From our writing propt about being slipped a note asking for help |
Help!!! 8:59am I only have 16 minutes to make it to work. Luckily the gym is close. I hurried up showered and dressed. As I’m grabbing my things from the locker a piece of paper fell. I picked it up and it read, HELP! I looked around to see who may have dropped the paper. The locker room was clear. I grabbed my things but couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was in real trouble. I’m going to be late, I know it. I get to my car when a woman pops up. Woman: it was me I need your help Me: what’s wrong? What can I do? Woman: I know that you work at the federal building, I need some protection for my kids and me. Me: What kind of protection? What’s going on? Woman: For 27 years I have been being followed by this dark creature. And now that I have children they are being followed. The police won’t help. Everyone thinks I’m crazy. But everywhere we go these dark creatures are following us. In my mind wondering why she is calling people creatures but something tells me this woman needs help. I look at my watch and I’m late. I made arrangements to meet with her at lunch time. Took her contact information just in case something came up and vowed to help her. As I climb in the car, she walks off looking around and seeming to argue with someone. That was clue number two that something was definitely wrong. I sped from the gym to my building and to my desk. Just as I was getting logged in, my boss showed up. Boss: We’re going to have to talk about this lateness Me: sir I would have been here on time, but this lady stopped me on the way here, asking for my help Boss: What was going on? Me: in short, her and her children are being followed and she’s scared. She says that the police don’t believe her. Boss: so what are you going to do? Me: I was going to ask you to go with me and maybe someone else at lunch to meet her and take a statement and get details. Boss: Since it’s at lunch and I don’t have any working meetings, sure I can go. I don’t know about anyone else but, I’ll check into it. I thanked him. He scolded me one more time about being late and left to go do his own work. 12:00 came quickly. I called the lady to confirm our meeting. The sun had come out so I grabbed my shades. My boss and I left the building and crossed the street to the chipotle where we were meeting the woman. It was a nice day so We opted to eat outside. As we at we as question about these people, who they were, what they had to do with her and why she was afraid. Those answers led us nowhere. All she said was they have always been there. They don’t seem harmful. Just that they are always around. My boss and I looked at each other. Probably thinking the same thing. My boss excused himself to go to the rest room. That’s when it got strange. Woman: did you see that? Me: see what Woman: the man following him. Me: no he went in the building alone Woman no he didn’t I man dressed in all black followed him closely into the building. Now I knew she was nuts. No one was around him or even behind him. Me: ma’am are you ok I haven’t seen anyone Woman: I’m not crazy, someone’s following us right now. I start looking around. I don’t understand Me: where I don’t see no one. I jumped up and stood to the side. Woman: see there she is . Me who? Where is she? Woman: right there. Right there. I can’t believe you can’t see her Me: ma’am all I see is my shadow. There’s no person My boss walks up and asks what’s going on Me: I found out who’s been following her Boss: who? Where are they? Me it’s her Cotton picking shadow man!!! We wasted our lunch on a shadow. |