The rain had been pouring down for hours, but it felt like days. Water splashed up from the ground as the raindrops hit like mortar shells from the heavens. Lori walked through the park, arms folded tight across her chest in an attempt to keep any warmth that hadn't already been sapped by the merciless weather. It was a short walk home from work, but this rainstorm made it feel much, much longer. Large puddles had formed across the footpath in several places, but her shoes were already wet through so she didn't avoid them. She just trudged through, hoping to get home faster where she could be dry, warm and safe.
It was a little after 1am, and Lori had finished her shift at The Golden Fleece. A university student, she needed any shifts she could get and bar work was the only job that could fit in with her studying and give enough hours to pay the bills. This part of town was gritty and dark at the best of times; right now it felt like something out of a police reconstruction, which seemed to fill up the TV listings these days. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something shifting. Shapes moved towards her, like the shadows were melting and flowing in her direction.
She quickened her pace. It was probably just a small animal, or a drunk trying to get out of the rain, but she didn't want to stick around to find out. Either one of those could be dangerous anyway, or disgusting. Or both. Her thoughts were interrupted by a creepy intoned call:
"Hey lay-dee!"
She kept walking, almost jogging. She didn't turn to look, partly out of fear of what she might see, but mainly because she needed to keep an eye on the path ahead of her. She could see the gate that lead out onto the main road, where there would by cars, lights, any kind of civilisation that would make her feel at least slightly safer.
"Wait lady, I wants ta talk with ya," the voice called, laced with menace but still far enough away not to cause her much concern. Just a drunk, she told herself. Nothing to worry about, just get yourself home.
"Ignoring people is rude," he said in her ear, almost a whisper. She tried to scream, but a wet gloved hand clasped over her mouth and pulled her back, dragging her to the ground. She could feel the rough, worn wool of the glove on her lips, and an unclean taste like sour milk filled her senses. She struggled with her foe, trying to free herself from his grip but he was too strong, and he wrestled her with ease until he was on top of her. She was on her back now, lying on the cold hard paved path, pebbles and twigs underneath her digging into her ribs and spine. She looked up through the falling rain, her vision blurred from the water in her eyes, and all she could make out was a dimly lit figure of the hooded man pinning her down. He leaned in close to her, his hand still clamped over her mouth. She was breathing desperately through her nose, and the foetid stench of his warm breath was a suffocating veil of horror, making her gag. She closed her eyes. She wasn't sure if she was crying tears or if it was just the rain pouring down her face. Her mind was racing with images of violent murder from movies, blood splattering and spraying from arterial wounds, and sharp, ear-splintering screams. Pain flared again in her back, as he shifted his weight on top of her and yet more debris from the weathered path stabbed into her.
"Now we're gonna have ourselves a little party, you and me," he said, drool dripping down from his cracked lips and landing on her cheek. She flinched, but his mass and strength were too much for her. She lay still, staring into the dark shadow of the man's face, too petrified to do anything else. She could see his teeth as he grinned, dull yellow blotches of colour taunting her sadistically. He had freed his other hand, and was grabbing at her jeans while the rest of his frame acted as a vice, keeping her slim body from wriggling away. Sudden fear consumed her mind as she realised what this creature was going to do. All she felt was panic. Her eyes darted around, trying desperately to see a witness or helper, silently pleading with the emptiness of the park to bring forth something, anything, to save her from this vile act.
Then she saw him.
"Get off her, you pig," the mysterious figure shouted.
He stood only yards away, dressed entirely in black, save for a strip of red fabric around his head like an eye mask. In fact, that was the only thing she could make out.
"Fuck off!" the drunk spluttered, looking up from Lori's pale face.
There was a sound of grunting, and straining, then the weight lifted from her chest. She got up so quickly that she almost lost her balance, and stumbled forwards before she regained control again. She looked ahead of her, where the two shadowy figures were standing nose to nose.
"What are you supposed to be, Spiderman?" the drunk yelled.
"No, I am Ninjetsu, and I am here to stop you."
Lori had heard about this. Superheroes, like in the movies and the comics, were popping up all over the place. Only they weren't actually all that super. Just normal, everyday men and women dressed up like the fictional crime fighters of the silver screen. She remembered seeing something about it in the news, a masked vigilante had stopped some robbers breaking in to a warehouse in town. And there were rumours that in other cities the same thing was happening. She hadn't really thought about it much, they were just stories to her, but here, right in front of here, stood one of those heroes. He had saved her, probably saved her life.
"Change your name to shithead," the drunk roared as he swung his fist into Ninjetsu's face. The punch landed with a thud, making Lori cringe with empathy and sending the hero to the floor, sprawling. The drunk turned, muttering to himself, and walked away.
"Are you ok?" Lori asked, rushing towards her downed protector.
"I'm fine, it's nothing," he said, rising unsteadily. "Are you alright? You are lucky I was here, this is a dangerous place at night you know. You really shouldn't walk alone."
"I know, I just never thought it would happen to me. Thank you so much, you really are a hero to me," she said, but before she could finish speaking he ran down the path, the red of his mask fading into the gloomy darkness of the night. She watched him disappear, like he dissolved into the night, then turned and ran home as fast as she could.
To be continued...
