Kara laughed as the man with her finished the longwinded joke.
"I can’t believe you said that," she chuckled He smiled and took a sip of his drink before placing it back on the table. Kara was an attractive twenty-two year old artist from the eastern side of town. She frequently came to this particular club, mostly for the atmosphere, and the abundance of men. True, some of them were younger than her teen-aged brother, trying to act big and bad. But most were men her age. Raven was a different sort of club. Not exactly her type, but she felt like she actually belonged with all of the grimly dressed people. She herself wore dresses that weren’t nearly enough for a Barbie doll, much less her shapely frame. But those clothes were saved for clubs and times when she just felt like being flirty. She looked to her companion and smiled.
"Zane, I hate to break this evening short, but I think I should go before I get too tipsy to drive home." He nodded and said he understood. He stood as she put on her jacket, and kissed her cheek.
"I’ll tell Shayna you said hi..." Kara hugged him and exited the crowded club.
Kara walked into the calm night air, and over to an old car that was parked around the building. As she sat in the driver’s seat, she removed her jacket. The alcohol from earlier had made her a bit warmer than she was used to. She started the engine and pulled from the parking space. The clock on her stereo read eleven forty-five. She pushed a series of buttons and the speakers came to life with sounds of heavy bass-filled rhymes. Her finger tapped the steering wheel as she came to a stoplight. The car began to stall, but came to its senses as the light flashed to green once again.
"That’s what I get for buying something from Joey..." She sighed and turned down Main street. The headlights began to blink on and off, and the noises and shaking got worse. Kara muttered under her breath, threatening the car not to stop. She saw a phone up ahead on the corner.
"Please don’t die on me now...Please" As if the car was trying to get it’s vengeance, with one last shake, it shut off.
"FUCK!!" She slammed her hands on the dashboard and sat back in her seat. She turned the keys, trying to start it back up. Nothing happened. Kara tried several times before giving up. Her cell phone had been left at home to recharge, so she had no choice but to walk to the phone up ahead. Grabbing her keys and purse, she looked around her. She’d somehow ended up in the poorest part of town there was. Abandoned buildings, homeless children. A shelter was somewhere off to her left, she couldn’t tell exactly.
Kara stepped out of the car and locked her door behind her. She hoped her top and skirt would hold up to the breeze that blew through the empty street. As she began her walk to the booth, she heard heavy footsteps behind her. She turned to look, but saw no one. There were only the sounds of traffic far off in the distance. She started walking again. Only this time, the sounds were closer, and a voice in her ear.