Good morning/afternoon/night everyone! Hope you are ready for another installment of my ongoing Picture Writing Prompt story, On The Run. Today is part 3.

The pictures that were voted on can be found here.  The first installment of the story featuring these pictures can be found here (part 1). The second installment can be found here (part 2).

This is the picture for the third installment and the continuing story follows. Hope you enjoy!

On The Run

 

 

Amber, sandwiched between Edith and Myrtle continued down the sidewalk toward home.  She was pretty confident that they had lost Donnie at the park.

The young woman, in the wet dress and bare feet listened to the older ladies with half an ear. Biting her lower lip she worried about what she would do once she got home. Should she call the police? To say what? She didn’t hear anything that was illegal. Amber thought it was illegal whatever Donnie and Alesky was up to, but she had no proof. She didn’t even have proof that Donnie was after her!

As for the ‘merchandise’ that Alesky was waiting for, well, that could be anything! Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth her mind was awhirl wondering what she should do.

“Amber? Amber honey! Did you hear what……”

“Edith asked you dear? Can we…..”

“Help in any way? We would love to if you let us! We might be old, but…..”

“We still have minds, my dear!”

“Thank you ladies, but I’m not sure what I’m involved with myself. If it’s dangerous, which I’m thinking it might be, it would be better if you weren’t a part of it.” Amber stated firmly.

She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if anything happened to these sweet old ladies. They were a bit peculiar with the way they finished each others sentences, but they were nice ladies.  Anyways, Amber wasn’t sure if she was in trouble! Now that the rain had stopped and she was out of that dark alley, she wondered if she just had an over active imagination. Though she couldn’t discount that it was Donnie there in the park.

Amber shivered in her wet dress now that the sun was starting to set. Her feet felt sore and she was sure she was going to have blisters later. All that wasn’t her imagination.

Finally, they came to the apartment building that Edith and Amber lived in. It was glowing with a soft red light as the setting sun shone on its facade. It was an older building but well-kept and had a small tidy front yard. There were only six apartments inside. Three on each floor, the manager, a Mr. Kendell lived in the bottom right corner apartment. He was a good manager and kept the building in tiptop shape.

Edith lived in the bottom left corner, with Amber above her. The other apartments were occupied by an older man downstairs next to Edith. No one ever saw much of him as he was a loner and kept to himself. Amber did know he liked classical music as she had heard the beautiful sounds coming from his apartment on numerous occasions.

The other two apartments upstairs were occupied by a young newly married couple next to Amber, and tucked in the corner above Mr. Kendell was another elderly lady who favored the color purple and feathered boas. Amber had run into her a few times as she collected her mail downstairs. The woman’s name was Star LaMont and she was a retired actress. That’s what she told everyone and she certainly dressed the part thought Amber. Ms LaMont was a very talkative and highly strung individual but harmless.

As the three women walked up the stairs to the door of the apartment building, Amber thought about her neighbors and hoped she didn’t bring trouble to their lives in the form of two dangerously intimidating men.

Amber left the two friends and knocked on Mr. Kendell’s door. As she made excuses why she didn’t have her key and asked Mr. Kendell for the extra key she knew he had for her apartment,  she vaguely heard the older ladies whispering to each other in the hallway.

By now Amber was shivering and her feet were too sore to pay much attention to the friends. She grabbed the keys that Mr. Kendell held out to her and thanked him, assuring him that as soon as she found her own keys she would return them to him.

Amber hurried up the stairs to unlock her apartment. As she turned the key and opened the door she heard the older ladies right behind her. Turning in the doorway she tried to smile and assure the ladies she would be fine now and they needn’t worry over her. She just wanted to take her wet clothes off and have a hot shower and decide what she should do next, if anything.

“Amber why don’t we just come in and make a nice hot cup of tea while you get cleaned up? Myrtle and I would love to…..”

“Help you! You can tell us from the beginning what is going on and we can put our heads together to……”

“Come up with a plan.”

Amber looked at those two earnest and eager faces with their smiles and bright eyes and didn’t have the heart to turn them down. And she wasn’t sure she couldn’t use their wisdom right now.

Opening the door wide, Amber waved them in.

“Come on in ladies and make yourself at home. I’m going to take a nice hot shower and then we’ll talk. I wouldn’t mind the help to be honest.”

“Splendid my dear! Myrtle and I used to be quite the detectives in our youth, isn’t that right Myrtle? Why we helped many a……”

“Friend and neighbor with problems! Remember in that old shanty town where we grew up Edith? Remember the time dear old Mrs. Collins was looking for…..”

“Who kept stealing her eggs from the hen-house! I remember now Myrtle. She thought it was old man Wilson from across the road! He was a…….”

“Mean old man! He was always yelling at us kids when we would play kick ball in the road. Told us……”

“All we were doing was kicking up dust! And didn’t we have chores to do or something? Remember that day when….”

“It rained all day and night and into the next day? Why that old road was just about flooded! Old man Wilson chased us with his cane when we wanted to run in the puddles!”

Amber listened to the memories of her new friends as she got out her old tea kettle and pulled down her tea from the shelf. Her feet were killing her and she was sure now she had a blister on the bottom of her right foot.

“Here are the tea fixings ladies. Help yourself. I’m going to get out of these wet clothes and take my shower. Then I’ll tell you what is going on. I promise.”

As she set the tea-things on the counter she glanced out her window. She felt frozen in place as she spotted Alesky across the street! She could never forget that tall, large form of the man! He found her! But how? It was Donnie that chased her, how could Alesky be here then? She was positive it was him as he stared right at her. It was him!

Amber’s heart pounded as she watched the large man across the street. It was getting dark but there was no doubt in her mind who it was standing so casually under the tree. Finally at what seemed like hours, but in reality was only seconds, Alesky bowed to her. She sensed his smile more than saw it, as he bowed from the waist in acknowledgement of her.

Her arms went around her and hugged her waist as she shivered. Whether with fear, cold or something else, she wasn’t sure. Amber watched Alesky bow, then turn and walk away. As he walked, the sun made its final way below the horizon and darkness fell.

He knew where she was! Now what?

 

 

( Well it looks like our heroine as found some allies! It also looks like Alesky has found her. But how? And now what will he do? Stay tuned folks as the story continues next Tuesday! So what do YOU think will happen?)