He was older than the typical hostel resident, probably in his thirties, with a scruffy beard, and a dumb baseball cap that didn’t sit right on his head. The hat was too new and stiff and he kept adjusting it. Their eyes met briefly and Abby waited for some sort of acknowledgement, a slight smile or a nod. Instead he stared at her intently, and Abby got a creepy feeling that he knew who she was, that he’d been watching her for a while.
Abby made a play at getting out of her chair and saw the baseball hat guy do the same. That’s when her heart began to race.
“Greg, Greg,” she interrupted. “That guy over there, the one in the cap, I saw him assault this girl last night, she was pretty drunk and kept saying no, and he practically dragged her over to his car before I could stop him. I’m scared he’s going to do something like that again.”
Greg turned and the baseball cap guy quickly looked away, mechanically sipping his beer, his body rigid. “He does look creepy,” Greg’s expression was suddenly laser-focused, and Abby sensed she had a real hero of justice on her hands.
“Can you, can you go talk to him, maybe ask him about local stuff. I can go get the desk manager and tell him what I saw.”
Greg nodded, and the baseball cap guy shot Abby a look. Her heart recoiled. He definitely had a plan for her. Greg would probably only be able to distract him for a few minutes, but that was enough time to get to her car. She’d have to leave all her drab tourist dresses in her room, but that was a small price to pay.
“Hey bro,” Greg was already walking toward baseball cap guy, who looked momentarily disorientated. He turned towards the bartender, as if trying to avoid an interaction.
Abby didn’t waste any time. She flew out of the bar and down through the hostel lounge area. She threw her room key on the front desk and raced to her car.
The village was small and almost immediately Abby was driving through pitch black countryside. At least no cars seemed to be following her. After another ten minutes of peering down at her phone for directions to the nearest town, Abby began to wonder if she reacted too quickly. Now Greg was going to think she was trying to hide something. Maybe that baseball cap guy was a random creepy weirdo. Was she going to act like this every time someone looked at her?
After another five minutes she turned around and was back in the village , only to find the hostel was corralled by two police cars, their lights blazing blue and red. Abby slowed the car down and saw two girls from the hostel standing nearby.
“Hey what happened?” Abby called to them.
Both girls turned, their faces tear-streaked. “Someone got shot!” One girl gestured at the hostel. “We heard the gunshots and ran out.”
That was all Abby needed to hear. She turned the car around and drove toward the mountains. Youth hostels were out now. She wasn’t sure what was in.
— Von
Abby made a play at getting out of her chair and saw the baseball hat guy do the same. That’s when her heart began to race.
“Greg, Greg,” she interrupted. “That guy over there, the one in the cap, I saw him assault this girl last night, she was pretty drunk and kept saying no, and he practically dragged her over to his car before I could stop him. I’m scared he’s going to do something like that again.”
Greg turned and the baseball cap guy quickly looked away, mechanically sipping his beer, his body rigid. “He does look creepy,” Greg’s expression was suddenly laser-focused, and Abby sensed she had a real hero of justice on her hands.
“Can you, can you go talk to him, maybe ask him about local stuff. I can go get the desk manager and tell him what I saw.”
Greg nodded, and the baseball cap guy shot Abby a look. Her heart recoiled. He definitely had a plan for her. Greg would probably only be able to distract him for a few minutes, but that was enough time to get to her car. She’d have to leave all her drab tourist dresses in her room, but that was a small price to pay.
“Hey bro,” Greg was already walking toward baseball cap guy, who looked momentarily disorientated. He turned towards the bartender, as if trying to avoid an interaction.
Abby didn’t waste any time. She flew out of the bar and down through the hostel lounge area. She threw her room key on the front desk and raced to her car.
The village was small and almost immediately Abby was driving through pitch black countryside. At least no cars seemed to be following her. After another ten minutes of peering down at her phone for directions to the nearest town, Abby began to wonder if she reacted too quickly. Now Greg was going to think she was trying to hide something. Maybe that baseball cap guy was a random creepy weirdo. Was she going to act like this every time someone looked at her?
After another five minutes she turned around and was back in the village , only to find the hostel was corralled by two police cars, their lights blazing blue and red. Abby slowed the car down and saw two girls from the hostel standing nearby.
“Hey what happened?” Abby called to them.
Both girls turned, their faces tear-streaked. “Someone got shot!” One girl gestured at the hostel. “We heard the gunshots and ran out.”
That was all Abby needed to hear. She turned the car around and drove toward the mountains. Youth hostels were out now. She wasn’t sure what was in.
— Von
So, this is a Thriller novel, isn't it? I am no longer sure that Abby is only running from friends and relatives wanting a share of the money from the will. Is that right? Exciting writing! ---Macoff
ReplyDelete