He Arrived

A man sits down on a bench

He arrived in the city square. He was tired from the walk there, and could barely tolerate standing any longer. He sat on a bench, and immediately felt the dew stuck to it permeate his pants. The night was cold and damp, in the most uncomfortable way. The water on the pavement had been picked up and thrown in to the air by cars passing by hours earlier. But now it was quiet. All that could be heard was the dull hum of the neon signs and street lights casting a dull glow onto the once occupied street, which was barely visible despite the blinding radiance of the lights themselves. The night was otherwise lightless, his eyes assaulted by the darkness that surrounded him. The air smelled sickly sweet, like a rotting apple had been thrown directly on his lap, with no hope of removal. The damp atmosphere seemed to cling to everything touching it, weighing him down further into his seat, pressing him against the earth. But despite this, he felt safe. Of course, why wouldn't he be safe? There's no reason for him to feel unsafe, right? He thought he heard a car in the distance, but it was probably nothing. It was too late for that, why would anybody be driving this late? And nobody visits this area, there's only one gas station, that's how desolate it is. There would be absolutely no reason for anybody to be even near this area. It was probably something else, like the wing rustling some trees, or perhaps some strange mating call from an animal he didn't even know existed. But the night was still, and the leaves on the trees were frozen in place. And the only animals around here were house pets, and he knew what those sounded like. But there it was again. Was it closer? No, surely not. And even if it was a car, it was probably a different car. Why would the same car come through the same area twice? Especially this area. Was it the wind again? Wait, no, there wasn't any wind. It must be a car, but why was that a reason to worry? It's not, but that didn't change the fact that he was. Definitely closer this time. What is the probability that those were three different cars? Almost zero. He could even hear the engine running this time as it passed by. But he didn't hear it stop. He couldn't hear the car moving anymore, that's for sure, but the engine was still audible. And now it wasn't. What's going on? There's no reason to be worried, no reason at all! It's just someone coming home late! They were out drinking in the next town over. There aren't any bars here, yes that explains it all. A man wanted some booze is all. Wait, there was a bar here. Even so, it's too late for any bar to be open. Wait, did he hear the door shut? Did he hear the man lock the car? Come to think of it, did he even hear the engine cut off? The signs seemed to be getting louder, maybe they overpowered the sound of it. But the car stopped over there, and the apartments are over there. And the apartments have parking. Why wouldn't he park there? Why didn't

A twig snapped.