Lately, the weather has been colder, even so, I can’t help but bounce down the empty streets.  Snow falls softly as I head to ‘Book and Tea’, a coffee shop that my crush, Patty had asked out to.  I grew closer to the coffee shop as cars raced past me on the road, some speeding.
    I spot Patty almost as soon as I enter the coffee shop, she is wearing a pair of blue jeans and a flannel.  Her golden-brown hair is curled but down, framing her grass-green eyes.  Walking up to my shorter date, she smiles up at me, her eyes seemingly sparkly.  I smile back, a nervous blush spreads across my face.
    “Hi, How are you, Rose?” Patty asks her voice, having a kind but happy tone.  My grin widens and my blush increases a little.
    “I’m great, and how are you, honey?” As I spoke my southern accent came through. 
    “I’m pretty good.”  Patty smiles even more, as does mine.  We quickly order our drinks paying for our own, then we find a place to sit.  We find a window both pretty quickly.  I try to make small talk but that quickly escalates into an awkward silence.  The server arrives providing us our two drinks.
    “So...What did you get?”  I ask, wanting to shake the muteness.
    “Oh, I got a caramel-chello, and you?” 
    “I got a vanilla frappuccino.”  The silence once again returns, awkwardness so heavy in the area that you could cut it with a knife.  Patty suddenly speaks up.
    “How about two truths and a lie?” I nodded agreeing with the idea.  “So… I have been to Paris, I grew up in a Catholic family, or I am Bi?” 
    I stop and think only for a moment before saying, “You haven’t been to Paris.”  She nodded telling me that I got it right.  We continue this game for another hour, joking and laughing.  
    I look up at the clock and tell her that I have to go now.  We say our goodbyes and exchange numbers.  Making it home, I collapse, sleep taking me almost immediately.
    I find myself in an air-conditioned car, music blasting so loud that the beat could be felt in my chest.  The smell of smoke and rot that makes me feel sick to my stomach.  Looking towards the driver's seat to see a teen with black oily hair, and bloodshot eyes.  The man had a nametag on his shirt, that seemed to be a uniform.  The nametag read Tony J. and had a local grocery store's logo on it.  
    The man starts to swear under his breath as he looks at the time, saying he was late.  I look towards the street once more.  The man starts to drive more crazily running a red light.  The sound of breaks being slammed, tire screeching, metal hitting metal, and plastic breaking fills the quiet night sky.  Then I wake up.
    I get up, grabbing my work uniform.  Quickly getting ready and getting my house keys.  I leave the house, locking the door behind me.  I stroll down the road to the bus stop, making it a few minutes early.  I silently scolded myself for forgetting my coat, as a shiver ran down my spin.  
The bus soon pulls up.  Getting on with almost no one on the bus, so  I plug my earphones into my phone and play the local news channel.    
    “Last night on Driftwood road a car piled up at 3:15 this morning.  This has yet to be cleared up so Driftwood road has been closed.  For more information go check out” I turn on my music app instead.
    I arrive at the Johns and Johns grocery store and put my stuff away before getting to my station.  
    “Hey Rose, do you think you can ask Mathew if he can work tonight?”  Jake, my coworker asks.  
    “Sure? Why?”  I ask, pulling my phone out to text Mathew.
    “One of the employees got into a car accident on his way here last night, he won’t make it tonight,”  Jake says.  
    “Mathew said he can,”  I reported to Jake.  Soon my shift ends, allowing me to go home.  I clean the house up, cook dinner, and text Patty before heading to bed.  
    The room was quiet except for the sound of running water.  It was dark, but every once in a while a headlight from a passing car would light up the kitchen.  The sound of breaking glass fills the room.  A human crawls into the kitchen a red gas can in their hand.  It was too dark to see who they were as they dumped gas around the small shop.  As they finish the trail of gas back towards the broken window, which they crawl back out.
    The next thing I know the room is no longer dark as a match hits the trail of gas.  The smell of burning coffee fills my nose.  Heat kisses my skin before I bolt upright in my bedroom.
    Trying to calm myself took me over two hours to do.  I called Jake telling him that I wouldn’t make it to work today.  Most of my day is spent cleaning the apartment.  I ended up eating a salad for dinner, unable to bring myself to light my stove.  Just as I go to take a shower after dinner but hear my phone going off.  
“Oh baby
When I'm apart from you
I just shut my eyes
All I have to do
Is dre-”
 Picking my phone up, Patty’s voice coming through my phone.
    “Hey, Patty what’s up?” I say into the phone.
    “Hey Rose, did you hear about Book and Tea burning down?  It awul, it was my mother's business. “ Patty says, her voice cracking, it sounded like she was going to break down into tears.  
    “Do you want to come over? Watch Disney or something?”  I speak softly.
    “Y-Yeah.” Patty's voice cracked.  I finish the conversation, then hop into the shower finishing quickly. I then set up a movie night, making popcorn and setting up some Disney movies.  Just as after finishing getting chocolate out of its hiding spot the doorbell rings.  I let Patty in.
We spend the rest of the night cuddling, watching different Disney and avenger movies, eventually falling asleep.   
I am on a darkened road, the lights on the road broken.  The road was empty all except for the packed cars and a homeless man was peacefully sleeping on a bench.  A cop car rolled down the road, no signs of a rush.  The silence was calming, the stars clear to see for once.  Clouds flowed across the sky, showing signs of a storm.   I am gently shaken awake by Patty.
“I made breakfast,”  Patty spoke softly.  Not much happened today, I went to work, Patty went home.  When I got home I made a quick dinner, took a shower, and got ready for bed.  I hear a knock on the door.  Opening it I find my neighbor Jenny.  
“Hey just wanted to warn you people have been getting robbed, and some badly hurt in the area.  Be careful and lock your door tonight.  Ok?”  I nod my head thanking her for the information, I wish her a safe night then go to bed.
The place I see is unusual, but not because of the uniqueness of the publicness of the area.  It was my home, in my living room.  I hear clicking from the front door, then a masked figure opens my front door.  I try to wake myself up but I can’t move.  The figure creeps down the hall to my bedroom, a knife in hand.  As the figure raises their hand to plunge the knife down I see a woman.  She had brown hair and eyes, a pair of white wings resting upon her back.  I felt pain spread across my chest as the figure raised and lowered the knife, their hood falling off.   It showed a face I know from my past, one which I never wished to see again.

Song- “Dream” by Shawn Mendes