Tanya headed straight down the path towards the poorly concealed man completely unaware of his presence. It was not one of her proudest moments as she was not okay with being caught unaware, but due to the lingering darkness and her attention on the unexpected follower, her mind was not as focused on what was ahead as it should have been. She turned down the volume of her ipod, which was now blasting We Didn't Start the Fire, to see if she could hear anyone behind her. Instead she heard....giggling? It was a deep, rumbling sound and it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Giggling was such an innocent sound, but this deep, growly, rumble of a giggle bore an ominous undertone.
She slowed her pace to a near walk when the path in front of her was filled with the outline of a large figure. The figure giggled and stepped towards her. Once out of the shadows, his features were illuminated. He had a long face with a wide, high forehead. His eyes sat deep beneath pronounced brows and over a short, but large and pronounced, if not somewhat simian, nose. His mouth broke into a wide, toothy grin as he approached her, his unkempt hair and scraggly beard bouncing with each step.
She straightened her posture and pulled the ear buds from her ears, defiantly staring at him as he neared her.
"Gimme that," he growled, gesturing towards the ipod now resting in her tightly curled fist.
Perhaps it was odd, but she couldn't help thinking that he reminded her of someone. She couldn't place the name.
She shook her head and lifted her chin.
"It's mine, give it to me," he said once more, now within arms reach. She stuffed the device into her pocket and braced herself. He grabbed the front of her jacket and began to reach into her pocket. She quickly lifted her knee directly into his groin and stomped her foot down hard on his instep. He doubled over and let go of her, and as his head lowered, she brought curled her fingers and brought the meat of her hand up and smashed it against his nose. He was emitting a sound that was something between and groan and a whimper mixed with sobs. She pulled her cellphone out of her tank top and moved quickly to immobilize her assailant in a headlock.
Changing position allowed her to see that her companion from earlier, Idris if she remembered correctly, was nearby.
"A little assistance would be nice," she called. It would be so much easier for him to call 911 than it would be for her. Her attacker squirmed and she tightened her grip. She knew that self defense class she had taken would come in handy.