Abandoned by All I Took It All Back novel Chapter 325

Janina was heading home after having dinner with her friends. Her apartment wasn't far, so she decided to walk to help digest her meal. She took a shortcut through a narrow alley she often used. But tonight, the alley, which was usually lit, was pitch black. The only light came from the distant streetlamps at either end, barely illuminating the path.

She remembered the lights working just a few days ago. It was strange that several of them would burn out at once. Janina grumbled to herself, wishing the city would get someone to fix them. It was summer, and she was terrified a snake might dart out from the shadows. She'd heard someone's pet snake had gotten loose in this very alley last year.

When Janina was about halfway through, she heard footsteps behind her. She immediately tensed up, her mind racing with all the stories she'd seen online about women being attacked while walking alone at night. Her hand slipped into her purse and closed around the can of pepper spray one of her sisters had given her. She spun around.

There was no one there. The pepper spray had sat in her bag for ages, unused. Janina let out a small sigh of relief but didn't let her guard down.

She turned and kept walking. After a few more steps, the footsteps started again. Janina glanced over her shoulder but still saw nothing. She quickened her pace. Whether it was a mugging or something worse, the thought was terrifying.

As she walked faster, the footsteps behind her sped up to match her pace. Janina's heart was pounding in her throat. She broke into a run and finally burst out of the alley and onto the main street, where the crowds and lights made her feel safe. She looked back into the alley, but there was nothing there. Just to be safe, she quickly called her brother, West, and asked him to come down and meet her.

After the call, she continued toward her apartment building, glancing back every few steps to make sure no one was following her. Was she just being paranoid? Maybe she'd imagined the whole thing. Thankfully, West was already waiting for her when she reached the building entrance.

The two of them walked home together, and it wasn't until she was safely inside that Janina finally relaxed. She told her family what had happened and declared, "I'm never taking that shortcut again. It's too creepy."

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