Fateful Fortune

Author's Note (June 7, 2009): I wrote this as a short story for my English class about three years ago, when I first took up writing. I haven't revisited it or edited it for over a year, mainly because I haven't written much over the last twelve months since moving to college. However, since summer is here, I've taken up the pen again and have lots of new ideas for other stories, so my energy will be primarily focused in that direction. Feel free to read this, but keep in mind that it will be sitting on the back burner for awhile. As always, thanks for your reviews and time!

Jane pulled her coat closer as a sudden gust of cold wind swept past her, bringing tears to her eyes and cutting through her many layers of clothes. I must be crazy to be outside in this weather, she thought to herself as she hurried along the sidewalk. As a typical college student, Jane lived in the cheapest apartment complex in town. After failing to make last month's payment on time, Jane's landlord had leased her apartment to another client, leaving a pleading Jane to take the only other vacant space available-a small, dusty room in the basement. Rent was a lot cheaper, but her new apartment, if you could call it that, strongly reminded her of the catacombs she had toured in Europe, where she had studied abroad the previous year. She was grateful for the space, but she'd never be able to watch another horror movie again unless she brightened up the room, hence her evening trip to the local bookstore in search of a home décor magazine.

A few moments later, Jane walked into the bookstore, slightly out of breath, and made her way to the magazine section in the back. It only took her a few minutes to make her selections, and she headed toward the front of the store to pick up a copy of the weekend newspaper. To her surprise, Jason, her sister's fiancé, was ringing up another customer at the front desk. When the other customer had paid, she greeted him.

"I didn't know you worked here," she said.

"New job. I've only been here for a week. How are you?"

They exchanged the normal pleasantries and talked briefly about the ice storm that was predicted to hit later that night. Jane unzipped her purse, planning to pay, but Jason insisted on footing the bill.

"It's only a few bucks, Jane, plus I can make use of my new employee's discount. Don't worry about it," he said, smiling. She thanked him and turned to leave.

"Be careful out there, he called after her. "Wouldn't want that murderer to get a hold of my future sister-in-law."

Jane stopped. "Murderer?"

"Guess you didn't hear then," Jason said, pointing to her newspaper. "It's been all over the news. The police haven't had any promising leads yet."

Jane looked down. Sure enough, the front headline read in big, boldfaced type:

CRIMINAL AT LARGE
Reward for information leading to arrest.

The headline was followed by an article describing a potential suspect-a muscular man of average height, with dark hair. The part that disturbed Jane the most was the man's preferred victim: he only attacked women who were alone. Though the police hadn't made any arrests, the attacker was thought to be connected with several muggings, two resulting in murder.

After discussing the article for a minute or two, Jane said goodbye and strode out the door. Once outside, she decided to stop by the local Chinese restaurant, the Jade Dragon, right across the street, for a quick bite before she headed home. As she opened the door, a bell chimed, announcing her entrance. An Asian man looked up from behind the counter and grinned toothily at her.

"Can I help you?" he asked with a heavy Chinese accent. Jane ordered the daily special, chicken lo mein, with a Diet Coke, and sat down at a table in the corner, away from the other customers. Red paper lanterns hung from the ceiling above, and a painting portraying a large, fierce dragon hung on the wall next to her. Jane pulled out her shopping bag from the bookstore and began to flip through her magazines. Before long, a sturdy young waiter brought out her order, complete with a single, plastic-wrapped fortune cookie.

Jane ate her meal while continuing to look through the magazines, enjoying the oriental music playing softly in the background, even though it was occasionally interrupted by a rapid stream of Chinese coming from the servers in the kitchen. After she finished her dinner, she unwrapped the fortune cookie, broke it in half, and popped half of it in her mouth while she read the paper insert.

Misfortune awaits you behind a closed door.

Sighing, Jane crumpled up the small piece of paper and tossed it aside. Fortune cookies, she thought. I've never put any stock in them anyway. Jane stood up, deciding it was time to leave, and threw away the remains of her food. She headed to the register to pay and handed her ticket to the waiter.

"Food good?" The man asked in broken English.

"Delicious, as always," replied Jane, smiling and digging in her purse for her wallet. Pulling it out, she began searching it for cash. With a sigh, she remembered that she had spent her last ten dollars the previous night on a present for her mother's birthday.

"You guys take credit cards, right?" She asked, pulling out her American Express card. The man nodded, and she handed it to him. Jane glanced at her watch and realized that it was already nine o'clock. Recalling that she had a last-minute paper to finish before class the next day, she thanked the man and hurriedly ran out.

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A few moments later, a man walked out of the Jade Dragon and looked around. He noticed a couple across the street, laughing and holding hands. By the look of their expensive clothing and the new Mercedes they were getting into, it was easy to tell that they were rich. The man laughed bitterly. I'd have to rob a bank to afford a car like that. The sound of the door closing behind him brought him out of his thoughts as one of the younger workers closed up for the night. He anxiously glanced around and spotted the lady he had followed out turning the corner up ahead. She was the one. I'll have to hurry if I want to catch her before she gets home, he thought, and started walking quickly after her.

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Jane no longer walked at her normal, leisurely pace. She walked briskly now, eager to reach the safe haven of her apartment building. The street was empty, as downtown usually was this time of night. Though the occasional streetlight illuminated her way, her conversation with Jason had shaken her up a bit. As she turned the corner, she got a glimpse of a brawny, dark-haired man walking about twenty paces behind her. That's odd, she thought. This street had few visitors during the day, much less at night. The mall across town received most of the business, and many shops elsewhere had been forced to close, leaving only a few businesses open in this part of town. She shivered, thinking again of the news Jason had told her. Get a grip, Jane, she scolded. He was probably just another night owl with a craving for Chinese food. Nevertheless, her pace quickened.

A quick glance over her shoulder revealed a dark silhouette, striding down the street at a rapid pace. Jane began to panic. Her heart started racing and her breathing became more and more shallow as she rushed towards home. One more block. Then she would be safe in her apartment complex. When she rounded the corner, she started to jog. Her apartment was now in view.

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The man started to laugh as he saw the lady in front of him break into a jog. She probably saw me and freaked out, he thought, but soon turned serious. I'll have to catch her tonight. By this time tomorrow, I'll be on a plane headed out of town. The man began to run after her.

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Relief turned to alarm as Jane once again heard heavy footsteps running behind her. She broke into a full-out sprint, desperate to reach the building before the man caught up with her. Arriving at the door, she threw it open and rushed into the empty lobby. There was no night secretary on duty, and where was the security guard when you needed him? Unsure of what to do, Jane ran over to the elevator and frantically pushed the down button. She would be safe behind locked doors in her room downstairs. She heard a door open behind her, and the elevator doors still hadn't opened.

I'll just have to take the stairs, she thought, opening a door a few feet down from the elevator. She rushed into the stairwell, ignoring the "Caution! Wet Floor!" signs posted on the door. As she reached the top of the first flight of stairs, her feet slipped on the wet surface, and she fell. Her leg caught on the edge of the railing, snapping with a sickening crack as her body continued to tumble down the last few stairs. When she came to a stop, she grimaced in pain and looked down. Her leg was twisted beneath her, bent at an odd angle.

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The dark-haired man entered the lobby. Now where had she gone? The lobby was empty. Good, he thought. Less people to slow me down with silly questions.  He needed to finish his business quickly. Looking around, the man saw that the elevator call button glowed red, but the doors remained closed. Maybe I should check the stairs.

The man opened the door to the stairwell, speaking with a heavy Asian accent. "Miss, miss, are you there? You forgot your credit card."

Word Count: 1, 568