FIVE MONTHS AGO
It was around 5:15 PM when I left home to go thirteen blocks south for work.
I am working as a private tutor of an elementary kid, and my working hours start at 6 and end at 8 PM. My classes end at 4:30, and I usually walk the 1.1-kilometer distance to save money, and it honestly didn't cross my mind that doing so could be dangerous since I'm a girl— always a possible victim.
Four hundred meters from the destination, I noticed a man standing at the end of the sidewalk, sucking from his cigarette filter and puffing the cloud of toxic smoke in the air, seemingly waiting for someone. I know he's not, though, because he's been always standing there for the past eight days already, and according to a cashier working at a store right across the road, he's just a bystander. She said that he lives nearby and that he's harmless. I tried to believe that, but I don't really trust people because I know everyone has two sides, especially men. I don't trust men.
I'd admit that seeing him at the same spot at the same time every day gives me the creeps, but it's not like I can tell him not to be there just because I feel uncomfortable. And besides, he's in a smoking area.
It's unusually dark today. I think it'll rain. I forgot to bring an umbrella, so I hope it wouldn't.
I arrived at my student's house a few minutes before 6, before his mother left. She asked me to watch over her son for a bit and help him fall asleep before leaving him alone in their house. It's like tutoring and babysitting a 10-year-old boy at the same time, but I don't mind. I enjoy hanging around that little boy, talking about anime and stuff after finishing his worksheets and homework.
He had trouble solving his math assignment about fractions, but he managed to solve every question when I explained the solution to him again and after giving some examples. He's a smart kid, anyway.
Our tutoring session ended 6 minutes past 8, and I overstayed there for about one more hour because he told me he wanted to watch a few episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen, a Japanese anime series he's so obsessed with. And it was at the end of the 2nd episode when he fell asleep, so I told him to go to bed because I'm leaving.
I left their house two minutes before 9.
It didn't rain, but the thunder constantly reminded me that I have to hurry home or else I'll have to walk home wet or overstay outside until the rain stop.
The street was dark, and there weren't many people outside since most of them are already asleep inside their homes. Usually, there were bystanders with ages ranging from 13 to 21 since this neighborhood is known for the infamous gangster fights that are constantly happening during the night. Maybe because they're causing trouble somewhere else, that's why the streets are empty tonight.
It's been a few minutes since I left, and even though the streets were empty, I knew someone was walking behind me. I can hear someone's footsteps, probably a few meters behind. I gathered all my courage and bravely stopped and looked back, but it only made me feel scared when I saw no one there.
Was it a ghost or someone is secretly following me?
My heart throbbed as I started walking faster. The footsteps sounded clearer as if the person behind me was trying to match my speed.
Each step gets wider and wider, and every tapping sound makes me more and more scared. I exerted so much effort not to freak out in that open area, but my trembling hands and distracted mind made it harder for me to even try and get something inside my bag that I could use as a weapon and defend myself.
My eyes started to become watery, and my vision slowly became a blur. I can feel that person getting closer and closer. There still wasn't even a single person outside whom I could ask for help. I'm starting to lose hope. But then I saw the convenience store across the road, approximately 50 meters away. I half-run to get there, and the moment when I made it inside, I looked back and saw a familiar face.
The man I saw earlier— the man who's been hanging around the same spot for eight days, is standing right outside, looking at me with a smirk plastered on his face. He stared at me for a few more seconds before he left.
I watched him, thinking he had already given up, but when I saw him take out a packet of cigarettes and lit it before standing on the same spot made me realize he's been watching me all along.
Tears started running down my cheeks when I placed my backpack in the front, so I could easily access the available stuff I could use as a weapon inside. I always carry pepper spray with me whenever I go out, but because I am not experiencing similar situations like right now, I left it at home today. I only have some of my school supplies, and the only thing that is sharp enough to cause a scratch or a minor injury is a pen and a scissor.
No. I refuse to become the victim— again. I will no longer let anyone do something unpleasant to me, and I refuse to be scared like this.
I will defend myself. I would kill that guy if I must, just to keep myself away from danger.
I won't call the police or tell anyone. I may look kind and sweet, but I don't trust anyone.
I put my hand inside my bag as I held the scissor in a tight grip. The fear is now replaced by extreme hate and anger, and I started convincing myself that that guy was the one in danger instead of me. I looked outside again and saw him there, watching me. I felt like a different person when my lips curled upward for an evil smile.
I swear! If that man dared to touch even a single strand of my hair, I would aim at a vital spot to kill him with one stab.
I walked towards the door, not with the desire to safely go home, but to kill that guy. God knows how much I hate his kind, and I'm sure he would understand. I don't care if I would get arrested as long as I could keep the same thing from happening to me again. I hate it...being helpless; someone's victim.
I took three deep breaths before taking a step past him, and not long after, he followed me.