One Truly Is

The sky will be scattered in grey clouds, and thunderstorms will be prevalent from dawn til dusk. Be aware that the temperature is expected to drop drastically until later in the week.

That’s what the forecast had called for, that’s what Julie had been prepared for as she stepped out of her apartment that morning. But as she stood under the glaring sun in her black jacket, her hair a bit frazzled from the heat and each step feeling heavy over the scorching pavement, she silently wished a curse upon whatever reporter had dared to tell her it was supposed to be cold and rainy today.

This time of year the sky was almost always overcast, but it was uncharacteristically hot and bright, and though she could’ve just taken off her jacket, it almost felt like a matter of principle now, as if she were directly condemning the sun itself by stubbornly sweating her ass off instead of giving in to its sweltering rays.

“It was just a couple of errands…” Julie muttered under her breath as she rummaged through her shoulder bag for her sunglasses, “I feel like I’ve done nothing but I’m just so damn exhausted.” She squinted up at the sun once her glasses were on, her energy evaporating like a puddle under its unrelenting glare. “I’m taking a nap when I get home–”

The faintest whisper of a voice made her pause as she glanced around; she wasn’t sure if she’d heard anything at all, but it had almost sounded like–

“H-help…”

“Hello?” Julie pulled her glasses up to see better as her gaze darted around, “Is someone there–?”

“Help me…”

She turned towards an empty alleyway, her eyes squirting up as they tried to adjust to the darkness beside her, “... Hello..?” There was a tiny shuffling sound and she realized that next to one of the dumpsters in the alley, she could just barely make out the vague shape of someone’s leg and shoe laying on the concrete.

Oh, fuck that. Julie grabbed her bag tighter to her side as she turned and went to hurry away. Like hell I’m about to walk down a dark alley just because–

“Anyone? P-please…” The voice called out again, pathetically small and punctuated by a hoarse sniffle, like they were either on the verge of tears, or had just finished crying. Julie’s hand flexed against the strap of her bag as her feet froze in place.

Don’t do it. She thought grimly to herself. This is the exact type of thing people who get murdered think ‘oh boy, if I just hadn’t done that one stupid thing I’d still be alive!’ Do not walk into that alley, just walk away, and pretend you didn’t hear anything.

Despite her ongoing argument with herself, Julie couldn’t help but slowly turn and step closer to the mouth of the alleyway, her skin crawling as she peered into the darkness suspiciously, “Is… Is someone there? Are you ok?”

An abrupt scuffle sound made her jump back as whoever was in there scrambled upon hearing the sound of her voice, the vague outline of his foot and leg disappearing behind the dumpster, “H-hello? Oh thank god, thank god– Please– please! I need help! Please don’t leave me here–”

Julie didn’t risk stepping closer as she reached for the pepper spray inside her bag, “Don’t come any closer, got it? I’m armed.” Sure, it’s just pepper spray… But he doesn’t need to know that. “Should I call 911 for you? Are you hurt?”

“No– no, please don’t call the police.” The man’s voice was practically a whimper as she slowly saw his hand appear on the side of the dumpster and the shadowy shape of his head peek out at her. She couldn’t make out any features on him, but the timid way he moved at least made him seem non-threatening. He cleared his throat slightly before speaking again, “I’m not hurt. Please, I just need you to buy something for me,” Julie jumped slightly as he suddenly threw something at the ground in front of her, and as soon as it landed she realized it was a wallet, “You can take the cash in it, take the credit cards, take whatever you want, I don’t care. Just please, will you go buy me an umbrella? The darkest, thickest umbrella you can find. I’m begging you.”

“An… umbrella?” Julie carefully leaned down to grab the wallet, never fully taking her eyes off of him in case it was just a distraction for him to jump her, “But the sky is completely clear? The call for rain was canceled–”

“I know.” His voice was desperately harsh and he paused before lowering it slightly, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shout. I know it’s not supposed to rain, but still. Please. Just… I need an umbrella. As soon as possible. That’s all I ask.”

“The closest place that would sell an umbrella is like thirty minutes away–”

“I’ll do anything.”

Julie wasn’t sure what to think. The idea of going back into town for a complete stranger on some ridiculous errand didn’t exactly seem appealing, but the broken whimper in his voice was really tugging at her. He sounded like a lost puppy, and despite the weird circumstances of where and how she found him, he didn’t seem like a bad person. Just… scared for some reason. “Alright,” She relented as she took her jacket off, balled it up, and tossed it into the alleyway towards him, “Here. Consider it a token to show I’m actually coming back, alright? Just hang tight.”

The man slowly picked up her jacket from the ground, and Julie could see that his hands were shaking as he held it, “... Thank you.”

Don’t mention it. She thought with a sigh as she pulled her sunglasses back down and hurried back towards town.

I just know I am going to end up regretting this…