A Spring Loaded Pie

[Originally by Phantom Pen]

A sharp metallic click was all Mackenzie heard before her vision was suddenly obstructed by something cold and runny. Wiping her eyes frantically, Mackenzie saw a pie tin on the ground in front of her, its contents now splattered across her face and chest. Mackenzie's front was a mess of whipped cream and cherry filling, a cold runny mess. In light of this, all the flustered redhead could manage to say was an exasperated "...Really?!"

All that promise and all those hoops she jumped through for a juvenile prank? And now the quickest way back to the alley was cut off! Whoever was putting Mackenzie through this seemed dedicated to making the experience as drawn out and debasing as possible. Then again, someone willing to blackmail and toy with a woman in her situation was more than likely such a person...

Mackenzie knew she couldn't dwell on the nature of her manipulator at the moment. She had to decide what to do before anybody saw her, and sitting in the lawn wasn't going to accomplish anything. A quick look up and down the street gave Mackenzie a quick idea of her options.

The closest way back to the alley would require running down the sidewalk of a busier street, with more than a few cars at any given time. There were things to hide behind, but Mackenzie would have to time her sprints from hiding spot to hiding spot right, or else she was certain to be seen. The other path was longer, but continued through the suburbs, which were less likely to have traffic. Of course, there was the unpredictable issue of people looking out their front windows or enjoying the fresh air on their porches.

Then again, it might not be a bad idea to clean this mess off. It would just take another dip in the backyard pool, and leaving the mess unattended would result in a dried sticky mess that Mackenzie could honestly do without. Of course, more time wasted back there meant higher risk that whoever lived here might return and find her...