March 13, 2011
I went on a walk tonight. I left about 9.17, after I put a few podcasts and some new music on my MP3 player. I started listening basically right after I left the house. I noticed my neighbor sitting on the porch. Nothing too suspicious, but my mind drew note to it.
I walked south up the street, then turned west. I ran up this street, just to get my blood flowing, and break from the lazy feeling the day had set on me. I ran past a house that was having a party, or at least a gathering. No one seemed to mind, or notice, and if they did, they certainly didn’t mind.
I stopped running where the street curves south again. I walked across the street, going up a short street that goes west. I stopped to stretch, and then continued, heading south (again) then west (again) and walking west until I got to a main road.
On the corner, before I turned, I noticed an open master lock. It was pretty beaten up. I did a quick search for the key, but didn’t find it. I decided to hide it someplace further south on the main road. I lifted the base cover of a light post, and hid It there. After I hid the lock, I noticed a runner a ways up the street. I considered crossing the street to avoid him, but he did it before I could. Not a problem, I just crossed the street later.
However, before I crossed the street, a red Pontiac Grand Am drove past, at a rather slow speed. Slow enough to take mental note of. A turned west, on to another main road. Nothing of significance happened until I crossed to the south side, and cut through the apartment complex. I paused my mp3 player, and walked through. A few cars leaving, but nothing suspicious, until in the parking lot, a scion xB drove past with its lights off, and at a speed not especially safe for driving at, at night, in a parking lot, with your lights off.
Once I left the complex, headed south once agan, I noticed a truck parked. I didn’t get close enough to read the tiny writing that was on it, but it did have a picture of Jesus on it. I also noticed one of the buildings in the industrial districts fences, missing. Not knocked down, an entire side of the property, the fence was missing.
Continuing south along the road, I saw a red light flashing. I noticed it a little ways off. As I walked closer, walking though an intersection, I noticed it was on a building, and was flashing under the overhang of the roof. I walk past this place enough, to notice this light this time. It has never been there, or at least never been on, until tonight. I back tracked a little bit, to the intersection, turning east, and running down the street to distance myself from the suspicious red flashing light. If it was an alarm, I wanted to be far away from the place. Walking around in lonely industrial areas, WILL NOT, make you any friends of police. At least, I don’t think it will. I would really rather prefer to not find out.
As I walked down this rather dark road, I noticed more red lights, blinking. Not one, but about 6 or 8, in some sort of pattern. It looked like a fire truck ladder from where I was walking, but I couldn’t really tell. I knew further up the road, one of the lots had a motion sensing flood light, with the motion sensor covering the road. Not wanting to trigger this, I walked in the parking lot of a small strip mall of sorts. I successfully made it past without the light going off, so I continued on my way, turning south again.
I recalled another night walking down this road, one of the buildings, I could see a small flame, or a few at least. It looked like candles. So as I walked tonight, I checked to see if I could see anything: nothing. Further up, I heard one of the shops in back of, was active. Usually it’s pretty quiet all around. A few places are still open and running at that time, but most are quiet, dark, and very much not occupied.
As I was turning east on to a dark lonely highway, a black Ford (either 500, or Taurus, new model) came around the corner rather quickly. I was nervous for a second about being hit, but it didn’t happen. I walked out onto the highway, and saw no other cars, coming from either direction.
I walked east, and at one point, turned on my flashlight to make sure I would be seen. I turned it off after the cars passed. Once I got passed OSI industries, I heard a car rev-up. I turned my flashlight, and looking behind me, I noticed it was a lot closer than I thought, leading me to guess it had turned from the street I had turned from.
I kept walking, and once it passed, I ran a little bit, again, just to make better time. But also probably due to some little, instinct. They drove back after a little bit, and they were driving too slow. In city limits, its 35, but we were outside city limits, and its 50 there. Anyone who is going anyplace, generally speeds up rather quick. Again, after they passed, I ran. This time, I was running because I was paranoid. I stopped running, kept walking, turning to check again. They drove past again. I took my hat off, and put it in my pocket, and ran all out again. I saw them turn into the neighborhood up the road, and I ran all out. The second I saw them, I did my best to line their headlights with a power pole to make it harder to see me. They passed, again, going much too slow. I was just about at the corner. I was considering running across the road. I paused, and looked back. They were slowing, and looked like they were going to turn around, again. I dashed north, I stopped. A couple was out for a walk. I walked a bit, and turned and looked. I didn’t see them.
I ran again, turning west into the neighborhood. I slowed down and looked down the street that paralleled the street I was just on. I saw a car, which seemed to be waiting. I went up further, and detoured into a circle. I walked around it once, just to kill some time and to rearrange my pockets. I walked west, deeper into the neighborhood, and then turned north. I walked along the road, slowly. I noticed another car “waiting” but it was far enough away I was sure it couldn’t see me. Later on the road (it curved east) a car did pass me, seemingly going too slow. But I didn’t see it again after that. I turned north, and walked up the street. at one corner, I turned right, just as an SUV entered the neighborhood entered from the main road. I ran west up the street, then walked. I didn’t see anyone, for a while. I turned north again, then walked through a “shortcut” to a main road. Peaked around the corner, and didn’t notice anyone waiting. So I walked west up the road. I saw the SUV again, but it either wasn’t following me, or didn’t see me. At this point my, adrenaline was starting to dwindle. I crossed the road, noting all the cars that were going up and down, making sure I wasn’t seeing repeats.
Further up, crossed then I turned north. (I effectively made a loop: back on the road I saw the Grand Am on) - I was on the west side of the street. A truck playing loud music drove past. After It passed through the intersection, I looked back. Something struck me in away, that reignited my paranoia/adrenaline. I ran again, turning in to the neighborhood, and walking through it, to get to where I wanted to be. I crossed the road again, into the neighborhood on the east, and started walking home, watching everything. Of note, a guy at his home, waiting for me to walk by before lighting a cigarette (assumably: could have been something else.) also, another car waiting in a drive way. Nothing else really comes to mind.
I made it home, and felt accomplished for avoiding danger, real or imaginary. It was awesome as hell.
