The slapping of her shoes on the slippery sidewalk and her heavy panting couldn't be heard over the thunder. Sarah quickly looked over her shoulder. She ran through the empty streets of the city, not knowing where to go. She shivered, rounding a corner and stopped behind a dumpster, trying to calm her breathing. Sarah worked a night shift at the 24 hour drive-thru a couple blocks away, at least she thought it was.

After work, she was walking to her apartment when she felt as if someone was following her. After she turned a corner and he followed, she knew she was and ran. Sarah knew not to go to her apartment, but she couldn't go back to work, and her being 'anti-social', like her mother used to say, she had no friends. Now, she wished so bad that she did.

Loud footsteps made Sarah's senses alert. How she could hear them over the distant thunder was far from her mind. Her heartbeats were blending together. As she heard the steps coming closer, she forced her breathing to slow. Sarah didn't know what the man wanted but he definitely wouldn't stop til' he got it.

His footsteps started receding. Sarah took the chance and bolted from her spot, down the ally. She was growing tired again. She's been running from him for at least an hour, that's how she knew he wouldn't stop. Heavy footsteps started behind her, causing her to speed up as much as she could.

She ran into another ally and stopped to search for a hiding spot. She had three choices; the old car body, a big pile of boxes, and a full dumpster. The slapping steps were getting closer. She jogged forward, noticing a big soaked coat laying in the dumpster. Grabbing it, she saw it was huge, big enough to cover her petite body.

She was already soaked to the bone and if it would help her, she was prepared to do it. Noticing a man curled up next to the dumpster with a tarp pulled over him, she smiled and curled up next to him and pulled the coat over her. The homeless man was probably on drugs, drunk, or something that helped him sleep through this storm. She made her breathing shallow and forced her body to relax.

The steps ran passed her and faded. Once she was sure he was gone, she stood and pulled out $15 and slid it under the tarp. She knew he would most likely spend it on drugs or whatever, but Sarah didn't care. She ran around the corner and saw the familiar buildings, she was close to her apartment building.

Sarah noticed a fire escape where her neighbor's apartment was. The rusty latter was down, it was her chance. She ran over and started to climb. The peeling paint and rust was rough on her hands but she ignored it. She got to the first platform. Suddenly, lightning struck the ground below, scaring Sarah, causing her to let go of the latter.

It happened so fast, her hair flew in her face, her voice came out loud, screaming as she fell. Sarah landed with a umph. "Gotcha." A deep voice said, the wall next to her vibrating. She gasped, her eyes shooting open. Sarah then realized, as the world started to move, that the man she was running from had caught her and was now taking her somewhere.

She started struggling against the man's hold. She felt something prick her arm and the world started to fade. The last thing she saw was a black shiny door open, and the gray interior of a car.