Bells are ringing

// She cursed herself for allowing her boss to convince her to stay late. Too many shipments arriving at the same time and of course all of them had to be processed that very day. The store expected to receive the unusually high amount of boxes but they didn't expect it to arrive all on the same day. Each boxed item had to be carefully unpacked, the slips had to be checked against the item inside, marked off, and then repackaged everything back.


With her head straight forward and her eyes trained at her feet she walks. Her shadow bounces with each step she takes. No one is out on this lonely misty evening not even the homeless man who “owns” the Third Street Corner. // The man had fallen on hard times due to his drug habit which in turn caused him to lose his job and eventually his home as well. She gave him food whenever she had any to spare but refused to give him money in fear that he would go and buy drugs. She feared she would find his frozen body in the morning.

She silently cursed to herself for not letting Jack give her a ride home. It’s only five blocks she said, what could possibly happen in five blocks? A question that tonight would be answered unfavorably in her case. Annie was a small woman in every direction almost child like from her head down to her toes.

Bells jangled somewhere faraway probably from a wind chime. She could feel someone watching her from behind, trying to shrug off the odd sensation that gradually teased it’s way down her spine sending her into an involuntary shudders fill her body. Pushing the unwanted thoughts out of her head, she extended her strides in the direction of home. Two blocks left. She needed to get milk for her room mate, only one store open the Quick n Shop, detour she went to the grocery store.

Milk in hand she continues on her journey home. The continuous feeling of something not quite right wouldn’t leave her. A block from her home she dug frantically in her purse for her keys. Finding them between yesterday’s gum wrappers and her cell she yanked them out and gripped the pepper spray till her knuckles turned white.

A few more steps and then your home. The voice in her head reassured her. Quickening her strides she walked into her building giving a hasty greeting to the doorman made her way up to her apartment. She was just about to put the keys into the keyhole when it slid open; standing was her roommate phone in hand.

“Becky next door said there was a murder outside. A woman was killed; they wrapped bells around her neck.”