11 | Streets

                                    

                                          
January 1
4:00 am

The streets were empty, silent. There were no cars, everyone probably at home sleeping, or still at a party. I didn't live too far away, I could just walk, right?
I bent down to take my heels off, there was no chance of my being able to walk for half an hour in these and make it home alive. I held the shoes in my hand, my bare feet on the cold cement beneath me. I also didn't have a jacket, which was great, this dress was thin and tiny, maybe I'd freeze to death before I could get home.
And then it started to rain, just my luck. It wasn't even raining gently. It was pouring out of the sky, the streets immediately flooding with water. The material of the dress I was wearing darkened and my hair slicked to my body. 
I watched my feet as I walked down the dimly lit streets, trying to walk in a straight line, failing miserably as I stumbled my way home, my feet splashing in the puddles created by the heavy rainfall. I was occasionally having to hold onto a building to take a breath and get myself together until I could walk again. 
I was standing outside an old building that I didn't recognise, I'd been walking for so long, I should be home by now, my feet had gone completely numb and my fingertips looked blue. My hair was soaking wet. Was I lost?
 I couldn't be, I walked to the club so many times, how could I get lost walking home? 
I looked around for a while, hoping I would recognise something, which I didn't, but I heard movement
"Hellooo" I said, smiling down at a rat on the street. "What's your name?" 
It took me a second, but I started laughing, so hard that I let out a few snorts and had to hold my stomach because the muscles started to hurt.
"Rats can't talk you fucking idiot" I scolded myself, slapping my head.
Did ratatouille talk? I couldn't remember. He could cook though, I always wanted to try his food.
I squatted down to the rat, pointing my finger at it and studying it for a second. "You dont look like you can cook, no offence." I told it, my words slow and slurred.
"Maybe you could dance...can you dance?" I asked, forgetting that I had just reminded myself that he couldn't talk.
"Useless" I sighed, standing back up and leaving the rat alone to eat the rubbish that was littering the streets.
"Run along now" I waved my hands at it, trying to get him to leave.
I closed my eyes leaning against the building, regretting every decision I'd made tonight. I so badly wanted to be curled up in my bed wearing the warm sweater I was wearing earlier. 
For fuck sake.
 I completely forgot about the warm clothes I'd worn to come here tonight. I was walking home wearing next to nothing for no reason. 
My eyes were still closed as I heard a car driving up the road, coming in my direction. I opened my eyes when I thought I'd heard the car slowing down. Which it had, the black range rover slowing down as it approached me. I was immediately terrified of it.
Female, alone, drunk, dark, New York; a terrible combination.
I got up off the building, walking away from the car coming towards me. The ice cold rain fell towards me and hit my face while I walked. I tried to speed up my walking but the alcohol still in my system was working against me. 
I could hear the car was closer now, there was an uneasy feeling in my stomach, I was lost, it was probably around four in the morning and it was pitch black.