Bus Stop
The night was nearly pitch black, and the cold rain just made it harder for me to see. I almost didn't see the woman standing beside the bench. Her rain-soaked hair covered most of her pale face, but I could see that she wore a medical mask. She looked away when I approached, almost as if she were avoiding me. Maybe she thinks I'm a mugger or something, I reasoned with myself. I tried not to let her antisocial behavior bother me, especially since I wasn’t feeling very social myself. Neither of us said a word as we waited for the last bus of the night. I pulled my phone from my pocket, but my battery was dead. I frowned as I searched for my portable charger, only to find that it had somehow slipped out of my bag. The single-strip light that bathed the bus stop in its dim glow started to flicker. The hair on the back of my neck stood on edge as my eyes struggled to adjust. I feared that the light would soon burn out and I didn’t want to be left in complete darkness with the strange woman. I tried not to look at her, but I felt like she was inching closer and closer to me.