Dead Man's Alley

      “Okay,” he began.  “Here’s the street.  Dead Man’s Alley.”

         She hugged herself, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.  “Oh, yea, it’s creepy, alright.”

         He nodded and extended an arm, pointing.  “The gallows were over there, but the victims walked this street last before their executions.”  He looked up, gesturing to the darkened windows above.  “People shouted down at them, cursing, throwing food…or worse.”

         She shuddered, but her eyes shone.  “Jeez.  I couldn’t imagine.”  Her fingers grazed the old stone walls of the buildings.  “But is it really haunted?”

         He shrugged.  “Who knows?  But at night, they say you can still hear the victims screaming as they take their final walk.”  He leaned closer to her, flashing a wicked grin.  “I’ve heard them, anyway.”

         She arched an eyebrow, and her breath quickened.  “Oh  yea?  How so?”

         She wasn’t prepared when he slammed her against the wall and squeezed his hands around her throat.  “Because frequently, I’m the cause.”