“Hey,
watch where you’re going!” Renni screeched, falling to the ground of the subway
floor. A man with a top hat had knocked her to the ground amidst the bustling
mass of people rushing past, and the last thing she needed was to be trampled.
She had already had a cold cup of coffee, a stale donut; she didn’t need to get
knocked down as well. The man was already gone, though she thought she could
make him out as he dashed around the corner exit between other people he
probably wouldn’t have cared about knocking down.

 She steadied herself against the one of the
supporting pillars of the subway and tugged her purse further up her arm.
Frowning, she darted out from behind it and began to head where the man had
exited. Forcing herself up the stone steps using the railing, she came to the
entrance and walked out into the school of people speeding along the city
sidewalks that bordered the row upon row of buildings. She took another turn
and headed across the crosswalk while cars blared their horns at her since she
had interrupted the already slow traffic. Promptly, she turned and made a
gesture that was not friendly. The cars blared on and she turned furiously,
strolling past a restaurant and then finally entering another. Slamming the
door behind her took to shaking the sign hanging above it which read “Brunela’s
Pizza” written in fancy letters with curves and emphasis on the “B.”

Quickly
she hustled past the customer-less booths and ran through a swinging door
leading to a back room. She pulled off her jacket, pulled on a brown apron over
her tank top and came out again to the serving area of the restaurant. A woman
with a short black ponytail was resting her elbows on the order counter and
watching from under hands in adoring curiosity as she strolled past and began
setting out sets of silverware rolled up in napkins. When she did not stop
staring Renni turned and scowled, “What?” “You just look so happy,” she replied
remaining in the same pose and allowing a grin to spread across her face. “Shut
up Abbey. I’m having a rough morning,” she huffed back, running her hand
through her hair. “Aw, did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Or did
you get a tummy ache on the sub train?” Abbey asked teasingly. Renni grabbed
one of the knives used for cutting pizza and began to stab the air vigorously with
a look of pure malice on her face. Abbey burst out laughing and burrowed her
head into her elbows while her shoulders shook with laughter. “I’m serious. And
what really got to me was the man that crashed into me in the substation.”
Renni recalled while placing the knife back on the counter.

Renni
reached into her jean pocket, expecting to find her cell phone there. However,
when all her fingers grasped were a couple of coins, a cold chill seeming to
originate from her pocket edged up her arm and spread through the rest of her
body. “I-I could have sworn my phone was in my pocket when I left the
apartment…” Renni said with her voice quaking as she slowly pulled her hand
free of her pocket. “Maybe you dropped it in the substation. You know, when you
got knocked down,” Abbey said absently, scrolling her eyes over a copy of the
morning newspaper.

Renni
rushed to the back room and reached for the corded phone. Her phone had
personal information. Her apartment, the street it was on, how old she was, and
even where and when she would be for the next month. Immediately she dialed her
number, stretched the cord up to her ear, and twisted it with the other hand
with a fear-filled passion. She heard a click that registered that someone had
picked up, but on the other side was dead silence; a noise not often heard in
the city. “H-hello? Um, I’m sure you already know this, but this is the owner
of the cell phone you have right now and I accidentally dropped it on the sub
way. Could you possibly meet me at my workplace-” Another click sounded on the
phone and Renni dropped the phone which swung back and forth on its cord.

Renni
quickly dashed to the front, snapping off the light switch and turning the
“OPEN” sign to “CLOSED” that clattered against the glass. “What the he-”
“Abbey! Listen; I called my cell phone and the person who found it picked up
and all I heard was silence. I told them to meet me at my workplace and then
they hung up. I’m scared.” “Let’s call the police.” Abbey replied straightaway
with a disturbed expression on her face and marched directly to the backroom.
Renni grabbed her by the arm. “No! What if they’re one of those psycho
murderers that messes with people’s heads until they go crazy and then kills
them? We just have to wait it out. Maybe they’re not even coming here. Once
they see the place is closed they’ll have to leave.” Abbey hesitated and then
scowled as she shook loose. “You’re so paranoid. Maybe they’re just returning
it without planning to do anything.”

As
the moment passed of a comforting thought however, Renni glanced at Abbey and
saw her hands shaking. Renni took the pizza cutter she had been messing around
with earlier and wielded it away from herself. She was on her knees and peeking
over the counter. Only a couple of seconds had passed when a shadow slowly
descended on the glass of the door. A gloved hand peeked into view and rapped
against the glass gently. Renni gulped, running her own hand nervously through
her hair and hoped the hand would pull back and the shadow along with it. The
hand didn’t. It instead pushed the bar of the door which swung open with ease.

Abbey almost gasped
in realization that she had not locked the door but quickly suppressed it. The
door swung open and a black-cloaked figure with a top hat waltzed in with
little regard for the sign. “Well, well, well, how odd that the door would be
unlocked with no one around to have unlocked.” Abbey almost appeared over the
edge of the counter in surrender, but Renni held her firm, shaking her head. Making
an entrance, the man began to knock over tables with one hand, strolling
casually between them. Wood surfaces clattered against the floor along with the
set out silverware. Condiment bottles shattered to pieces and chimed in
connection with the floor while their contents spilled out. Abbey’s face
grimaced in horror as she began to shake uncontrollably, silent crying escaping
from her mouth as tears poured down her face. Suddenly the man turned and
pulled a gun from under his trench coat. With a click the gun shot and fired
through the counter. A trail of smoke issued from the gun’s head and the bullet
left a black hole through the cheap wood…