ROSID FF: UNDER THE SKY LANTERNS by Archana Vinod - Page 5

UNDER THE SKY LANTERNS - PART 12

An original story by Archana Vinod

"Help!!!" Roli's anguished cry stops Siddhant dead in his tracks.

He swerves around and finds her trembling at the foot of the flyover. She's damn terrified!

"J-just c-come here na," she calls out.

Siddhant smiles as he recollects the flyover incident. He smiles even more as he recollects his plight after the meeting and how she had reprimanded him for being so depressed. Time to suck the happiness out of her!

"Now what happened?" he asks with a smirk.

"Let's g-go another way," she trembles.

"Why?" he calls out, "what's wrong with this?"

"I don't like this," she shivers.

"Tell me one thing," he begins, "what's going to happen if you cross this flyover?"

Hey Matarani, she thinks, now this guy's going to pull my leg!

"Just stop it yaar!" she snaps, irritated.

"No tell me," he teases her, "what's going to happen? Are you going to fall down?"

"I said stop it!" she snarls.

"Or is the wind going to blow you off your feet?" he teases again.

"I'll kill you idiot!" she growls.

"And even if you fall or get blown off, what's the max that could happen? A couple of broken bones?" he's all smiles as he says this.

Roli gnashes her teeth!

"Chalo," he goes on, "let's say you break your bones. It's still okay. Six months in a cast. That's it! After that you'll be bouncing around like a rabbit!"

"Ahhhooow God!!!" she screams in frustration as she struggles to stay put.

"You know what your problem is Roli?" he says smugly, "you're great when it comes to climbing to the top. But then you're afraid to lose. Am I right?"

"Ja! Cutty!" she snaps crossly.

Siddhant bursts out laughing and comes down the stairs.

"You're very bad!!!" she screams like a five year old, "leave me alone!"

"Arrey baba," he snickers, "I was just pulling your leg. You should have told me before na! Honestly, I missed out on the fact that you were scared of heights. Really!"

"You're an opportunist!" she snaps, "sadist!!!"

"Hahahaha!" he laughs, "do one thing. Stay here. I'll go get the car and come around. Okay?"

She just glowers as an answer.

He nods his head as if to say Dear Lord!' before walking off.

MOMENTS LATER

Siddhant comes around in the car and smiles sarcastically at her as she gets in.

"What?" she scowls, "what're you looking at?"

"Nothing," he shrugs, "seat belt please."

"No need!" she snaps.

"Seat-belt!" he repeats firmly.

"Uffoh!!!" she gives in to his serious tone and puts it on.

"That's a good girl," he says smugly, "learn to respect your superiors."

"Excuse me?" she snaps irritably.

He just laughs before driving on.

ROLI'S APARTMENT - EVENING

The door bell rings.

Meena opens the door. It's Roli.

"Back?" she smiles at her busted daughter, "how was your first day?"

"Mind blowing," she replies wearily, "first things first Maa! I need a hot tea right now. Will tell you all the details."

Meena hurries off to get some tea while Roli snuggles up to her father in the living room. He enjoys the evening news on TV.

"So," he begins, "how was your first day?"

"Very exciting Papa," she replies happily, "started off very well. Got a new client and requirements."

"Really?" he asks, "very good! Excellent beta!"

"Thank you Papa," she hugs his arm and straightens up quickly, "and remember I told you about that guy I met in the lift that day?"

"The guy who almost fainted," asks Jamanlal.

"Exactly," she laughs, "he's in my team! Can you believe that?"

"Wah! Kya baat hai!" laughs her father, "and? How is he?"

"He's not so bad after all," she replies dreamily, "he's actually a nice guy. Very nice."

"Good," smiles Jamanlal, "so you made new friends?"

"Yeah," she replies, "he's a friend now. I was with him the entire day. He's a bit irritating, but still bearable."

"What's his name?" asks Jamanlal.

"Siddhant," she replies.

Just then, her mother enters with some tea and snacks. Roli digs into them eagerly.

"Oh," she suddenly remembers something, "I forgot to tell you. Actually we have a party tomorrow evening."

"What party?" her father asks.

"It's sort of like a welcome party," she replies, "for our team. We're the latest addition to the group."

"Oh I see," he replies, "where is this?"

"It's at the Hyatt," she replies.

"Really?"

"Yeah," she continues, "all the big guys will be there. The CEO and all that."

"Very good," he says encouragingly, "be ready then."

She just smiles. She's ready already.

The first day started off with a bang. She's looking forward to the rest of it.

... TO BE CONTINUED

its super amazing yaar...love it can't wait for the next<333

Originally posted by: magicalrosid

its super amazing yaar...love it can't wait for the next<333

UNDER THE SKY LANTERNS - PART 13

An original story by Archana Vinod

THE NEXT DAY

The summer morning beats down on Roli as she desperately waits for an auto or taxi.

"God!" she mutters irritably, "if this is how it's going to be everyday, I'm done!"

Another loaded auto passed by.

"I need to find a way out of this," she mumbles, "or it's going to be a pain in the neck."

Just then, a car pulls up in front of her. The windows roll down. It's Siddhant!

"Hey," he smiles sarcastically, "having fun?"

Roli scowls. Why's that I get irritated when I see this guy, she thinks. He's nice, yeah, but he's irritating! Grrr... I swear, one day I'm going to punch him in the gut!!

"Yeah," she snaps, "actually I don't have anything to do, so I thought, why not pole dance out here? It'll keep all the motorists engaged."

"Really?" he asks in mock surprise, "no wonder! I couldn't understand why there was such heavy traffic this morning. Now I see it all."

She gnashes her teeth angrily. Siddhant smiles smugly, satisfied at having pulled her leg early in the day.

"Actually what do you want?" she scowls.

"Nothing," he shrugs, "I was just passing this way and thought I saw something weird. It's then I understood that it was you."

"Haha," she laughs sarcastically, "very funny."

"Hee-hee," he mocks her, "got to go. Getting late. See ya."

Saying this, he drives off.

Roli watches him inch forward through the traffic and gets a sinking feeling. He never even offered me a lift, she thinks with a heavy heart, what an idiot! Wow! He'd surely make a wonderful colleague.

To her surprise, he stops the car and begins to back it up. Now what's he up to, she wonders. Is he going to ram into me again??

He backs up, stops in front of her and opens the door.

"Sorry," he smirks, "wanted to offer you a lift, but got confused after seeing you."

"Ho-ho," she replies and plops into the front seat.

"Seat belt please," he reminds.

She begins to protest but he shuts her up firmly. "Seat-belt!"

She puts it on with a scowl.

They drive on.

TECHSEARCH - MUCH LATER

The new FMCG team gets busy with their requirements from Om Enterprises.

This time, Remo and Vimla are not around.

Vikrant walks in to check the progress of his team. He lands an encouraging slap on Siddhant's back. "How's everything going man?" he asks casually.

"Very well," he replies, "I've got a candidate for the technical requirement. She's coming in the next ten minutes."

"Good! Good!" replies Vikrant happily, "interview them properly before handing over to the client. Gives them a good impression. And you Roli? What are you working on?"

"The Product Manager requirement," she replies, "don't have much response yet. Let's see."

"Hmm," smiles Vikrant, "just check how far it's progressing. If this doesn't work out, we'll go ahead and place an Ad in the paper. What do you say?"

"That'd be great," she replies.

Just then, Siddhant gets a call on his extension. It's a call from Pooja, the receptionist. He answers the call. "Yeah Pooja?"

"Siddhant," she says, "there's a candidate waiting for you."

"Oh okay," he replies a bit nervously, "that must be Anjali Srivastav. Let her sit in the conference room. I'll be there in a minute."

"Okay," she answers and cuts the line.

"My candidate has come," says Siddhant.

Vikrant gives him a thumbs up. "All the best man," he says and pats Siddhant on the back.

Siddhant prepares to leave but Roli stops him. "Oye!"

He turns around. "What?"

She grins cheekily at his nervousness and says, "Just come here for a second."

"Oof!" he sits down impatiently, "what is it?"

"First interview na?" she says in a childish voice, "all the best!"

"Thanks buddy," he smiles and prepares to leave. But she stops him again.

"And remember what I told you," she continues, "don't be nervous. Just be yourself. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. No need to be perfect."

"Got it," he nods and leaves.

Siddhant is damn nervous as he makes his way to the conference room. "Be yourself! Be yourself!" he chants quietly and takes a deep breath, "don't be nervous. Be cool."

He can see Anjali, a woman in her 30's seated in the glass walled conference room with her back towards Siddhant.

CONFERENCE ROOM

He takes one more deep breath before entering the conference room. "Hey Anjali," he smiles with fake confidence, "how're you?"

"Fine sir," she replies nervously.

"Siddhant," he introduces himself with a handshake. He is surprised to find her hand cold and clammy. She's nervous too? Like me? He suddenly feels an incredible boost of confidence.

Anjali looks rather simple and timid. She definitely doesn't think too highly of herself.

Her nervousness gives Siddhant a positive edge. He feels super confident now. He feels like the CEO of a multinational group! He leans back onto his chair confidently and twirls a pen in between his fingers. "Have you brought your CV?" he asks her in a serious tone.

"Yes sir," she replies and pushes a file in front of him.

He browses through her resume and credentials.

"Do you know which position you've applied for Anjali?" he asks her seriously.

"Yes sir," she replies, "product assistant."

"Exactly," he replies in the same serious tone and CEO style, "as per your CV you have worked in the product line, but for a completely different industry. Isn't it?"

"Yes sir," she replies timidly as she gets more and more nervous by the minute. Siddhant's super confidence makes her weak in the knees. On top of that, she's too small in size compared to him which makes her feel even more helpless!

"Then why have you suddenly decided to change?" he questions her.

She hesitates.

"Come on," he urges, "go on."

"Actually sir," she begins, "the thing is that I'm looking for growth. So at present, I feel that I've reached the maximum I can. So there's no more scope."

"Is that the only reason?" he probes her with an Arnab Goswami' stance.

"To be honest," she continues, "my main concerns are the timings and package. I start off very early in the day and leave quite late at night. On top of that, the pay is quite less."

"I understand," he replies, "but does changing your line really work?"

"Sir..." she has no clue what to say.

"Tell me Anjali," he urges.

"I don't know sir," she replies in a confused tone, "but I'm willing to give it a try."

"You know what," he replies very frankly, "let me be straight. Your resume will get rejected. Your CV is good. But this is not what the client wants."

"But..." she feels helpless and let down, "if you could do something, it'd be great. I've tried at many places with no luck."

"I can do that," he replies, "but can't guarantee when. Depends on when the requirement comes in."

"Problem is that I have two kids to take care of," she begins in a choked voice, "I live alone."

"I understand," he replies with no emotion, "a lot of us are like that."

"My husband was in the army," she continues as her eyes go glassy with tears, "he got killed last year at the border."

"I'm sorry," he begins quietly. His confidence' and CEO aura' suddenly seems to vanish. He looks all deflated now.

Shit, he thinks with a pounding head and chest, screwed. Was I a bit harsh on her?

"So that's why," she tries to smile in spite of her tears, "that's why I thought..."

She can't talk anymore.

To his horror, she buries her face in her hands and breaks down crying.

... TO BE CONTINUED

OH ...will sid loose all his confidence infront of her tears??😉
nice update nd surely waiting for the next 😊

Awesome updates Archana 👏 Hope sid does not fall for her tears.If he does he will be asking for trouble for sure. Archana love the way you shaping up Roli's character👍🏼

Hehehe 😆 Thanks Greshin, Anila. Let's see where it's all headed to 😉

UNDER THE SKY LANTERNS - PART 14

An original story by Archana Vinod

Siddhant is shell-shocked. There goes his confidence like a hot air balloon! All what he can do is stare at her with his mouth hanging open.

She struggles to control herself. "I-I'm sorry," she sobs, "I couldn't stop myself."

"No-no," he stutters, "it's okay."

She manages to get a grip on herself. "I know that personal life shouldn't come in between work," she smiles amidst her tears, "and I'm not supposed to say all this... but I don't know what to do... I don't know why this is happening..."

She begins to cry again.

"No please," he stammers helplessly, "just calm down. It's okay."

"I'm sorry!" she sobs.

"It's okay," he says hopelessly, "it really is. Now cheer up."

Siddhant is in a state of panic. He doesn't feel like a CEO anymore! He feels like... shit! And he looks like a deflated football. He worries if her sobs will float out of the conference room walls. What will the others think if they see this scene? I don't want to look like a timid little puppy!

"See look," he begins, "all what I said is that this client may not take you in. But that doesn't mean that others won't. We have other teams with a similar requirement. So you stand a better chance."

"Really?" she asks in a shaky voice.

"Yeah," he smiles, "moreover we are getting more clients and vacancies. So we'll try our best to get you locked at a great company."

"Really?" she smiles with grateful tears.

"Yeah," he grins uncomfortably.

"Thank you sir," she cries, "thank you so much. I knew you'd understand."

"It's a pleasure Anjali," he smiles feeling foolish, "I'll keep you posted."

"Thank you sir," she whimpers and begins to leave with a tear-stricken face.

"Ermm," he stops her, "the washroom's over there. You can step in and dry yourself up. You wouldn't want anyone to see you like this."

"Thank you sir," she smiles with more tears, "you're so kind."

Ugghh! Kind? Why do I feel so stupid?? He flashes one last uncomfortable smile before bolting out of the room. Daaamn!!!

He heads back to his workstation.

Roli is on a call and hangs up. She notices Siddhant and beams at his red face. "There you are!" she beams excitedly, "how'd it go?"

But Siddhant just screws his eyes shut and slumps into his chair.

"Shit yaar," he groans and buries his eyes in his hand.

"Now what happened?" she asks curiously.

"I sucked again," he replies breathlessly, "like hell!!!"

"What did you do now?" she asks in a fed up tone.

"I just did what you asked me to do!" he replies, "I tried to be confident. Not nervous."

"That's good na!" she says encouragingly and pats him on the shoulder.

"It was," he answers, "until she started crying."

"Crying? Why? What did you do to her?" Roli is perplexed.

"I didn't do anything!" he snaps, "she just started crying! What can I do?"

"No," she begins, "I don't believe that. Be clear..."

Siddhant begins to reply but the candidate just pops into their work area.

"Sir," she trembles.

Siddhant is stunned for a moment before he swerves around in his chair and flashes a fake smile. "Hey Anjali," he beams, red-faced.

"Just dropped in to say bye," she quivers.

Bye? Thinks Siddhant, she dropped in just to say bye? Just leave yaar!

"Sure," he replies with a polite smile, "I'll give you a call."

"Thank you sir," she trembles and leaves.

Siddhant sighs and slaps his forehead with an "Oooff!!"

Roli grabs his chair and turns him to face her. "Now tell me what exactly happened!!" she demands.

Siddhant narrates the incident to her.

She listens closely and begins, "You know what your actual problem is?"

He looks at her and sighs. This girl is going to give me a ton of advise again!

"You really need to stop trying to be like Salman Khan," she replies.

Siddhant glares at her.

"Don't look at me like that," she snaps, "it's a fact!"

Siddhant just looks into her eyes. He begins to get lost in that fire once again. What's this in her eyes, he thinks, why's that I go so dumb when I see them? Why does it draw me to her? What is it?

"Why are you so scared to show your real self," she goes on, "what's going to happen if you show yourself? You are not a rough n' tough guy. You don't have to be either. Just be yourself. Get it?"

He nods, yes.

"Well," she sighs and turns to her phone, "hope you do. For now, I'll just order two cups of watermelon juice. It'll cool your head."

"Thanks," he mutters.

"You are very welcome!" she snaps and proceeds to place the order.

The rest of the day passes rather uneventfully. Roli heads home in a bus.

The party is this evening; she thinks dreamily, I'm glad I ended up here. Everything's just so perfect. I feel so grateful! Wonderful company and work environment, a really sweet boss, great colleagues...

Colleagues' make her thoughts shift to Siddhant. She smothers a smile as she thinks about the number of times he goofed up. He's irritating, but there's something about him... something sweet, charming...

He just tries so hard to be a macho man, but always lands up with egg on his face. Coming to think of it, he's not a rough guy, not rough at all... Instead, he's really soft inside... and sensitive... and caring... I can see it. I can even feel it. How come he doesn't? Why's he so afraid to be who he is?

... TO BE CONTINUED

UNDER THE SKY LANTERNS - PART 15

An original story by Archana Vinod

AT THE HYATT - THE SAME EVENING

Time: Around 07:00 PM

A beautifully arranged banquet hall.

The evening is studded with several top shots from the group.

The new Ahmedabad FMCG team is also present. Well, not all. Roli's yet to turn up.

The stocky Remo is in a classy fitting suit, his huge physique even more pronounced. He hangs around with Vimla and shows off snaps of his bare physique on his smart phone.

"Good Lord!" she gasps as he flicks through the pics, "your abs are like wow!"

Remo is on cloud 9. "Yeah," he replies in his heavy voice, "been told that before."

Siddhant joins them. He's not too perked up like Remo. Just in his normal everyday formals. "What's happening?" he asks casually.

"Oh Sid," begins Vimla, "you really need to see these shots. Just look at his bod!"

Siddhant merely glances over at them. "Man," he whistles, "what do you do? Pump yourself with steroids?"

"Not really," replies Remo, "pump iron rather! I start off at five in the morning."

"Five?" Siddhant is stunned, "dude, you're crazy."

"Yeah," he chuckles, "I get up at around 4.00"

"When do you sleep then?" gasps Vimla.

"Around seven in the evening," replies Remo.

"You're late tonight," jokes Siddhant, "go to sleep."

"You are really crazy!" Vimla laughs.

"No pain, no gain," replies Remo.

Siddhant is bored. He just looks around the hall. The tables, the chairs, the chandeliers. Why did I even agree to come here? Oofff!!! Might as well snack on something and head home.

He spots Vikrant a bit away laughing and talking with some senior guys from the company. He's dressed in a stunning suit and looks real class. Siddhant feels so odd in this place, as if he doesn't fit.

"Wow!" whistles Remo.

"Oh my!!" gasps Vimla.

Siddhant turns around curiously. What are these guys gaping at?

His eyes follow their gaze and rest on the banquet hall's entrance door. It's Roli!

She's dressed in a gorgeous red saree. Her glossy black hair is left open for the breeze to play with. Her eyes sparkle like diamonds. She flashes a hundred watt smile as she heads their way.

Siddhant's goggles at her. He is simply blown away by her magnificent splendor.

Wow, he thinks, she's so damn gorgeous. She looks amazing! Why's that I've never noticed this before?

"Hi guys!" Roli beams as she draws closer, "what's up?"

Remo stares dreamily at Roli. "The chandeliers," he sighs and flutters his eyes in mock romance.

"You dumbass!" Roli laughs and slaps him on the arm.

Siddhant continues to gape at her, stunned by her aura. He doesn't see anything around him. He doesn't hear anything. All what he sees is her. Everything else seems to come to a standstill.

God, he thinks, she's like a bomb that's ready to go off!

Roli notices Siddhant gawking at her. She is amused and smacks him hard on the arm. "Oye," she laughs, "what are you staring at?"

"Nothing," he shrugs with an awkward smile.

"Then?" she smirks.

"Ermm.." he hesitates, "you look really great!"

"Thankyou-thankyou!" she bows and laughs.

I'm serious girl, he thinks. You do look awesome!

CLING-CLING-CLING!

Vikrant draws their attention with a tap to his whisky glass. "Evening guys," he beams, "enjoying yourselves?"

They laugh and nod as an answer.

"I'd like to welcome our latest addition to the group," he says, "Remo, Siddhant, Roli and Vimla."

The hall is filled with applause.

"And what's more," he continues, "I'm happy to have them in Techsearch. They've proved to be a really wonderful team. Once again guys, welcome to the gang! Enjoy yourselves!"

Music starts playing in the background.

An empty part of the hall is taken up by dancing couples from the company. They sway and waltz to the music.

"Can I have a dance with you?" asks Remo as he offers his hand to Vimla.

"Of course," she blushes and lets him take the lead.

Siddhant just sits at a table and snacks on a plate of appetizers and a glass of mocktail. He watches Remo take the floor with Vimla. He is a bit clumsy but still manages to impress his colleague with his words and stance.

Roli pulls up a chair next to him, sits down and begins to dig into his appetizer plate.

"Not dancing?" she smirks.

"Nah," he waves his hand.

He watches her out of the corner of his eyes. He just can't stop looking at her; she looks so out of this world this evening. Damn, why I am staring at her like this? What's wrong with me? Idiot!!! She'll think that you're a jerk; he scolds himself, stop staring like that!

The next song comes on. The dancers' are pumped with adrenaline. It's an old romantic Hindi song from the early 90's Maine Pyar Tumhi Se Kiya Hai'.

"Oooh," Roli is all excited, "one of my favourites! Ever heard this one?"

"I think so," he almost chokes on his finger chips.

"It's from the movie Phool Aur Kaante," she replies, "awesome movie in those times! And I simply love this song! "

"Hmm," he mumbles and continues to snack.

What she says next, knocks the air out of his lungs.

"Let's dance na!" she says with a jolt of energy.

... TO BE CONTINUED

UNDER THE SKY LANTERNS - PART 16

An original story by Archana Vinod

Siddhant is dumbstruck! Did she just ask for a dance?

"What?" he asks nervously.

"Deaf or what?" she snaps, "I said let's dance."

"Arrey no yaar," he begins to shy away.

Damn, he thinks, her very sight is melting me. On top of that she wants me to dance with her? No way!

"What no?" she scowls, "don't be such a drab. Come on!"

To his surprise, she suddenly grabs him by the hand and forces him to his feet!

"Hey!" he cries out, "What are you doing?"

"Chup!" she snaps, "shut up and come along!"

Despite his protests, he is mercilessly dragged to the dance floor.

"Hey no," he stammers, "no wait. Just listen! Just listen to me! Roli!!!"

She stops at a clearing on the floor and faces him. "From now on," she begins seriously, "you're going to live your life. Do you understand?"

He is speechless. He just stares into her sparkling eyes. There's so much of depth in them! So much of vibes! So much of energy! They are on fire!

"Do you understand?" she repeats firmly, her voice barely audible over the loud music.

"Roli..." he begins timidly, "it won't work rey..."

"Why not?" she asks.

"I suck at dancing," he protests and looks around nervously, "please yaar... try to understand."

"No, I can't understand!" she snaps, "I suck too. So we're even now."

"But yaar..." he begins again.

She doesn't give ear to any of his pleas anymore. She forces him to get into action. He is forced to sway and rock to the music. Roli is a good dancer, Siddhant is not bad either, but his lack of confidence and his overwhelming need to be perfect gets the better of him. Though he feels super awkward at first, he begins to feel at ease eventually.

She makes me feel so good, he thinks as he dances with her.

They now waltz really close to each other.

This girl is really wild, he thinks, wild and free... And me... I'm a prisoner of my own thoughts...

Roli enjoys the dance and detonates with vibrant energy! She's the mistress of her own world!

As they shift to another stance, he begins to feel her explosive vibes flow into him. It seems to instantly fill up the dark, empty space within him. He begins to feel full... alive... free... his deprived self begins to feed on her energy.

Why's that I feel like this, he wonders as he continues to dance with her.

He watches her burst into laughter as he involuntarily fumbles around. In spite of this, he doesn't feel put' down. He is so consumed by her fire and free spirit.

A while later, they dance to a really slow, soft, pleasing number.

Roli looks relaxed as she dances really close to him. Her eyes are lost in the distance.

Siddhant is at ease too. He doesn't feel nervous at being close to her anymore. Rather, he doesn't want this moment to end.

"Thanks yaar," he says quietly.

Roli snaps out of her trance and looks up at him, amused. "Thanks?" she asks with a smirk, "for what?"

"For pulling me out of my shell," he replies.

"Actually I still owe you my thank you," she smiles.

"For what?" he asks, confused.

"For giving me the courage to face my worst fear," she replies.

"What's that?" he asks, still unable to get her.

"The flyover," she chuckles.

"Oh," he breathes and smiles.

Just then, Roli's phone begins to ring. She checks it out.

Siddhant notices her eyes flare with fire, her face blush red.

"I'll be right back," she smiles and walks off.

OUTSIDE HYATT

Roli answers the call from ATUL and begins to walk along the streets.

"Hello?" she talks shyly into the phone.

"Hey," a man's voice whispers from the other end of her call, "what're you up to? How was the party?"

"Good yaar," she replies, "I'm just leaving."

"So when are you coming online tonight?" he asks anxiously, "I'm dying to see you."

"You'll have to wait," she snickers, "the web cam died. I'll need to get a new one."

"Aww no," he replies.

Beep-Beep! Her phone signals low battery.

"Bey yaar!" she cusses, "something's wrong with this stupid phone nowadays!"

"What happened?" he asks her.

"The battery just dies out fast," she replies angrily, "just two minutes of talking and""

Beep-beep-beep!!! Her phone shuts down!

"Arrey yaar!!!" she groans angrily.

Now what? She looks around and realizes that she had walked off track. The streets are deserted and dark!

"Oof!" she mutters, "I really need to stop walking and talking at the same time."

She begins to walk back, but stops in her tracks.

Her heart skips a beat.

A stone's throw away, a shady guy lurks in the darkness and jeers at her.

... TO BE CONTINUED