Alone in a Big City


Angela Rose


All Rights Reserved
Copyright 2012
Smashwords Edition

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, trademarked products, events, and locations are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual events or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.

Thank you for downloading this free ebook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please return to Smashwords.com to discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support. 


First Day at Work

Standing in the center of Times Square, Joanne had no clue what she had gotten herself into. She glanced down at her watch. Already 8:30 PM. She thought bitterly. After landing a job as a legal secretary in one of the top law firms in Manhattan, Joanne packed her bags, left her hometown of Woodstock, Georgia, and moved into a tiny bachelor apartment in New York. 
Joanne just completed her first day at work and she was exhausted. The lawyer she worked for, Anderson, gave her more work in her first day than most people had to deal with in an entire month. Needless to say, she felt like she made a huge mistake. 
New York City, better know as the city that never sleeps. At 35 years old, that fact was the least appealing to her. All the loud honking and pushy people always in a rush were too much for her to handle. She glanced over and noticed a taxi coming. She walked to the edge of the curb and waved it down. After attempting to wave down two previous cabs that refused to stop or even slow down, Joanne was shocked to see this one pull up. 
Relieved, she ran up to the taxi, pulled open the back door, and sat inside. "Hi." She said with a smile. The man looked back and grunted. His eyes were bloodshot red and his hair was grey and scraggly, as if he hadn't showered in months. Joanne looked at the back of the seat and didn't see any type of license. 
"Where to?" The man asked, turning right on an unknown street.
Joanne started to feel uneasy but figured it was just the jitters of being in a new city, especially one as lively as New York. She glanced down at her home address she scribbled on a piece of paper. She still didn't have her new address memorized. "800 3rd St." 
The taxi driver made another right and started driving toward an unfamiliar area. Joanne noticed that he was getting on a highway. "Umm, excuse me," She said, scooting up to the edge of her seat. "I don't think we need to get on the freeway to get to my apartment. I live close by."
The man looked up in the rear view mirror and snickered. "I know a short cut."
Joanne knew right away something wasn't right. She began to panic but decided to keep her cool. "Actually, you can just drop me off right here. I have a friend that lives nearby, I'm going to hang out with her." She tried to keep her voice from trembling. 
The driver sighed and switched lanes to exit. When she noticed that he listened, Joanne felt more at ease. She leaned back against the backseat and looked out the window. You're just paranoid. She thought, shaking her head.  
The taxi driver pulled into a dark alley and put the car in park. He glanced back and shot Joanne a creepy smile. "You sure you don't want a ride home?"
"I'm sure." Without hesitating, Joanne grabbed her purse, and swung open the door, nearly falling as she got out of the car. She quickly walked in the opposite direction, away from the taxi and was relieved when she heard the car drive off. She walked a few more steps before she realized she had no clue where she was going. 
Crap.
Joanne was new to New York and didn't know her way around Manhattan, let alone the random, deserted place she ended up tonight. She told the driver she'd call a friend that lives nearby, but the truth was Joanne didn't have any friends here. She left all of her friends, her old life, in Georgia. Everyone warned her about going off on her own to an unknown city and how difficult it would be for her to adjust. Joanne was also very stubborn and the warnings motivated her to leave even more. Now she was starting to regret it. 
She pulled out her cell phone and looked for Anderson's number. Sadly, he was the only person she knew well enough and she was hoping he'd be kind enough to give her a ride. Of course, it reflected badly on her, but at this point, she was desperate. 
She saw that her battery showed less than fifteen percent remaining. After dialing his number twice, and having it go to his voicemail twice, she realized she was screwed. "Crap." She muttered to herself, zipping up her coat. She realized that she overreacted with the whole taxi situation. If he really wanted to harm her, he wouldn't have agreed to drop her off when she asked. She decided to just call information and get the number to the nearest taxi. She looked around at the empty streets and alleys. She had no clue where she was. There were a lot of abandoned buildings around but not a single person, car, or house in sight. She shuddered at the eery silence and pulled out her phone again. She spotted a bench nearby and looked up at the street sign. 
"Morris Drive and Jefferson Avenue" She whispered to herself a couple of times before walking over to the bench. She took a seat and called information. After ringing twice, a grumpy woman answered the phone. "Thank you for calling, city?"
"Hi, I'm not sure but I think I'm somewhere in New York. I'm on the corner of Morris Drive and Jeffer   "
"I'm sorry ma'am, we need the exact city." She rudely interrupted.
Joanne was a little frustrated but tried to keep her cool. "I'm not sure, I got dropped off by a taxi. Can you search by street names in the state of New York?"
There was a moment of silence before she heard a loud sigh. "Street names."
"Morris Drive and Jefferson Avenue" Joanne started, trying to contain her annoyance. "Look, I just need a taxi to pick me up. Can you give me the number to any taxi service in New York City?"
When she waited about thirty seconds for a response, but heard nothing but silence, she pulled the phone away from her ear and noticed that it died. She dropped it in her purse and buried her face into her hands. 
There's no way this could be happening.



Getting Home

Taking a deep breath, Joanne rose from the bench and stuck her hands into her coat pockets. She decided to search for a payphone. Luckily, she had more than enough change in her purse from doing laundry the day before. She felt uncomfortable walking through the deserted streets but she decided to shake off her fear and try to get home as soon as possible. Besides, her fear of a taxi driver was what got her in this mess in the first place.
She continued walking down Jefferson Avenue, looking from left to right in hopes of seeing a payphone, a car to flag down, or any living person. Unfortunately, the more she was walking, the less hopeful she was becoming. There was nothing but empty alleys and abandoned buildings. 
"There's no way I'm giving up this easily." She was frustrated, but determined. She continued down until she heard an engine of a car running. "Hello?" She called out, picking up her pace. As the noise was getting closer, she noticed the back of a car behind an alley. She ran up to it and was thrilled to see a taxi.
"Excuse me!" She yelled, looking inside the car, disappointed to find it empty. She looked around frantically, hoping to find the driver somewhere nearby. Joanne let out a loud scream when an arm wrapped itself around her face, covering her mouth. She began squirming and struggling to get out of this person's grip, but he was too strong. The man holding her turned her around, and her eyes widened with fear when she saw the taxi driver who drove her here.
His eyes were redder than before and his lips were curled down into a snarl. "You're in a lot of danger." He stared deep into her eyes. She kicked him hard and watched him writhe in pain for a second before dashing in the opposite direction.
"Wait!" He screamed, chasing after her. "You have to come with me!" 
She didn't slow down or look back. Her heart was beating out of her chest but she didn't let that stop her. She was in pumps but she managed to run faster than she ever had in her life. 
"You don't understand!" The man screamed while running after her. Joanne saw an open door to one of the buildings. She made a sharp right turn and sprinted inside, slamming the door behind her. Tears began to form in her eyes. The man ran up to the door and began knocking wildly on the door. Joanne ran through the empty building trying to find a back window to jump out of. She tried prying one open but it was no use, it was stuck.
The knocking suddenly stopped and that worried her even more. He must have found another entrance. She thought, as she frantically looked around the room. A loud knock startled her. Her face turned white and she froze in her place. 
"NYPD police!" A deep voice came from behind the door. "Is everyone alright in there?"
"Police!" Joanne yelled as she dashed toward the door and opened it. She was perplexed when she didn't see anybody standing behind the door. She walked out and screamed when a body fell on top of her. She pushed it off to find the taxi driver on the ground, blood covering his entire upper body, a knife still in his back.
Joanne screamed in horror and turned to see a man in a ski mask, holding a knife in his hand. Before Joanne could react, the knife came right at her heart. 

###