Her footsteps sounded off the walls of the alley. The sharp clacks against the pavement somehow conveyed a hurried sort of nervousness, but she didn’t know why she was so anxious. She wasn’t used to closing the shop down alone, but it was barely after dark—far earlier than usual. The bosses had let everyone off early for the Christmas weekend, and she counted herself lucky. Still, something tonight was making her skin crawl. She shuddered against the cold and picked up the pace, grateful she had snagged a parking spot only a couple of blocks down from the store that day. Urban parking was usually the bane of her existence. The mouth of the alley opened up just a few more steps away, and she hurried her pace to a jog, feeling just a little foolish. She was in one of the safest cities in the country; she had no reason to be so paranoid. But why did she feel like she was being watched? Silly, silly girl. Nothing happened to anyone in this boring old place. When she reached the mouth of the alley, she stopped, looking around and breathing a sigh of relief. That was her mistake. It was the last breath she ever took.