screamed, taking a step forward, but was blocked by an older girl.
“Where are you going, sweetie?” asked a female voice, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me closer to her. Her other hand was on my cheek, forcing me to look into
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