Come here little rascal

This happened about an hour ago, I just got home.

A few days ago, a man with a gun tried to abduct two girls at two different coffee stands in my city. He failed but he's still on the loose. My sister works graveyard shift alone at a convenience store, so she's been on edge lately because of the news. Since I work evenings and then stay up late, she asked if I could visit her at work every night for a while to check on her. I happily agreed, so at 1 am I set out to make the 1 mile walk from my apartment to her work.

I didn't worry too much, because I'm a guy and also because last night I didn't see another person for the entire walk. But I'm cautious so I didn't carry any money, only my phone (for google pay) and a bright flashlight. I recently took a concealed handguns class, but it'll be months until I actually receive a license. However, the things they taught us about being alert and avoiding dangerous situations were helpful tonight.

The route I took is exactly an L shape. My home and her work on each end are on the edeges of residential areas, but in between is all commercial and industrial (fast food restaurants, a gas station, some factories). I was walking down the the road nearing the turn, and I heard a rambling voice ahead. Across the road from me now was a small street separating two of the fast food places. A man walked out this street and turned onto the main road walking the same direction as me on the opposite side. He was carrying a large stick and was babbling stuff to himself. I assumed he was just homeless and in his own little world. Also, the road is 4 lanes with a turn lane in the middle and there's no crosswalk nearby, so I didn't feel threatened. Nevertheless I remained alert and kept my eye on him.

He looked at me and said "hey", not like he was actually trying to get my attention, but just like part of his rambling. I made that polite face and quickened my walking pace assuming he'd tune back out and keep walking. But then he looked both ways and just started walking across the empty road directly at me. "Come here you little rascal!" He said in kind of a sing-song voice.

I (metaphorically) shit my pants. I was passing the entrance to a small street on my side that went into the factories area. It was dark, but it offered an immediate escape and I knew where it led, so i turned down it and ran. I looked back and he was speed walking after me going "wait!". As I kept running I saw bright headlights up ahead. Some factory guys were coming out of a gate and getting into their car. I hoped I wasn't terrifying them! But they didn't seem to notice me and just drove off the way I came from. I looked back again and the guy was gone. I guess seeing the car coming scared him off.

The rest of the way to my sisters work was uneventful, and I had my flashlight ready to illuminate anywhere someone could hide. I took a different way home through the darker but more residential streets. I think I'll go that way now to avoid any people. I told my sister to stay safe and she said our dad is taking her to and from work for a while. Good.