She tries the park

Chapter originally written by Phantom Pen on writing . com

While effectively doubling the distance she'd have to cover wasn't an appealing idea, Mackenzie couldn't deny that the park was the safest route. She could at least try to hide if she came across any people, and the trees would make for good cover from the sun or rain if the weather took a turn for the worse. Of course, being as nice of a day as it was, there was the very real possibility that there would be plenty of people at the park...

"It's not like I have a whole lot of options." Mackenzie said to herself. "I've got to get my spare key from Marianne if I want to get out of this mess."

Reluctantly, Mackenzie made her way to the gate that separated her back yard from the alley. Turning the handle and slowly cracking the gate open, she carefully peeked her head out, looking all around for any signs of life. Seeing nobody, Mackenzie slowly stepped out of the safety of her back yard and into the alley, her bare feet protesting against the transition from soft grass to rough gravel. As the gate to her back yard closed behind her, the click of the lock made it clear that there was no turning back from here. The only way back to her property now would be from the street, and the only way she was going there was with clothes and her spare key.

Thankfully for Mackenzie, it seemed that none of her neighbors had any business that brought them into the alley, and she was able to make her way towards the park with little trouble. Of course, that didn't stop the naked redhead from jumping at every small rustle of leaves and holding her breath at the sound of a passing car. Still, her luck managed to hold out, and Mackenzie was soon at the edge of the alleyway. From here, the nervous young woman could see the edge of the park, just at the end of the road, about half a block away. Looking around again, Mackenzie was relieved to see that none of the houses showed signs of activity on their front porches. If anybody was home, they must have been indoors. Hoping that none of them were glancing outside, Mackenzie took a deep breath and ran like her life depended on it.

While Mackenzie had never been a star athlete, she had always kept in shape through dancing and light exercise, but it was sheer adrenaline that helped her achieve her speed at the moment. Mackenzie had never run so fast in her life, and if the idea of streaking down the street of her neighborhood wasn't absolutely terrifying, she'd have been impressed with herself. Of course, terrified as she was, Mackenzie had no time to take pride in her feat of athletic prowess, and simply bolted down the street for the cover of the trees.

Incredibly, Mackenzie's gamble paid off! The unpleasant burn of sun-baked pavement on her feet gave way to cool grass once more, and the bright sunlight that showcased her naked body brilliantly was replaced with cooling shade that gave her (admittedly minimal) concealment. Once she was a few meters past the treeline, Mackenzie took a moment to bend over, leaning against a tree as she caught her breath. As scary as it had been, she had made it through undetected. Now there was just the matter of... making the now four mile journey to Marianne's apartment complex...

"This... this is the worst day of my life." Mackenzie muttered to herself as she panted. "But hey... at least it can't get much worse."

Mackenzie should have known better than to jinx herself like that. In a situation like hers, there were plenty of ways things could get worse, and indeed, for the unfortunate redhead.