The Grizzly, Shrieking Encounter/s

Bellezza

Ezza

—

"Hey! You!"

'Is he talking to me?' That was what I thought in my mind. I mean, he can't be, right?

I continued walking, my pace picking up as my skirt gently flew from my brisk walk. I could feel my heartbeat growing at a pace with each step I was taking forward. I heard footsteps close to me— following me even. 'Am I about to die?'

My knees were slowly softening, my palms were clamping, and my chin trembling. Horror was how I'd describe it, but that was not even close enough. I kept repeating 'please, it can't be me' inside my head, muttering it even.

My surroundings were quiet and lonely, all of a sudden. The once busy street was now emptied of people or stores— everything just disappeared around me. I tried to tell myself that it was all in my head and this was actually not happening in real life— but I was more than wrong.

A foggy black smoke slowly hugged me in, and all of a sudden my skin felt cold. I felt empty, as if I was about to faint.

Just as when I was about to turn, a hand— a warm hand— stopped me from doing so. It was rough, calloused, and sharp. It felt sharp, at least. 

And before I got the chance to run, I was turned around by the same hand. The same scary robber's hands. 

'That's it, I'm going to die!'

I closed both of my eyes and pressed my lips together. My mind is clouded with scary versions of my possible death. I am not yet ready to die—

"Miss! You dropped this," 

'I didn't want to die like this…'

"Hello? Miss!"

'Did the killer just call me Miss?' I was startled by the voice that I opened my eyes widely. 'How come I'm not bleeding yet?'

"Are you okay?" The voice asked calmly, it was soothing and smooth, "I just wanted to give this back to you."

It was just then that I was pulled back again into reality. My heart was still beating at a really fast pace that I could suffer from a heart attack instead. I was unmoving at first, until the same voice snapped me out of it.

"Did— did I scare you?"

I looked at the robber— the person— who's been holding my arms for the past 5 minutes. He doesn't even look close to a robber. He was tall and glowing.

"Oh– uh NO!" I exclaimed, my eyes still wide and about to pop out any second. "I mean, no, you didn't scare me ha–ha."

The laugh was probably faker than fake. He did scare me to the highest level, but I'm not going to tell him that because he might just kill me for real.

"I'm glad I didn't," he lightly chuckled, hinting that he knows that he scared me, "I meant no harm, I just wanted to give this back to you."

He handed me a paper— my eviction notice. 'well, isn't that embarrassing!' This nice guy just saw that I'm basically going to be homeless soon. Not wasting any second, I grabbed the paper and hid it inside my folder. 

'How come I never noticed it slip out!'

"Thanks! Thank you, Sir. I– I really needed that paper."

"I noticed," he said seriously this time.

I grew red and avoided eye contact with him. Not only did I make a fool out of myself for running away from the kind sir— paranoid and crazy, I also announced, unwillingly, that I was going homeless.

“Well uh- I gotta get going,” I announced, simply taking my arm out of his grasp when I felt something sharp scratch my skin, “Ahhh!”

When I looked at my arm, I saw that it was bleeding. ‘How can this guy’s nails be so sharp?’

It didn’t look like a deep and long cut, but it was definitely bleeding really bad. I looked up at the guy, but he was already gone. This made me furrow my eyebrows as my face became evident with confusion.

When I couldn’t find him anywhere, I searched my bag for any handkerchief I could use to wipe the blood off and also to stop it from bleeding. ‘How can he just leave?’, but I didn’t dwell on it too much, and just decided to go about my day. 

The arc above me says 'Calesa La Casa'. The wide arc welcomed me like a warm hug. Its brown-orange colored bricks tower over the road. I am finally here. 

I looked at the busy street before me. This was the busiest time in the town, so I can't help but shake a little. I wasn't very fond of the crowd or people in general, but what choice do I have?

'I can do this. Let the job haunting begin!" I muttered under my breath and let the crowd swallow me whole.

A few walks later, I found a hiring shop. The first shop I went to had marble vases outside its glass window. These were filled with silk arrangements as walk-in coolers filled with fresh flowers and live house plants could be seen everywhere. Marjorie and Kian's Flower Shop.

When I went inside, I was greeted by the earthy scent of flowers and soil, the counter bell ring, and the cashier being opened. It was peaceful and I would love to work here.

This flower shop I saw was at the corner of the street, which is why I made my way toward it, and as I did the people that were looking at the flowers suddenly walked away.

"Hey sir, didn't you like the flower?" a purple-haired lady holding a bouquet said. 

"No thanks, I've changed my mind," the guy said, eyeing me before walking off.

"But sir, it was already prepared for you! Sir!" the girl, who I think is the owner of the flower shop, continued but the guy just raised and shook his hand in the air as if he was saying no.

The owner slumped her shoulders and was about to make her way back to assist other customers when she saw me silently standing beside her. Her shoulder raised and a scowl made its way to her face. She pointed the finger of her free hand at me.

"It's you! Get away from my store! Bad LUCK!" she said loudly as she started to gain attention from the nearby customers. She shooed me away with both her hands and took a step forward. 

"Ma'am, I just want to-," I said but I was immediately cut off by her.

"NO! Go away or I'm calling the authorities on you," She added, I can almost see smoke coming out of her ears. 

As I didn't want to press the issue, even more, I quickly backed away and started to walk in the opposite direction of where the stores were supposed to be, to where jobs were supposed to be. Saying that I'm embarrassed is an understatement, I wasn't even doing anything wrong and yet people hate me. As I thought earlier about this job hunting, nothing.

I walked further to the less busy part of the city, but there were still lots of people that were there. I looked down, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes or just not wanting them to see me. I don't want any more drama, I don't think I can handle it.

I looked at the cut on my arm, it has stopped bleeding for a bit, but you can still see marks of the blood on it. ‘This day couldn’t get any better, huh’

Deep in thought I couldn't hear or see anything around me causing a guy to bump into my right side. I felt as if I dislocated my shoulder.

I must have taken him by surprise as well, making him bump into me really hard. The force was too big that it made me land on my side, and it happened all so painfully. I hissed and held my left arm which was sandwiched between me and the ground just a few seconds ago. My arms just got double homicide by two people.

The guy who bumped into me crouched down and helped me up, saying his apologies repeatedly. 

“I’m so sorry, Lady. I wasn’t looking at where I was going.”

I looked at the person who bumped into me, a 6' ft tall black-haired guy with pale skin and sun-redd eyes stared back at me. ‘What is with guys hurting me ‘unintentionally’ today?’

“Oh, you’re fine,” I blinked at him, getting lost for a moment, “I should be sorry, I wasn’t looking either.”  

“Are you alright, though?” He asked, giving me and my arms a quick scan, “hey, you’ve got a cut.”

“THAT’S FINE! Oh- I mean, it’s fine, it wasn’t from the fall,” I defensively said, pointing towards the ground and my arm- signaling that it wasn’t because of the bumping accident.

“Are you sure? Because it’s bleeding, lady,” he asked as he examined my arms carefully.

“Wait a sec- This is not a normal cut,” he said, his eyes kind of glowing and squinting.

“What do you me-”

“Do not move an inch, I will be back, lady.”

My face grew confused once more. 

I didn't like the vibes I was getting from everyone I'm bumping into right now. So I got up and dusted myself off, I'm not done job hunting yet.

I started walking towards the far end of the street. As the dead started to near me, my hope and patience were the same. I was starting to lose hope that maybe I'm just meant to be thrown and left out.

However, a specific store caught my eye. Covered in oakwood, with a bright white written above its door "Verna Malita". It has vintage magazines and newspapers displayed from the outside.

"Well, I might as well give you a try," I said to myself as I walked limply towards the shop.