An unfriendly neighborhood

It was late by the time Amber stopped crying. She looked up at the darkening sky, feeling miserable. Why did Christie have to be such a bitch? And why did Amber miss her so much? She let out a frustrated sigh and began walking, following the familiar roads back to her house. It really wasn't far -- Amber and Christie used to walk to each others' house all the time growing up, right up until Christie got her license. She really enjoyed driving, so Amber let Christie pick her up ever since.

Now Amber had to walk back, for the first time in what felt like ages. Now that she was older, the streets didn't feel as innocent as they used to, and the dark didn't help. As she walked, a car slowly rolled alongside her, music blaring out. Amber quickened her pace. Her parents had always warned her not to go walking at night through this neighborhood. it wasn't very safe, but it was the quickest way back home.

She broke into a speed walk, nearly a jog, as the window rolled down and a man's head poked out. She jumped as a sharp whistle broke through the night, sending shivers down her spine. She kept her eyes down, doing her best not to acknowledge the man.

"Where you headed, sexy?" The shout came across aggressively. "Maybe we could give you a ride?" She heard some chuckles in the car, and realized there were more men inside. She glanced around frantically -- no one else in sight. Fuck. Why did she take this shortcut? FUCK. She began to jog, trying to ignore them.

"Ah, why you running, you hot little thing?" the man jeered. "We're just playin'! C'mon, slow down and talk, why don't you wanna talk with us?" The car sped up to match Amber's pace. "Maybe we could play together?" Another chorus of laughter.

Amber turned, making eye contact with the man. He was certainly attractive. A cruel, arrogant face. Amber could see his darkness, felt something inside her drawn to him, but it was quickly stifled by fear. Her voice caught in her throat. "P-please leave me alone!"

"Aww, the little girl has a voice!" The man laughed. "Tell you what. I'll leave you alone if you do me a favor." He grinned. "And I'm sure I can have that little voice calling me Daddy in minutes." More laughs from the car. He seemed to be playing to them, trying to entertain them, puff himself up.

Amber felt sick. She had nowhere to go. She broke into a run, feeling nearly naked in her outfit. Before she had felt powerful, commanding. But now she felt helpless and ****. She stopped and turned around, breaking into a run the other way down the sidewalk. She felt panic surge in her breast as she saw the car slowly turning, headlights flashing menacingly.

"HELP!" She shouted, to no one in particular. "HELP!"

Suddenly through her panic she had a flash of hope: another car, driving down the road towards her. She did her best to flag it down, and watched it roll to a stop.

"Please, you have to help me!" She said rapidly as the window began to roll down. "These men are following me and they --" She froze as she saw who was driving the car.