Quote:
You're walking home in the dark and soon hear the sound of footsteps following behind you. Every time you turn around, nothing is there. If you try to quicken your pace, the footsteps start running right along with you. No matter how you try to see behind you--if you use your phone camera or if you look in window reflections, you can't see anything...but you know it's getting closer. If you don't run fast enough, you can almost feel a hand on your arm, a breath on your neck...

You need to get home, fast.

If you can.

The streets were dark, empty and quiet… except for Sailor Chibi Euporie, who hummed softly to herself as she trotted homewards, not yet tired enough to give up her ‘patrol’ for monsters. The youma liked dark alleys, so she peeked into each one as she passed, searching for the nasty telltale aura that they radiated. What she would do if she found one was a little uncertain at this point, without her Awesome Senshi Partner around, but the important thing was she was looking. Aaand maybe looking in the darkened shop windows, too, pondering costume options and how much candy she could reasonably expect now she was twelve. She’d better make sure her costume was really impressive this year...

She paused at a cobwebbed storefront, and that’s when she heard it – footsteps! No aura, though, good or bad! But she couldn’t let a regular ordinary civilian see her in her Superhero identity. That was just bad form. She ducked quickly into the doorway, pulling the bright blue folds of her skirt in close so they wouldn’t show. The footsteps got closer, so close Euporie was sure she would see their owner any second, through the dark glass of the windows opposite.

No-one came into view, and she risked a peek around the doorframe. And there was… nothing! Nothing but rustling leaves. Euporie blew out her held breath with a giggle. She was scaring herself!

She started off again, but it wasn’t long before the faint tip-tap-tip of another set of feet caught her attention. She *did* have a follower. A real sneaky one! Okay, she’d play! She knew the streets around here pretty well, including the twisty ones. And she bet she was waaay faster than any non-powered ordinary kid. Euporie kept her walking pace until the next alley, then turned and sprinted down it like she’d just seen an icecream truck pulling up. Her heart raced with the sudden effort, but over the rush she could still hear the follower behind her, and they were running too, now, keeping up.

“Are you copying me? That’s *my* trick!” she pouted.

There was no response, just the footsteps, louder now. Closer now. Euporie was starting to be alarmed. If it could keep up with her when she was a Superhero, then what was it? Another glance over her shoulder just showed empty streets. Not even a kitty was out tonight.

She focused on running, the great jumping steps that could get you onto rooftops if you were brave enough. She’d never gone this fast before, not ever! It felt like flying. But the invisible something was faster than she was. Whichever way she turned, however fast she ran, it stayed with her, speeding up when she did, and getting closer if she slowed. She couldn’t tell if it was wind or scary invisible monster breath ruffling her hair.

Oh no, oh no, this was really bad!

She was getting close to her house, which meant it was time to power down and be Ordinary Kirra again – but she couldn’t run nearly this fast without her henshin! She was going flat-out already! And the phantom footsteps were *still* gaining! Panic spurred her on, and she headed straight for home, now, as fast as her legs would carry her. Her bedroom window came into view, and Chibi Euporie put all her strength into a super-powered leap, right up onto her windowsill and through. She slammed the window closed behind her, dropped her henshin and rolled under her bed in one smooth movement.

Under the bed, all Kirra could hear was her own ragged breathing, her pounding heart. No more footsteps. But there was mist on her window when she peeked, and she almost imagined she could see a handprint in it where the follower had come *this close*.

Grabbing her blanket and pillow, she slid deeper under the bed. She was twelve, yeah, but she *knew* monsters were real, and that had been really way too close for comfort.


(666 words!)