Run for it

Penny's thoughts raced as she tried to collect herself and evaluate her situation. She looked down at her "sweater." It was loose enough and she was flat enough that it shouldn't be attracting attention to her chest. Also, it was a cardigan, really, though at this distance they--

NO. STOP. GET IT TOGETHER.

She **** a bit of discipline into her thoughts. The men were staring and talking quietly. They were holding beer bottles and the ground was littered with more. Penny was in a neighborhood that was considered safe, but was it safe around drunk men at three in the morning?

Penny wasn't totally familiar with this area, but she picked a side street away from the men and broke into a run. She couldn't hear if she was being followed, but she was athletic enough to cover the first block quickly. She rounded a corner and went in the direction of home, but this new area wasn't well-lit. She made it half the distance to the next intersection before tripping on a broken patch of sidewalk.

She put her shoulder forward as her face and body rocketed toward the uneven concrete. There was a bit of pain, but she mostly succeeded in rolling with the impact. She clutched her phone to her chest and tried to aim at the sparse grass, tumbling to the side of the path with what felt like minimal scrapes and bruises.

She was breathing hard and she didn't find her feet immediately. Unfortunately, before she realized he was there, one of the men was standing over her.

"Hard fall, baby. You break anything?"