Running Ruth
Jackson
Gasping for breath, her chest
heaving with every stride, a young girl looks for an escape route. Her brown
hair streaked with maroon swishing back and forth as she dashes through the
halls of Penn Station in New York City.
A man twice her age tried to charm
her on the train ride from Boston. She first ignored him, but he kept talking
to her, so she finally gave in and attempted to make small talk with him. The
conversation abruptly ended when he asked for her phone number. She gently told
him that he was too old for her. That’s when the man’s demeanor changed
altogether. Instead of just what seemed like a bored old man looking for some
conversation, he turned into a man on a mission for a mistress. He had confided
in her that he had left his wife of fifteen years a couple months ago. He had
finally got a job in New York and was moving there hence the reason he was on
the train. When she told him she wasn’t interested he grabbed her arm with such
force she could feel his fingers touching her radius. She wanted to scream but
was too scared. She never liked to make a scene but this time she may just have
to. The man’s eyes had become fierce and dark almost like a wolf. She honestly
didn’t know what to do.
I wish I had mace
But she doesn’t. All she can do is
pray. Now, she is running for her life. The halls of Penn Station are dim and
empty.
It was almost midnight when the
train finally rumbled into the station. There was no one to help her; no one to
save her from this mad man. She could hear him charging through the halls
behind her. She looked back as she turned yet another corner in the maze and
saw nothing. She knew she wasn’t safe until she got home. It had been so long
since she was in Penn Station she couldn’t remember how to get to the street.
Of course I had to
tell my parents that I can get myself home
So there was no one to pick her up.
No one would be waiting for her in Penn Station. She was on her own.
Good thing I’m wearing
my sneakers
Not even a minute later, after that
thought crossed her mind, she tripped down the stairs and landed with a thud
right on her behind. She stifled whimper and forced her threatening tears to
stay in her tear ducts instead of dripping down her sweaty face. Quickly she
re-tied her sneakers and wiped her dirty face.
Her arm is a still a bit red from
when the man grabbed her. She can still feel the burn on her forehead from when
he hit her. Her roots are also screaming at her from when he yanked.
Gathering her duffel bag and purse
she sets off running again. She wishes with all her might that a train
conductor or office employees are still around. Again, she looked back. Now,
she couldn’t even hear him. She slows down to a fast trot, still on edge,
looking for the streets of New York, so she can disappear from this awful
nightmare. She sniffled again and wiped her nose on her sleeve.
All of a sudden she hears a loud
yell. It’s that man, he found her again. This time his eyes are round, as big
as half dollars. Sweat is dripping down causing sweat patches on his polo
shirt. He reminds her of an angry bull; a very angry one. She hastily turns on
her heel and sprints toward the nearest door.
I have to get out of
here!
She rams her body into it, but it is locked.
Panicked, she tries the next door and the next. None would open. Finally, the
last door opens, but instead of the street, it leads to stairs leading upward.
She takes them two, three at a time. As soon as she gets to the next floor, she
hears the doors downstairs slam open, hitting the wall with a crash. She
continues to run through more hallways and comes to a lobby area with seats.
“Casey!”
She turns startled. There in the
half light stands her best friend, Tyrell. He smiled at her, but eyebrows
furrow when he realized her state.
“What’s going
on?”
They heard a crash from down the
hallway and Casey ran toward Tyrell pulling him down to the floor behind the
plastic seats. She covers his mouth with her hand.
“Shhhh!”
They listen in silence. Within a
few moments of intense listening on their part, the man comes galloping into
the room. He doesn’t even stop, but instead continues to run through another
set of doors out of sight. The silence returns. After counting to fifty, the
twosome stand up slowly staring at the doors the man ran through moments
before. After what seems like an eternity, Casey breathes a sigh of relief. She
then turns and gives Tyrell a huge bear hug and hangs on tight as if she might
never let go.
“Thank you!”
Tyrell smiles and waits for her to
pull away before asking, “So, who was that guy?”
“Can I tell you in the car? I just
need to get home.”
Casey’s breathing slowly goes back
to normal. Her face turning back to its original color as relaxes.
“No problem.”
He picks up her duffel bag, puts a
comforting arm around her and they head out.
I didnt actually dream after the part where I fell. I used my imagination while awake to finish it.
I might come up with a better ending later if I want to publish this at some point....
I might come up with a better ending later if I want to publish this at some point....
