Night Stalker
By Keith Gouveia

“We’re being followed,” whispered a young woman into the ear of her date.

“ You’re just being paranoid,” he replied.

“ Oh, am I?”

“ Yeah, don’t sweat it doll, I’ll protect you,” he said, in the most manly voice he could muster, puffing his chest out.

“ Oh my,” she replied, rubbing his chest with her left hand.

The young couple continued to walk down Main Street. It was two a.m. and the street was deserted, except for the two of them and the stranger.

“ He’s still there,” she whispered, as she turned and looked over her right shoulder. The stranger was wearing a long black trench coat with his hands tucked out of sight into its pockets. He was also wearing a black cowboy hat and his head was hung low. “He might be armed.”

“ We’ll turn the next corner, if he’s still following, I’ll say something.”

“ Okay,” she replied.

When the couple came to the next corner, they turned right, and the stranger followed, but the man didn’t say anything. When she questioned him, he quickly shushed her and their speed increased.

“ Where are we going?” she asked, frightened by what was transpiring.

“ When I give the word, run and turn left. That alley leads to Madison Street, but we are going to duck behind the large Dumpster. He’ll walk right past us.”

“ Are you sure?”

“ If not, at least I’ll get the jump on him.”

“ Sounds good to me.”

“ Now!” he said and the two ran as fast as they could, catching the stranger by surprise. By the time he began to run, the couple had already ran down the alley.

The stranger stood at the edge of the dark alley and peered inside. The only light came from the crescent moon, making it difficult to see between the two tall buildings. He slowly walked down the alley, listening for heavy breathing, but there wasn’t a sound. The smell of rotting food lingered in the air and he quickly walked past the Dumpster, where the young couple was hiding.

The couple watched as the stranger exited the alley. “That was great,” she said to her date and then kissed him full on the lips.

“ What, here?” he said after feeling her hand against his crotch.

“ Why not?”

“ Well, it does stink, but, all right.”

She unbuttoned his jeans, slid her hand in, and pulled out his manhood. The man’s head tilted back, his eyes close and oblivious to the woman’s eyeteeth elongating. Without hesitation, she sank her fangs into the muscle; he screamed out in pain and struggled to pull her head off him.

Just as the darkness began to swell inside his mind, the grip was released. She screamed in agony as a wooden stake was plunged into her back. The man’s eyes opened in time to see her body turn to dust.

“ You?” he said, peering into the stranger’s face.

“ For future reference, if a woman that fine seems interested in you…run!”