Chapter 21 No, Please

• Evening. I exited the convenience store while carrying a shopping bag filled with snacks.
• The streets, wet from the afternoon rain, glistened. I leaped over puddles, avoiding my shoes from getting muddy. Then, I turned into a narrow alley as the quickest way home.
• I walked alone in this three-meter-wide alley. Without any illuminated lamps, I heard faint, strange sounds at the bend in front of the alley. The deserted alley made even the slightest noise easily audible. Spontaneously, my steps slowed, and I became wary of my surroundings, fearing the presence of someone malicious.