Welcome Back

Welcome Back

The cool summer breeze blew through the taxi cab’s windows allowing the smell of freshly cooked hot dogs, diesel fuel, and blossoming flowers to enter my nostrils. I inhaled the pleasing scents with a bright smile on my face. It’s been five years since I’ve been in this city. I wonder if anything has changed; I unbuckled my seat-belt and placed my head out into the open air. I heard the chubby taxi driver chuckle at my childish move, but I didn’t care, I was returning home!

My eyes rolled from side-to-side watching every landmark, skyscraper, and person pass the little yellow taxi. Everyone seemed to be in their own world as they strolled up and down the busy streets. Without looking I reached into my black duffel bag, pulled out my silver camera, and began taking pictures of everything I saw.

My Mother told me to take a plane into the city…but then I’d loose out on all the scenery! Why would I want to miss out on this?! I asked myself as two men casually walked up to two blond women and started flirting with them, to my excitement, the blonds turned the poor men down with a simple flick of their platinum locks. I couldn’t hold back a giggle, their faces were priceless! I looked away from the “heart-stricken” boys and found myself glazing at the sunset. The clouds began to hide the dazzling golden sun, like a protecting wall, causing hues of orange and scarlet to cover the sky beautifully.

“Oh no.” I heard the taxi driver say in a strained voice.

“What’s wrong?” I drew my head back into the, now speeding, cab.

His gray eyes looked at me through his rear view mirror and growled, “This is not good. Not good at all!” He began to swerve around every car as if they were barely moving!

The tires squealed against the tar as he peeled out of a main street. My body was tossed to the other side of the back seat. He didn’t even give me time to put my god forsaken seat beat on! “Slow down! You’re going to get us killed if you keep driving like this!” I yelled at him.

The cab took another tight turn around a narrow alleyway. “My driving is the least of your problems Lady if we are stuck out here when the sun goes down!” He snarled out in disgust his eyes frantically looking back and forth between the receding sun and the road.

My eyes narrowed at him. What’s his issue? A city is meant to have people out at night! Why would…? I felt myself hurl forward into the front passenger seat. “What the hell is wrong with you?! Do you not know how to drive?! What’s the rush anyways?!” I yelled as I peeled myself off the back of the seat. I stared at the driver’s seat, ready to give that driver a piece of my mind…but he was gone!

I jumped out of the taxi, slammed my heels onto the asphalt ground, and cupped my hands around my mouth. “Where do you think you’re going?!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as the plump looking man continued running down the road.

“You’re on your own woman!” I heard him yell.

“Gah! What is up with that guy?! Who leaves someone in an alleyway all alone?!” My nostrils flared and I kicked the closest hubcap with every ounce of strength I had. Now what am I suppose to do?! I felt a growl crawl up my throat. I took a deep breath in, counted to ten, and exhaled; I’ll get someone else to help me. That’s all I had to do right? Just find someone and they could help me, then I’d be on my way. With a shrug of my shoulders I shut the back seat car doors and got into the drivers seat. Might as well find someone I guess…
* *

Turns out that finding someone to help me was a lot harder than I thought. I drove into the heart of the city and it was vacant! How is that possible? This is a city for god’s sakes! Why would it look like a ghost town before seven o’clock?! Nothing was making sense! The streets were full of life less than an hour ago, now, dust clouds swept across the sidewalks!

I watched the colorful sky turn into a black abyss the only form of light was the crescent moon and a few stars that were sporadically placed everywhere. I don’t know what that guy is talking about, I thought with an unladylike snort, there is nothing here that could be scary! I felt laughter bubble inside me. I couldn’t help myself! The preposterous fact that this whole city cleared out before my middle school curfew was hysterical!

“Ah! Someone help!” My laughter came to a crashing halt when I heard someone screaming.

I pulled over and shut the car off. “Hello?!” I yelled back. I stood there for a few minutes waiting to hear the scream again. I guess I’m imagining it, I told myself, and made my way back into the car.

“Ahhhh!” There it was again! But this time, it was an ear piercing scream. I felt a shiver run up my spine. I spun around on my heel and stared at the direction in which the scream came from. “P-Please!” The voice sounded desperate now.

I looked back at the car and then back into the dark ominous streets. I could have listened to my gut, telling me to ignore the cries for help, turn right back around, and drive away like a smart person would do…but I didn’t. I took a deep breath and raced towards the voice that was, now, sobbing.

See…if I hadn’t followed the sounds from that desperate woman, I would have drove through the city and straight to my Aunt June’s house. I wouldn’t have a care in the world about what happened to the poor woman screaming…but if I did that…then I wouldn’t have discovered what I did…