I met her about 5 years ago, and until this day I still remember vividly that eventful night. It was raining. I just finished my job, and the rain suddenly starts pouring down, I quicken my steps and get into the metal canopy of a bus stop, my apartment is about 40 minutes' walk from here, but I'm not interested in getting wet just to go home a few minutes quicker.

I sit down on the metal bench and made sure no one is following me, I didn't kill anyone in that last gig, but someone did die, just not by my hands. Even so, it has become a habit of mine to check if I've been tailed after any sort of illegal activity (probably got this from stealing food in Chinatown back when I was even younger), I glance to the left and see nothing but darkness, the rain blocks out the last bit of light.

At that moment I felt it. I'm being watched.

This stop is located between the residential area for low-income families and the night market in the red-light district so you can probably guess the city utilities in this part is not that great, more specifically the streetlights. On my way here I didn't see more than 10 functioning streetlights, and on a night like this, the visibility is close to none. Not sure if it can be counted as good luck, but the lamp to the left of this bus stop is working fine which is good news and bad news at the same time.

The good news is I can at least check if I got wounded by the little "misunderstanding" that happened minutes ago, being a mediator is not an easy job, but I can proudly say that I'm pretty good at it. But not when one side is hiding something from the other without telling me first.

The bad news is since this lamp is working fine (finer than the others) and I'm currently at the bus stop, anyone in the dark within 50m can see me clearly but I cannot. It's like being locked in an interrogation room made with one-way mirror.

But that's not why I felt like I'm being watched.

The right corner of the bus stop is not illuminated either since the metal canopy blocks the light from the lamp to the left; it became a blind spot to me.

"Hello, stranger."

I skipped a heartbeat, then immediately turned to the right, there she sits, in the rain, smoking.

Judging by looks she is about 29 to 32 years old, can't really tell how tall she is since she's currently sitting on the bench too, black curled hair, pale chiseled face adorned with old fashion makeup (shorter eyelashes, not overly decorated, without glimmers), black wool coat, and a pair of shiny red boots. Her face has expressions of both tiresome and amusement.

"Miss," I said while giving her a little nod.

There is something wrong, subtle but I can feel it, a feeling of uncertainty creeps up and sends a shiver down my spine, something is out of place in this scenario, but I can't point my finger at it.

I turn my head and check the left side again but still nothing, just the abyss of darkness, I turn my head back and realize the woman is still watching me, she takes another puff, and then passes the cigarette to me. Now I'm the one with an amused expression on.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"You seem tense, and this is my last smoke so might as well share it." She shrugs.

I take the cigarette from her index and middle finger and take a deep drag, not my usual type but it does make me a bit more relaxed.

I wait a few seconds to choose my words "If you don't mind me asking, why would you be out on your own so late at night?" I ask before giving back her smoke.

"I was waiting for someone. But I think I got stood up." With another puff, three fourth of the cig is burnt out now.

"What about you? What business do you have here at this hour, I don't think there is anything interesting for a youngster like you in this area." Then with a suggestive smile, she asks again "Or were you at the Avenue?"

Glen Avenue is the main road for the red-light district, on the southern part of euphoria close to us and "piao jie"(China town). The government tried to limit the red-light district from expanding but is reluctant to touch China town so they decided to regulate that sex workers can only be allowed on Glen Avenue. When demand exceeds supply people tend to get creative, instead of expanding the red-light district they expanded the Avenue.

After a few years of back and forth with authorities 'The Glen Avenue' became one of the biggest, most depraved, and dense blocks in Faust, the stuff you can find there is truly astonishing......and scary.

"Nah, that place is too extreme for me." I shake my head with a knowing smile. She let out a small laugh. "I was working overtime tonight, just finished my shift, trying to go home and get some sleep. But I guess that will have to wait" I gave the rain a quick glance; it's still not getting any better.

"And you? Were you waiting for someone special?" It's My turn to give her a suggestive smile.

She let out another chuckle and reply" No, nothing like that. I was actually working overtime too when we decide to call it a day my business partner suddenly told me there is an urgent matter that needs to be dealt with and asks me to wait here until it's done." Another puff. "I guess the matter is so urgent that it has to be done without me."

She casually flicks the burning cigarette end to the abyss. The initial strained atmosphere had disappeared. My shoulders more relaxed and my body stop being tense up. But still, my mind keeps telling me there is something wrong; the uneasy feeling did not leave.

I inspect her again and notice a few more things; though the black coat covered most of her I can still see that she is wearing a dark red sweater, she crossed her left leg on her right leg which is strange since judging from how she holds cigarette she is positively right-handed, usually, right-handed people tend to cross their right leg on the left one; she does not have any visible tattoo; ignoring the red boots which are eye-catching in the extreme, I notice for the first time she's wearing white pants but most of it is also covered by the coat. Most of the people in the city dress to impress, to gain attraction, even the criminals do too. That's why it's easy to understand a person by how he\she dresses.

But this woman doesn't, she sits in the corner of a bus stop covered by shadow, though she is pretty she dresses with the intention of being ignored; the only two eye-catching things about her are her face and the boots, but she sure as hell isn't the shy type, on the contrary, she's very confident.

Now, why would a confident beauty wear a black coat in the middle of nowhere at late night, alone? And she said she's here for work...... (assuming that is true) the only thing I can come out with is that she's either one of those old-fashioned escorts or .........

I hope I'm just paranoid.

I check the bus schedule next to the bench, two more minutes before I can leave this weird situation and the peculiar woman behind.

Just when I was drowning in thoughts "Hey can I ask you a more personal question?" with a genuine smile she asked while resting her chin on her left hand and her right hands-on waist.

"Sure! We met for......7 minutes. We are basically old friends now!" I said while checking my watch to sell the act. She laughs out loud this time.

"Okay, Friend." She said with a mischievous expression "What exactly do you do? I somehow got the impression that we might be here for the same reason." Mischievousness turns into curiosity.

"Ha! I doubt that. I'm just a normal man trying to make an honest living." She grins from ear to ear.

"Of course, you are." Where the hell is the goddamn bus? I check my watch again and find out that the bus should already be here.

"Hey, can I tell you something that's been on my mind for the past ......8 minutes?" She mimics me and checks her watch too.

"Sure!" I said with a dull voice, every single muscle and nerve in me is on the edge.

She leans towards me. Her face is illuminated and with a husky sound, she says.

"There's blood on your shoes."