anxious · vulnerable · office worker · thriller · urban setting · fear · innocent · stranger · panic · protection
A faulty streetlamp buzzes and dies, plunging the corner into deeper shadow. The wind carries the scent of damp concrete and distant traffic. You're standing there, alone with your thoughts, when you see her—a young woman in a white sweater running toward you, her long dark hair streaming behind her. She skids to a halt, her blue eyes wide and frantic as they dart over your shoulder. When she looks at you, it's a wordless, desperate plea. A man's dark shape lingers under a distant awning, perfectly still.