This is my adaption of "Rebel With A Cause" by Kim Hansen.
Chapter 1
“Let me out.”
“Are you crazy?”
“Stop the car and let me out!” Brenda repeated hotly and yanked on the handle. She had the door open before the green Jaguar skidded to a halt, and was outside a second later.
“Your being childish!” the man inside snapped.
“Really?” She flung the door shut with as much force as she could, muster, making the half-open window rattle. “And your being a pompous...”
The squealing tires drowned out her retort and left her standing in the middle of a deserted street, but she didn’t notice her surroundings. Not until the Jaguar had disappeared around the corner at the end of the block. It was only then, muttering under her breath and turning from where the vehicle and its offensive driver had gone, that Brenda swung to look for the nearest phone booth or taxi...and felt her stomach sink.
Caught up in the heat of argument, she hadn’t paid any attention to where she was or what was happening outside the car. But the deed was done. She was out of the car, by herself, and had absolutely no idea where she was.
Her teeth found her lower lip, and she slowly surveyed her surroundings. Wherever she was, it wasn’t any place she had been before, and it was far from her home in San Marino, California.
No tree-lined drives or manicured lawns were in sight. No ornamental lamps lit thewalks with a warm, welcoming glow. The street she was standing on had only debris edging its curbs. And the only illumination came from one streetlight posted high above the cement that, she quickly noted, did little to eliminate the eerie shadows cast along th empty porches, hollow doorways and dark alleys flanking the road.
Unconsciously her tongue darted out to lick lips that had suddenly gone dry. Nervously she began edging her way up the street toward the avenue cutting across it at the corner. Surely there she’d find a phone booth or a taxi...But it was hard to concentrate on what might be ahead when he kept watching out for what lay behind.
Black windows stared at her from scarred buildings, their panes like hollow eyes watching her. The shadows hovering around stairs and alleys seemed to shift constantly, following her with silent intent. Yet the crackling and buzzing streetlight alarmed her the most. It was as if, at any moment, its bulb would blow, plunging her into darkness while surrounded by the menacing unknown. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurried on.
The last few steps to what she hoped was salvation were taken quickly despite the three-inch heels she wore, but the hope that had been building died when she found the avenue as barren and unwelcoming as the street she had come from. No telephone booths and no cabs were in sight.
Glancing down at her hands as her fingers wound together in silent consternation, she smothered a groan. Even if she had found a phone booth, using it would have been a problem. She’d left her purse in the car!
Desperate, Brenda turned in a circle one more time but found little to reassure...except she hadn’t been followed down the street. She was alone. Nothing and no one stirred.
The sudden clang of metal against metal made her jump. It echoed through the night with a hollow ring and had her whirling in alarm to find its source. But a telephone pole and mailbox blocked her view.
Taking an uneasy step to the side, Brenda held her breath and saw a silhouette of a man bending over a motorcycle. Intent on what he was doing he hadn’t noticed her. Yet.
She darted a quick glance at the diamond-studded watch on her wrist. It was three o'clock on a Saturday morning, and it appeared that she and he were the only ones out on the otherwise silent road.
Looking around again at the street that was a far cry from the smooth pavement and rolling green of Beverly Hills and Pasadena, she suppressed the chill that threatened to shake her and bit her lip once more. She would have felt better if she could have at least seen a phone booth or a taxicab...both signs of escape...but neither was in sight, and it didn’t seem likely she’d find either nearby.
She took a deep breath. Her options appeared to be extremely limited. Swallowing any trepidation, she prepared to introduce herself to a complete stranger.
Chapter Two
