ENCOUNTER

April Greene glanced through the mirror and stared at her reflection. She was already dressed for another interview today. It was really difficult for her to get a job, it was not as if she was lacking, infact she had a perfect resume coupled with her good grades yet she had been unable to get a job. Despite having a perfect resume, she still got rejected.

She looked at the bracelet on her hand before taking a deep breathe to prepare herself. She tied her hair into a ponytail, took her bag and left the house. The day was bright and clear. 'Maybe today is a good day for me.' She thought. She brought out her phone when she heard it ring. It was her best friend calling,she smiled as she picked the call.

"Ready for today's interview?" Mandy asked.

"Yes." She knew the reason Mandy called, to assure her that she would pass today's interview.

"Do you remember what the fortune teller said yesterday? He said today was your lucky day so that means you will definitely get a job today so don't be nervous and just give it your best, huh?" Mandy said reminding her friend about what the fortune teller had foreseen.

"He better be right, i paid two hundred dollar to that man all because you forced me to." April had never for once believed in fortune telling neither did she believe in fantasy nor anything supernatural. She believed they were all lies fabricated to deceive mankind. Her bestfriend had dragged her to a fortune telling house to foresee her future and the said fortune teller had told them that she would get a job today.

"He has never been wrong. Don't worry, I'll buy you chicken and beer to celebrate your new job, okay?" Mandy quickly retorted,knowing her bestfriend didn't believe in all these things, she had to force her to the fortune telling house because they also foresaw that she would get a job and here she was working in one of the prestigious company in the country, she just wanted to help her bestfriend's predicament.

"I'll call you later, my boss is coming." Mandy said before ending the call.

April dropped her phone in her pocket and continue walking but then stopped when she felt she was being followed. She looked back to see who was following her but didn't see anyone. She brushed it off and thought it was probably just her imagination. Who would actually be stalking her? She was penniless at the moment that she couldn't even afford to take a taxi.

When she got to the bus junction, it was just she and an old woman at the junction. The first bus had gone so she had to wait for the next bus heading to her destination.

"You have a beautiful bracelet." The old woman commented staring at the bracelet.

April smiled as she was reminded of her Grandma. This bracelet was a gift from her Grandma before she passed on. Her late grandma made her promise not to take off the bracelet due to a specific reason.

"Run away." The woman suddenly spoke in a low tone that was audible enough for April to hear what she said.

April looked at the Granny,confused by what she had just heard but before she could even react, the old woman gripped her hand.

"When the demon shall come, he's coming to kill you. The man with red eyes is coming to kill you, you need to run away, run away before he kills you."

April stood still, too shocked to even react and too confused that her brain was unable to comprehend what she had just uttered. Despite April not saying a word, the Granny still kept on repeating the same words. "Run away...........RUN AWAY!"

The words the old woman said to her at the bus junction struck her that she was unable to concentrate during the interview. No matter how hard she tried to brush those thoughts off, she just couldn't stop thinking about it. What did she mean by the demon was coming to kill her? The man with red eyes? red eyes?

April sighed loudly as she refused to believe the words the Granny said. Why on earth will the man with red eyes want to kill her? Why was he after her life? Her life was already a mess and now she had to deal with a fictional creature coming after her life. April laughed as she shook her head. "What a load of garbage!" She cussed. Was the Granny expecting her to believe those loads of garbage she spat out? Demons aren't real and she was so sure of it, they were just fictional creatures written in novels. She wouldn't fall for that old woman's lie.

She looked at the time on her phone, it was time for her part time job. She would rather spend her time working herself to death than think about the ridiculous words from that Granny.

*******

[ At The Choice Bar ]

April has numerous part time jobs and one of them was her job as a bartender at The Choice bar. She worked at the bar from seven p.m to ten p.m, it was remaining thirty minutes for her to get off work. While she was serving her last customer for today, she saw Katty and Jane approaching her.

"Hey April, you still work here?" Jane sneered.

April cursed inaudibly, she knew what they came here for, they were here to mock her because she hasn't gotten a job yet. Those two had not changed since high school.

Katty sighed as she clicked her tongue. "I feel so bad for April, despite her good grades, she still doesn't have a job." It was Katty's turn to make jest of her.

April rolled her eyes as she went on serving the customers. The last thing she would do right now is dealing with those two. Her day had already been bad enough. She knew what they wanted, they wanted to see her pissed by their rude remarks but little did they know that their words had no effect on her anymore. When she was done attending to her last customer, she pulled off her apron and was set to leave.

"Hey April, are you just going to leave us here?"

"I guess she's too ashamed to face us because she still couldn't get a job but ended up working part time as a bartender." Jane said as they both laughed at April.

April turned to look at them for a while before walking towards their seat. "If there's anything you need, the other bartenders will attend to you." She said in a composed manner indirectly telling them they were wasting their time trying to see her pissed before turning to take her leave.

Katty and Jane scoffed, they were disappointed by April's reply. They were expecting her to be offended by their rude remarks but she still kept a cool expression.

"She's so annoying." Katty hissed.

April held her bag as she walked home. Walking this way actually took her mind off things she had been thinking about. Her day was worse but the night was really beautiful with the full moon shining so bright in the sky. She remembered what her Grandma used to tell her when she was a kid. Her Grandma told her that if she made a wish on a full moon, her wish would be granted. As a kid, April believed her word and thought her wish would actually be granted but it never worked, it never for once worked. That was when she stopped believing in fairytales, they were all lies.

She laughed at her idiotic self who was once fooled by tales of the moonlight. Walking to another turn of block, April suddenly heard sounds of footsteps. She started walking slowly as she held unto her bag, afraid that she might get robbed. She turned to look at the source of the footsteps but didn't see a single soul, she was the only one here.

She heaved a sigh of relief as she continued walking, her heart thumping fast. She had been feeling she was being followed this morning but she brushed it off thinking it was her imagination but now she was getting bad feelings. She hastened her steps as she couldn't wait to get home then she heard the sound of footsteps again, this time they were getting closer to her. She stopped walking and turned immediately to see who was following her but before she could even see his face,he approached her with full force and strangled her neck.

April struggled to breath as she fought back to free herself from his grip but he was so strong, way stronger than her. She whimpered in pain when his sharp claws pierced through her neck and before she knew it, she lost consciousness.

April gasped and choked out a breath, it was as if she had been pulled out from drowning. She quickly surveyed her surroundings and kept blinking as she couldn't believe she was in her room, in her house!

She touched her neck, what on earth happened to her? The last thing she remembered was that she was almost killed by an unknown man. Was it all a dream? She being strangled by an unknown man was all a dream? It felt so real, so real that April thought she was really going to die. She shook her in disbelief, still not convinced it was a dream, she got up from her bed and went to the mirror to look at her neck.

There she saw bruises on her neck, she saw the mark of his fingers pierced through her skin. That only meant one thing, everything that happened last night wasn't a dream. It wasn't a dream! It wasn't a dream!

Then if it wasn't a dream, who on earth was that man? What in the world was he? She remembered how sharp his fingers were, there were totally not the fingers of humans. Why would he want to kill her? Why would anyone want to kill her? She had never offended anyone to the extent of them planning to kill her.

Then she remembered those words the old woman had said to her at the bus junction.

The words the Granny said. "The man with red eyes............... was he really here to kill her?

April bit her lower lip as she paced around. Not long ago, she was struggling to get a job, now she was almost killed by an unknown creature _the man with red eyes. Come to think of it, she didn't actually see his face probably that was why she didn't see his red eyes. If he was really here to kill her then why was she here? April was so sure she didn't come here on her own accord, that meant he had brought her back to her house! In her room! Does that mean he knows where she lives?

April immediately froze when she heard a knock on the door. She didn't move an inch and the person didn't stop knocking. She looked at her wall clock and it was seven a.m, she wasn't even expecting anyone at her house. Could the man be here to finally finish her?

She subconsciously swallowed her saliva as she picked an umbrella as her weapon to protect herself. She slightly opened the door to peep who was at the door.

"Mum?" She exclaimed.

"Won't you open the door for me?" Her mum said already pissed that she had to stand at the door for so long in this cold weather when she was at home.

April heaved a sigh of relief before opening the door for her mum. "I'm sorry, i wasn't expecting to see you here at this hour." She held the door scrutinizing her surroundings if there were any suspicious person around her house but when she found none, she quickly shut the door.

Mrs Greene looked at April confused by her attitude. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, what brings you here?" She immediately replied. She couldn't tell her Mum that a strange man almost killed her and brought her to house, that would scare her Mum to death.

"What could possibly bring me here? I came to see how my daughter is doing." Mrs Greene said as she carried the food items she brought to the kitchen.

"You don't need to buy these food items each time you come visiting." Her Mum always spent her money on her when she hadn't even paid her back.

"If i don't buy them then who would? You?" Mrs Greene scoffed as she headed to the fridge, she opened the fridge but was astonished by what she saw. Toothpaste, perfumes, body creams, socks, lipsticks in her fridge? Mrs Greene glared at April who quickly looked away. "This is why i always keep complaining, what are all these doing in a fridge? Do you even eat at all?" She complained.

She cleared her throat as she brought out an envelope then she handed it to April. "Take it, your allowance."

"Mum, stop it. It's embarrassing enough that i don't have a job,stop giving me allowance. Use your money to take care of yourself." Her Mum was at it again, she didn't even have enough yet she would still want to give her an allowance.

"I was only trying to help you since you don't have a job yet. Things are really expensive and the money you get from your part time jobs can't sustain you so take it." Mrs Greene still insisted for April to take the money.

"I'm getting a job soon. I'll be accepted to work at Hoffman corporation, I'm sure of it." April immediately retorted. Of course she wasn't sure of anything, she only said that so her Mum would take back her money.

Mrs Greene didn't seem to believe her words. "Are you sure?" She asked still doubting.

"Yes, I'm sure." April replied.

Then her phone vibrated, she brought out her phone from her pocket and saw that she just received a message from Hoffman corporation. Oh well, and yet again she was rejected. She gritted her teeth as she cursed under her breath. She had just assured her mum that she would be accepted and yet the message had to be sent at the exact time she lied.

Mrs Greene didn't fail to read her expression before April quickly faked a smile. "Don't give me those fake smiles. you just got rejected,right?" Mrs Greene sighed when she didn't get a response from her daughter before she continued. "Well, It's their loss. I think it's time for you to start thinking about marriage, since a job isn't coming anytime soon, just get married."

"Mum!" April said in a high pitched complaining cry.