Hello and good Tuesday everyone! Hope you got through the dreaded Monday in one piece.

So the results of my post for Another Writing Picture Prompt has ended with a 3 way tie! Three of the pictures got the same number of votes, one picture got one vote and one picture didn’t get any votes.

So today I will do a story with picture #1 Girl in the rain.

Also I think I will do as one very smart reader suggested and do one picture/story each week! Thank you Marlene over at insearchofitall for the suggestion!

Now on to the picture and story. Hope you all enjoy it! If anyone ever comes across a cool picture you think would make for a great prompt let me know! Thanks again.

 

 

Amber loved rainy days. She’s loved them since she was very young and her mother let her play in the warm summer rain.

She would take her shoes off and just splash in the puddles. Today was another summer rain and she was barefoot once more.

Today had one major difference then the days of her youth. It wasn’t a fun day. In fact it was a rather terrifying day. She wasn’t running in the rain to play, she was running for her life.

Amber didn’t mean to overhear the conversation. Amber didn’t even hear the whole of it, but the part she did hear was enough to put her life in danger.

So she ran. At first she had her shoes on but they soon slipped off her feet as she ran down the sidewalk in the eerily quiet neighborhood. She had zigzagged her way through and came to the part that had big trees and bigger houses set quite a ways off the sidewalk.

Amber would have run into one of them for help, but they were all behind locked iron gates as only the wealthy could afford. She was too afraid to take the time to ring the bells to be let in. If they would even let her in, as right now she looked like a wet, bedraggled waif. Not exactly the type to be visiting these fine fancy digs. So she kept running.

She had lost her shoes but kept hold of the umbrella. Amber laughed at herself. It was a desperate kind of laugh, a scared laugh. Shaking her dark hair out of her face she glanced back and saw nothing but empty streets and the relentless rain.

The street lights flickered to life as the pretty young woman slowed her pace to catch her breath. Glancing behind her once more, big brown eyes looked for anyone following her. She saw no one. She saw no one running, walking or driving behind her. What should have been a relieved moment, wasn’t.  Amber stopped dead right there and turned in a circle.

Where was everyone? It wasn’t that late, why was there no one around? It shouldn’t be so quiet, so calm, so dead.

The breath caught in her chest as she turned once more and looked for any sign of life. There was nothing. No cars, no people, not even a stray cat. Where was everyone? She had been down these same streets countless times and there was always something moving. Someone.

Amber started walking. Still breathless from her running, she thought back on what had started out as a run of the mill day for her. She had gotten up to the sound of the rain. It had put a smile on her young pretty face.

A hot shower and a fresh cup of coffee later, she was dressed and ready for work. She worked in a high-end store of fancy dresses with fancier prices. Amber remembered business had been slow because of the rain.

She didn’t mind as she had taken a book she had been reading with her.  Amber knew it was against the rules to read during work hours, but the owner was away this week. So what could it hurt? If a customer came in she set the book under the counter and gave her customers her undivided attention.

It had been closing time when the trouble had begun. Amber had walked out the back door to dump the trash and heard a faint meow. As she had a soft heart for any animal she looked for where the tiny meow was coming from. She followed the noise behind the big blue dumpster. Crouching low she saw the tiniest kitten in a dark corner.

It had just started to rain again and the kitten was wet and probably hungry. Amber was quietly trying to convince the kitten to trust her when loud voices made themselves known to her.

“Damn it Vince! I told you not to contact me here!” said a loud pissed off masculine voice.

“I know. I know Alesky! I wouldn’t have if I didn’t think it was important!” another male voice said.

“So what’s so important that you come to my place of business when I told you not to?”

The first voice asked the question in a much quieter tone, but to Amber, that quiet voice sent chills down her back.

Obviously it did something to the second man also as Amber heard an apologetic tone to his next words.

“Alesky, please my friend, just listen for a moment and you will see I was right to come here in person.”

“I’m all ears, my friend.”

Amber shivered as she heard the menace in the words of Alesky. She was desperate to leave, but to get back to the store she would have to pass the two men. Amber stayed where she was.

“The shipment that was due in tonight will be delayed for several days.” The second more weak voice said.

“Why?”

“There was a slight problem with getting the merchandise.”

“What problem?” The question was asked very softly and it gave Amber chills, she had never heard such cold, quiet menace in a mans voice like she heard in Alesky’s.

“Alesky! Please! I’m only telling you what I was told!”

Amber heard a slight scuffle as the second man’s voice rose a decibel or two in fear. The kitten must have been scared also as Amber felt it crawl up into her lap. Absently she drew it to her chest and cuddled it in an attempt to calm both of them. She so wanted out of that alley!

“I’m not paying you to tell me that my merchandise is not coming. I’m paying you to do your job! If you can’t you can be replaced Donnie. You would be wise to remember that.”

“I came here in person to tell you Alesky. But I can’t do anything if the merchandise is held up because someone leaked information to the feds!” Whined the man called Donnie.

“Damn it! Find out who leaked the information Donnie. Find out by tomorrow or you will be replaced!”

“And Donnie? When you do find out, bring them to me personally.” said Alesky. “I will deal with him myself.”

“I will Alesky, I will!”

Amber had heard enough. She tried to figure out the best way she could get out of there without the two dangerous sounding men noticing her. She held the kitten and of all things her umbrella. Her purse and keys were still in the shop, She dared not go past the men to try to get them. She just wanted to go home!

Looking around the alley, she noticed if she stayed close to the buildings the dumpsters that lined the alley could hide her  from the men. Slowly she inched her way down the brick wall of the shops. The men she noticed were still talking and she prayed they didn’t spot her. She was just about at the end of the alley when the kitten decided it had been squeezed enough and with a loud meow jumped from her arms. Her umbrella knocked against the last dumpster with a loud bang!

Gasping in fear Amber looked back down the alley and spotted the men looking right at her!

“Hey girly!” yelled the smallish man she knew must be Donnie. The bigger of the two men swore and turned the other way. She heard him say to Donnie, “Find her and find out what she overheard!”

That’s when Amber started to run.

Now she was looking to see if there was anyone, just anyone around. She saw no one. She started running again. Just her and her umbrella. Running for home.

 

 

 

( I know it’s a terrible place to stop the story! But I have my reasons. I got this crazy thought to tie all the pictures together in one story instead of four or five separate stories. They will all relate to one another. How does that sound to you? It will be a challenge for me and fun for you, I hope. So yes, I am stopping here for now. Next Tuesday I will continue on to the next picture and this story. Come back then! See you soon!)