As Sadie Richards exited her father's office, the air hit her like a wave. The sun was just beginning to set, casting long shadows on the sidewalk. The street was deserted, the only movement coming from the light swarm of bugs flitting around the pale-yellow lamps under the large awning. It was almost halloween, just a few days away, but it didnt feel much like it. Sadie wasnt in the mood to dress up as a half dead ghoul and walk up to strangers houses, or push up against strangers in the club. She already felt half dead, and she had enough stranger interaction to last her a lifetime or two. She figured she'd spend halloween alone this year, assuming her mother was still going to her annual spooky night with her girlfrineds. They'd  hand out candy and get way too drunk down the street at the Marsh's fire pit, spending the entire next day in bed recovering. It was tradition. 

The cool, crisp air of fall had given way to a thick, almost suffocating moisture. Sadie glanced down at her phone—no messages from Luke. It had been a few days since he walked out of the interview with her and Eric, and she'd heard nothing. She knew he was going to be upset, but Luke was usually the type to face issues head on, never leaving a fight unresolved or going to sleep angry. Something was different this time. Maybe it was her that was too different to reconsile.

She shook the thoughts from her head, refusing to break down at the front steps of the Attorney General's office. With a sigh, Sadie sat down on the bench near the smoking sign, facing the building. She dialed Aliana's number, but as she thought, it was powered off. No phones allowed for haunted house personnel. Aliana had worked at scream fest for the last 4 Octobers. Sadie knew it was  rehearsal and set up at 4 pm sharp. The clock on her phone showed 5:45.

The uber icon flashed across the screen of her iPhone, illuminating her face. She tried to order one to her current location but was met with an error page. Her eyes traveled to the top of her screen where she saw she had 1 bar of service. She tried once again, to no avail. The third time she tried, she was interrupted by the sound of a loud buzz, and the door latch clanking open Infront of her.

The  front doors creaked open at a glacial speed, revealing Eric and a woman, deep in conversation as they walked out of the building. The woman was tall, all legs, dressed in a perfectly tailored dark pantsuit with red heels. Her long caramel hair was effortlessly twisted into a half-up, half-down style with a claw clip. She'd clearly mastered the 'perfect without trying' look. She appeared to be younger than Eric, but older than Sadie. Probably in her late twenties or early thirties, if she had to guess. The woman had on natural makeup and a bold red lip.

Eric was holding a manilla folder in one of his large hands, as well as his suit jacket. He looked a bit more disheveled than he had just a short while ago, his hair a bit more tussled and his tie hung loosely around his neck. The woman looked to be a colleague, but Sadie couldn't help but notice the way the woman leaned her shoulder into Eric's and laughed a bit dramatically at something he whispered to her. Perhaps it was a workplace romance.

To Sadie's great embarrassment, Eric's eyes shot up and met hers while she sat back staring at the two. She quickly broke the awkward eye contact and fixed her eyes on her uber app, trying to refresh it once more. Their hushed whispers were inaudible to Sadie for a few moments, but eventually she very clearly  heard Eric say, "You have a good night, Jenna."

Sadie kept her eyes glued to her phone, even when she heard Jenna's heels click out of earshot, and a pair of footsteps approaching her.

"You're still here," Eric spoke as he approached, his tall frame blcocking the light of the building a bit.

"Yea I'm trying to order an uber." Sadie mumbled, feeling rather embarrassed about sitting out here alone. She'd never been one of those people who could go to the movies or go out to eat alone, it felt like everyone around her and their friends were all mocking her.  Especially now, after telling him that her friend was coming, she felt heat creep onto her cheeks.

"Uber? Where's your friend?" He asked, "Or your boyfriend."

"Shes working..,.and Luke had something to do tonight" She didnt know why she always found herself lying for him, but she did it anyway.  "It's okay, I Ubered a lot before..." Her voice trailed off, the word "before" hanging in the air like a ghost. Before the attack, before trusting strangers became a struggle, before she even needed to say "before." The idea of Ubering at night sent her heart racing, but not more than walking alone did. Uber drivers were usually aniety inducing and awkward, but after getting over the initial fear that theyre not going to take you where you want to go, it gets a better.

Eric exhaled deeply and looked up at the almost yellow sky. The air felt thick, like a storm was rolling in.

"Do you want me to take you somewhere?" He asked hesitantly. Before her brain could even register the words that she spoke, she was declining the offer. It was second nature. She hated feeling like a burd-

"Really..its no trouble at all." Eric clarified, his emerald green eyes bore into hers.

"I can Uber, my app just isn't loading right here. I need to get closer to the main street. Or I can always just walk I guess...I'm going to my mom's house and its just a few blocks away."

"Oh, well if it's just a few blocks then I insist. C'mon, you don't want to walk, it's going to storm." He turned away before she could respond. Sadie smiled appreciatively and stood to follow him, too tired to argue.

He led her to a car parked in the back of the parking lot in a parking spot that read 'reserved for state officials.' This title made Sadie suddenly a bit nervous, but she bit her tongue as he walked to the tall, sleek car. She couldn't help but be impressed at the condition of both the exterior and interior of the car. It was an elegant car, but wasn't too flashy with big, bold grilles that reminded Sadie of a big smile. at you, the headlights were sharp and modern, almost like eyes watching the road.

Eric walked her to the passenger side, opening the door and quickly walked around the hood of the car to get into the driver seat. Sadie thanked him quietly and had to climb up into the seat.

Inside was unlike anything Sadie was used to. She didn't know much of anything about cars, she only knew her father drove a nice one because she would get compliments on it when she drove it in high school. But even Julian's car didn't have an interior like this one, he much preferred family cars. The seats inside were covered in butter soft leather, and there was so much space that she felt tiny in the passenger seat. She reckoned she could nap comfortable in there, and that's really all you can ask from a car. The dashboard had a huge screen that controlled everything, from the music to the navigation. Around the screen and running along the trim of the car were lights, set at a low orange ambiance. The massive sunroof above them made the already large car feel even more airy. Sadie craned her neck to check out the backseats, where there were even 2 more screens for entertainment.

"You like it?" Eric chuckled, pressing a button to start the car. It hummed to life almost silently, the only indication being the cool air flowing from the vents.

"I do, it's really nice. Is it new?" she asked

"No, it's not new...so you can relax and sit back." Eric laughed. Sadie hadn't realized how tense she'd been sitting, her shoulders stiff with anxiety. Being alone in such close quarters with someone she didn't know well felt intimidating, especially an older man. His large frame made her feel quite small in comparison, something that often reminded her how helpless she would be if..

She shook the thoughts from her head and laughed awkwardly, sinking into the leather seat."Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Eric chuckled, "I haven't been to your mothers this often in a long time."

"Youve been to my mother's house before all of this?" Sadie asked. She knew Eric had worked with her father, and clearly her father had hired him to represent Sadie, but her father hadn't lived in that house in 8 years.

"I started working at the Attorney General's office with your dad when he still lived there, we all used to have dinners there once every couple months for team building and strategy meetings. He, Deputy attorneys general, a couple counselors, and I."

"I remember." Sadie told him. She remembered a group of men of all ages, gathering in their dining room some nights. Her mother running in and out of the kitchen with different platters of snack foods. The booming laughter. The way the room always smelled like thick smoke when they left. She didn't remember Eric specifically, but the fact that he'd been there all those years ago, made her feel a bit less uneasy about him now.

"That's good." Eric turned onto her mother's street, and they pulled up in silence. As soon as the car stopped, Sadie popped her door open. At the same time, Eric opened his own door, but when he saw Sadie's was already open, he shut his again, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

'Oops,' Sadie thought. She wasn't used to men opening car doors.

"Well thank you so much for the ride," she said politely.

"Anytime. You have a good night, Sadie." He gave her a tight, short smile. She smiled back and turned to head inside. As she approached the large door, she could hear her mother and Evelyn laughing inside.

She jiggled the door handle, finding it to be locked, something her mother usually didn't do prior to Sadie's incident. Instead of knocking and disrupting them, Sadie fumbled with her wallet to grab her keys, her hands trembling slightly as she glanced around the dimly lit street. The night was eerily quiet, and the shadows seemed to stretch and twist in the corners of her vision. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, each beat echoing in her ears as the intrusive thoughts began to torment her. Yet another side effect of her attack. Images she didnt want to see, constantly bombarding her thoughts. She imagined another man pushing his way inside, slamming her into the door right now and torturing not only her, but her mother and sister.

The thought made her fingers clumsy. The key slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground with a soft clink.

"Great," she muttered under her breath, crouching down to search for it. She pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight, the beam cutting through the darkness. Her eyes darted around, scanning the ground for the glint of metal.

Just as she began to panic, she heard the familiar hum of an engine behind her. She turned around, her breath catching in her throat, only to see Eric's car still parked at the curb. Relief washed over her as she saw him roll down his tinted passenger window.

"Are you okay?" Eric's voice was calm and steady, a stark contrast to Sadie's frazzled nerves. She took a few steady breaths of her own.

She felt a flush of embarrassment but managed a small smile. "Yes, I'm fine. Just dropped my key." He nodded, and kept the window down, continuing to watch her.

Usually Sadie hated to be watched, but knowing Eric was there made her feel better in the moment. She remained knelt down, trying to calm her anxiety shivers. Almost as if by magic, when she opened her eyes again, her flashlight caught the glint of the key. She picked it up, her hands steadier now, and quickly unlocked the door.

Before slipping inside, she gave Eric a grateful wave. The door closed behind her with a reassuring click, and she heard her mother's security system beep. She leaned against the doorframe for a moment, letting the tension drain away.

That night, Sadie excused herself from the family dinner to retire to her bedroom. Her social battery was beyond dead, and her appetite was fried. Today had drained her, and all she wanted to do was climb into her childhood full sized bed and cuddle up with her red polka dotted, childhood quilt. Sadie checked her phone once more for anything from Luke, nothing, before turning on her rain noises, and falling fast asleep.

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