These Streets (715 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 2 on 14 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by User # 585 (View user info) at 2006-03-24 00:38:59 EST
The streetlamp hummed and flickered to life as the sun lowered itself from the sky. The sky darkening from burning orange to purple velvet...
"Wow that's really shitty," Kaitlyn complained to no one in particular, "those nazi's will -2 me for sure".
"I don't know why you subject yourself to that intellectual punishment everyday, I mean seriously why do you value the opinions of those geeks anyways."
"Bren, some of them are really good writers and provide good feedback on improving my own skills. I look it at as a path to a better future. I mean if I can write a good book one and get published I will be able to afford to write my stories full time and no more working for someone else. I just need to get a good story."
The grey divider wobbled and tilted slightly as Brenda leaned heavily on it to pluck a sweet from Kaitlyn's candy dish.
"Why do you always get the Snickers? I like Three Musketeers better."
"ADD moment again Bren?" Kaitlyn chuckled to herself, Brenda was well known in the office for her herbal lunches.
"What?" asked innocently as she peeled the wrapper from the tiny "Fun-Size" candy bar.
"We we're talking about my writing and why I can't stand working here."
"You call surfing the Internet, writing those overly descriptive stories, and browsing Myspace for Mr. Rightnow...you call that work?"
"I do my job, I just get it done quickly and it leaves me alot of free time on the job."
"Well why not ask for more work, maybe get a raise or a promotion, something worthwhile rather than chasing a silly dream about being a novelist?"
"I'd rather chase a dream, than live in futility."
"Who said that?"
"I did."
"I mean who said it originally?"
"I did, just now, you twit."
"Well it sounded like it was a famous quote or something, you know, all profound like."
"Thank you!"
"But because you said it, just makes it pretentious."
"Whatever..." Kaitlyn sighed and whispered to herself "at least I'm not a bitch."
"What was that?" Brena asked with ire.
"I said "I wondered which..." and then you interruppted me," Kaitlyn evaded deftly.
"Wondered which what?"
"Why you like Three Musketeers better than Snickers?"
"Well...I've always had this fantasy since I was a little girl about The Three Musketeers coming to rescue me."
"Aww...that's so sweet."
"As I got older, my fantasy matured a bit though, now I get rescued, and I reward all three of them at once."
"Ewww eww eww eww...stop... that's so gross."
"What, doing three guys at once? How is that gross?"
"Well one of them has to be in your pooper...and that's just...really uncomfortable."
"That's because your too uptight and worry too much, if you relax it's not that bad."
"How did we go from candy bars to butt sex?"
"You wanted to know why I liked Three Musketeers...so why do you like Snickers Kait?"
"Because it satisfies."
"Ok that was really bad Kait...Hey you gonna finish that?" Brenda asked pointing to a rolled up half eaten sub.
"It's my dinner and no you can't have it."
Brenda groaned and rolled her eyes and sat back down to finish her after lunch snack.
---
The streetlamp hummed and flickered to life as Kaitlyn walked undeneath it, the chill spring air clouding her breath as she headed home for the night. A light breeze scuttled and scurried bits of paper and dry leaves beside her, her heels tapping the concrete as she increased her pace as the wind stole her warmth.
Kaitlyn shivered slightly as stopped at the corner. It was only a ten block walk from her office to her walkup, but still she always felt a little nervous when she got to this intersection. This particular always seemed a bit run down and signs of urban blight abounded. The old red brick buildings loomed forbiddingly...
"It's just a trick of the mind...there's nothing there...nothing to be afraid...you're a big girl you shouldn't be jumping at shadows." she said aloud to ease her anxiety.
She crossed the street to the side with the vacant lot to avoid the unlit alleyway. The lot was more like a park than a building site, it had been so long since anyone had built there, trees had come in. A few years back some community group had a clean up the city day and cleaned up all the garbage that had accumlated.
"Fat lot of good that did..."
"Fat lof of good what did miss?" a gruff voice sounded from the shadows beside her.
Kaitlyn shrieked and jumped dropping her bag spilling its contents across the sidewalk, a dirty hand came out of the darkness and it was attached to a small raggedy looking man.
"I'm not gonna hurt ya miss, I didn't mean to startle ya, here let me help you with that."
"No, no its ok... I can get it." Kaitlyn said quickly as scrambled to regain all her stuff.
She bent down quickly and picked up her phone, keys, and looked for the rest of her sandwich from lunch. She looked around and saw it in the grizzled man's hand.
He stood maybe 5'7" tall and was lean and wiry, his faded clothes told the tale of his time outdoors. His shaggy hair was a mixture of gray and blonde and was blowing in the slight breeze. The most striking feature about this man was his yellow eyes. Piercing and intense the gaze from this man made her heart stutter fear.
"Here's your sandwich miss." he held out his hand an offered it to her.
"No thanks, you can have it...I'm I'm I'm uhm..."
"You're nervous, a little bit scared, and..." he paused thoughtfully and then leaned in close and whispered, "and you peed yourself a little."
He leaned towards her and smiled hugely and started to laugh.
"Thanks for the sandwich miss, and don't you go being afraid anymore on these streets, you're one of mine now and the streets are yours."
He howled up at into the sky and was answered by others in the distant dark.
Kaitlyn relaxed as she realized that he may be insane...he was harmless...and she howled with him.
"Feels good to just let loose like that doesn't it miss?"
"Ya know what..it sure does," she howled again louder and more confident, this time he and the others off in the distant dark joined her.
---
"So gave him your sandwich and you howled with him...you just stood there on the street and howling with a crazy homeless guy."
"Yeah Bren, it was so surreal, and the rest of the walk home I felt safe in a way I haven't felt since I was a little girl. That sense of safety you feel when you finally get to your inside your door, but I felt it the whole way home."
"You're lucky...I don't even feel safe at home when my roomates are gone, I don't know how you can live alone. This city sucks."
"Yeah but home is where ya make it, if you can thrive there so much the better."
---
The streetlamp hummed and flickered, Kaitlyn kicked lightly at the metal pole and it made a satisfying noise. The brisk night air filled her lungs with vitality, and she walked fearlessly.
She didn't cross the street in fear of the unlit alley. She defiantly stood at the mouth of the alleyway and howled and was tickled to hear in the distant dark the answering cries.
The hair on the back of her neck abruptly stood on end she felt like she was being watched.
Two pairs of eyes of watched Kaitlyn from the darkness of the alley.
"Did she see us?"
"Fuck if I know, maybe she's just crazy or something."
"Why that bitch howling like that."
"Who knows man... let's stick to the plan, you cut around back behind the buildings and cut her off at the street, I'll come behind her an she won't have anywhere to go, no one around to hear her scream."
Even deeper in the shadows a pair of yellow eyes watched them.
---
It happened so fast Kaitlyn didn't even have time to scream before she was dragged down under the streetlight.
She struggled and kicked, all the fear she had been ignoring rushed back in a primal terror.
"Damnit bitch, quit struggling, don't make this so hard on yourself," one of the punks laughed as he punched her in the chin.
Kaitlyn saw stars and her ears rung from the blow to her chin but continued to fight.
A piercing howl wailed into the night.
"What you boys doing with my girl?" growled the man with the yellow eyes.
"Beat it old man...before you get hurt" warned the first youth.
"These are our streets old man, we do whatever we want round here. This here's our turf."
"Your turf...YOUR turf..." the man with yellow eyes barked with laughter and he cut off abruptly, "That's where yer wrong boys, these streets are ours."
The old man howled and was answered a dozen times over, from the not so distant dark.
"What the fuck was that?"
"That, boy was me ringing the dinner bell..."
The streetlamp hummed and flickered out for a moment, when the light returned dozens of yellow eyes crept closer to the circle of light...
---
"So did you hear about the two bodies they found torn apart in the alley, they're saying on the news it must have been an illegal dog fighting ring or some kind of gang initiation gone wrong...Kait...Hey Kait are you listening to me?" Brenda asked from inside the stall.
"Yeah I heard you, I don't want to think about it, that place is on my way home." she shuddered inwardly at the memory of the coyotes tearing the two boys apart.
Kaitlyn studied her brown eyes in the mirror, the golden yellow flecks were new, but they made her feel safe.
User Reviews
Submitted by Kale (user info) at 2006-03-25 01:49:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by viciousthawts (user info) at 2006-03-25 01:23:09 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
This story was incredible. Well written, just needs to be proofread a little bit. Other than that, I enjoyed it a lot.
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2006-03-25 00:48:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by ih8u2man (user info) at 2006-03-24 16:39:32 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
leilani has a headache, please send whiskey.
Submitted by DCWoody (user info) at 2006-03-24 14:33:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Good to see ya again. Well metaphorically see you.
Submitted by beer-turtle (user info) at 2006-03-24 10:14:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Thanks Razor, I been away but I pop up from time to time.
This wasn't about werewolves...
Submitted by simple_catalyst (user info) at 2006-03-24 09:57:22 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
nice.
Submitted by Razor (user info) at 2006-03-24 07:41:14 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Turtle, this message is for you: http://www.ubersite.com/m/85749
Submitted by Ballare (user info) at 2006-03-24 06:51:48 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Does this story symbolize Über?
Does it?
I know it does.
Well written and enjoyable.
Submitted by Nellypaal (user info) at 2006-03-24 06:08:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
If you're looking for feedback to help your writing, then I'm sorry.
All I've got is, 'this was good'.
Submitted by Razor (user info) at 2006-03-24 05:43:20 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Heh. I did Vampires, you did Werewolves. What's next?
Submitted by wardy (user info) at 2006-03-24 04:11:17 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
i don't sleep, i'm a ZOMBIEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
did i scare you? no? fuck....
Submitted by beer-turtle (user info) at 2006-03-24 02:20:30 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Probably because most people sleep at night...
and because my last submission was way late on the mock Brokeback train and a big ball of shit to boot.
When I try to be witty or funny...I fail, when I write about something that comes to mind or get inspired by little snips here and there (this one was inspired by Urban Coyote's) I do ok.
Submitted by r0fl (user info) at 2006-03-24 01:49:58 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Why doesn't this have any other reviews?
I enjoyed.