I WROTE A SHORT STORY USING A PROMPT

PROMPT: Write a story with one of characters saying the words 'be careful what you wish for'.

GENRE: Horror

TITLE: CHEESE IN THE TRAP

ONE

Danny, short for Danielle, is quirky. That's what everyone says about her. My eyes follow her as she walks around the room searching for her favorite purse. A knitted and worn out purse she carries all the time. Danny reminds me of a rat, cute but definitely not something you want to live with. She's not a rat and her roommate lives with her. They've been roommates for 2 years and she’d come to like Danny. Isha still thought she was strange.

She kneels in front of the bed to look underneath it. She raises her head and breathlessly says, ‘I see something. I think it's my purse. How did it get there?’

She retrieves her phone from the side of the bed and switched on the torch.

'It is my purse. I have found it.’ She cried tears of joy.

Isha rolled on the bed, her face now looking at the ceiling. She's irritated now by her quirks. This happens at least 5 times every day. Isha has an unstable mood, and right now she's trying her best not to snap at Danny.

'Isha, are you alright?’ She asks in her rat-like voice.

'I am fine. Maybe if you stop throwing your things on the floor you'd find them sooner without having to look under other people's beds.’

'Sorry.' She says. Without looking, she can feel her staring at her with big doe eyes while adjusting her glasses. She turns to her.

'Are you serious about going to the bar alone tonight.’ Isha asks her, staring at her face for a sign of fear or uncertainty but there wasn't any of that. Instead she nodded her head with conviction and smiled, and that further irritated Isha.

'Alright if you are sure.’ She turned back to look at the ceiling without another word. Danny looked herself over in the mirror one last time and went out the door.

'Who knows. I might just have an experience that will change my life.’ Danny smiled.

'Be careful what you wish for.’ Isha replied with an edge to her voice. Danny probably didn't notice.

'Goodbye Isha.' Danny says lingering by the door for a while for a response but none came. Isha didn't supply a response, her anger and irritation didn't let her. She should have.

Danny has never been to that bar or any other bar alone. As she walked down the quiet street busy straightening her hair and adjusting her purse. For the first time in Danny's life she's being brave. She has been testing the waters of bravery since she started speaking to him. It could only be a boy that made her suddenly brave enough to try new things her roommate concluded. Isha is sulking because she has to stay home to write an assignment while Danny gets to have some fun.

They were never close, Danny pretends not to walk on eggshells around her like she did everyone else in her life but Isha knew. And that's why on the nights when Danny giggled into her phone or ran out the bathroom to pick calls she didn't bother asking who's so special. Isha simply didn't care about Danny. Someone so low on the social ladder. Infact she thought the exposure will be good for her and it has been. She's started doing a lot of strange things like trying to apply make-up and wearing matching underwear. One day Isha even caught her trying to take a topless picture. That was three months ago.

Danny continued walking down the sparse road and suddenly she stomps her feet on a stone. She stopped briefly and studied her feet for blood. The pain was bearable so she continued walking. Eventually she arrived at the bar. It wasn't as full because it was exam time soon and surprisingly no one wants to get drunk and tank the exams. Danny thought it a good sign. The quiet made her feel slightly braver. She wondered on her way what people would think seeing her in a bar, meeting a man. She took a seat and ordered a coke while she waited. Her leg was vibrating under the table and she didn’t try to stop it. She did that when she's anxious and in this case rightfully so.

Her phone buzzed in her purse and she reached for it. Her face suddenly became gloomy and she turned her phone off and throws it into her purse. She sighed in defeat,

‘Can I have a beer.’ She asks the man behind the counter and he nods. He put the beer in front of her and carried on with his work and Danny wished he'd ask her what had happened that suddenly made her want to drink. She ordered her drink and walked away from the bar to sit at one of the tables. Danny was on her second bottle when a man walks up to her.

Danny who is a little drunk thought he looked handsome. He looked rough around the edges just the way she liked it and she thought his stubble made him even hotter. Although her vision is blurry now, she made out a cargo pant of colour black or brown and a hoodie. It's harder to make out anything else has he sat down in the farthest corner of the bar with her. She chose this spot for it's solitude

'Hi.' He said smoothly

'Hello.' She answered cocking her head to the side and he smiled.

'Waiting for someone?’ He asked

'No. I got stood up. Wanna sit?’

He chucked them and said, ‘’I am already seated.’

'Well, that's rude. I didn't ask you to sit but you say anyway. RuuuuuuuDE.' She drank from the bottle again.

'I am sorry and I am sorry that you got stood up too. This place is kinda boring, isn't it? I know a place that's more fun.’

‘Wanna get out of here?’ Danny said in a whisper searching for the stranger's eye in the darkness.

‘'I was hoping you'd ask.’ He grinned.

TWO

Danny is well aware of what people thought of her but that doesn't hold much weight as what she thought about herself. But when you hear people's opinions about you too much you start to believe it too. She knew she wasn't beautiful in the conventional way but having people snicker at her has totally crushed her self esteem. She'd stand in front of the mirror and look through herself or else she'd start to feel sad and frustrated about her appearance. She smiles because this stranger seems to like looking at her. She smiles at him as she bravely took his hand and walked out the door.

'Your hands palm is so dry.’ She told him as they walked down the dark and empty street.

'And yours are so soft.’ He said and she chuckled still under the influence.

Danny has never felt free in her life and she thinks it's her fault. She's never took alcohol before in her life. She always managed to reject it or pretend to drink at parties. But the sadness she felt this night was greater than the ones she'd ever experienced. It reached for her soul and alcohol seemed to help her forget the hurt. Somehow a part of her already knew he wouldn't show up. Why would any guy like her? She is an ugly, inexperienced, naive, and weird girl.

With alcohol deciding for her there's no place for rationale or overthinking and that makes her happy. She swings the stranger's hand back and forth in the darkness as she hops along. Anyone looking at them would mistake them to be lovers. He is staring at her and smiling. They arrive at the club and immediately Danny is skeptical because her heart starts to beat faster than it was before. You can fairly say this is way out of her comfort zone.

He senses her reluctance in the way her hand releases his but he holds on to her and pulls her into the club. With the alcohol at work, she doesn't notice this and she's immediately drawn in by the lights and the many people dancing. He pulls her slightly unto the dance floor and she starts to dance with him. She notices now that she can no longer see his beautiful face and he has drawn his hoodie up. She couldn't see his face and this unnerves her in the darkness. Suddenly, she perks up and shouts into his ears

'I need to go to the ladies. I'll be right back.’ She said and hurried along without waiting for a response. She half runs half walks to the toilet. She's suddenly aware of her surroundings that she clutches on to her purse as she normally does when she doesn't feel confident. She burst into the toilet and thankfully there's no one else there. It feels as if someone somewhere wanted her to have some time to herself. Perhaps to think about all the ways this night could go wrong. She enters on of the stalls and does her business while thinking she just wants to be at home.

She walks out and stands in front of the mirror and she's immediately filled with shame. She had taken alcohol and sought out a man like some slut. The girl staring back at her was still her but a version that went through a psychotic phase. She shook her head and decided as she washed her hands to leave the club without him. After drying her hands, she walks out of the toilet then unnoticeably out of the club.

She stops walking at the entrance to the dark alley right beside the club. She wished she had company then. She didn't care much for her fear of alleys since she was with her stranger. Infact she had been too drunk to care. Danny had tried to look for him to say goodbye but it has been impossible to find him in the sea of people. She clutched her purse and walked forward. Danny halts halfway into her walk through the alley because there's a silhouette in front of her dragging on a cigarette. She thought about running back to the club but she knew she'd only delay the inevitable. This was the only way back home she knew. Right down the alley, she'd be able to get a cab to take her back to her hostel. Bravely, she picked up her step and with her heart pounding, she walked past the stranger. Then he spoke,

'I didn't get your name.’ The silhouette tipped off the wall with an handsome ease and walked over to her. Danny knew it was him, her stranger from the bar. Her instinct told her to run but her legs wouldn't move. It's like she's trying to convince herself that this was not fiction and the stereotype of alleys didn't have to be true.

‘'Hi. You startled me. I looked for you everywhere. This is where you were.’ Her heart is thundering in her chest and ears and she's surprised that she even got the words out.

'I came for a smoke.’ The damn hoodie was still up and she still couldn't see his face.

'You didn't answer the question, what's your name?’ He said as he threw down the cigarette thump and put his foot on it.

'Right! My name's Danny. I didn't get yours either.’ She asked distractedly. Her focus was on his leg and how it continued to crush the cigarette thump even though it was already mush. Something about the going back and forth of his feet made Danny think he'd done this before but instead of cigarette, some poor girl's brains maybe. She felt sick.

'I am Sam. Shall we get back to the club.’ He said and it didn't sound like a choice. She further understood that it was an order when he grabbed her hand and refused to let go.

'I… I can't. I have school tomorrow.’ She said but his hand held on tighter. Immediately, her flight mode was turned on and she pushed him. Unexpectedly, he let her go and stared at her his face still hidden behind the hoodie and darkness. He looked liked the devil himself.

Seeing this made the hair on her body stand alert and she turned and started running. He followed her, she could hear his footsteps but what made the moment unforgettable was his laughter. He enjoyed this. He's done it before.

THREE

The person at the door must be the hulk or something Isha thought. Whoever it was at the door kept knocking like their life depended on it. It was 2 in the middle of the night so she didn't dare open the door, even in her groggy state.

'Who is it?’ She asked quietly

'It is me, Danny. Open the door Isha.’ Danny slurred

In the house the locks came undone and Isha swings the door open. He eyes became wide and her mouth voluntarily came open. Danny looked like she's been through hell and back.

‘'Isha, call 911.’ Those were her last words before she fell to her feet and into unconsciousness. Isha is disoriented. She gazed into the night ahead to see if someone's watching them but all there was is darkness. Quickly she drags Danny into the room and felt her pulse. Isha's heart was beating wildly that for a minute she mistook her pulse for her roommates. There was relief in knowing that Danny had merely fainted. She rose from her knees and grabbed her phone to dial the police.

In 15 minutes, an ambulance and police car arrived at theirs doorstep even their neighbors were all awake and looking at the scene from their window. Danny unfortunately came to before the ambulance arrived. She sat at the back of the ambulance with a huge cardigan wrapped around her. For the first time in two years, Isha was holding her in her arms. Danny noticed she hadn't left her side all night and she was grateful for the warmth in that moment.

A police officer came with a notepad, he towered over the two of them.

'Miss Wells, can you tell me what happened tonight.’ He asked

‘Sir, she's still in shock. Can we do this some other time?’ Isha spoke on her behalf but she wanted something different. She wanted to tell the police all about what happened tonight so she place her hand on Isha's and shook her head.

'I’lll tell you everything you want to know.’ She said wearily.

The scene changed to Isha and Danny's apartments living room where they sat on a couch still glued to each other and the police officer sat on the opposite side of the room.

'What happened to you Miss Wells.' The police man asked and it sounded distant. She heard him nonetheless and began to tell her story. Somehow while she was talking to the officer, she was also having an internal conversation.

Who could have imagined that the night would go like this. It went tumbling down fast. He had texted her sometime during the squabble but she hadn't bother to check it. Weirdly, she blamed him for the ordeal she passed through but even more, she blamed herself. All he did was tell her he couldn't be there but she had translated it to mean that no one would ever want to be there. Her intrusive thoughts had finally won. This fear of being alone forever had made her drink herself to stupor and follow a complete stranger to a bar. Isha squeezed her hand and the pain had stopped her from reciting the incident and dragged her back to reality.

'What happened after you decided to come home.’ The officer asked

'I left the bar but he was waiting for me at the alley. That was the only way back home I knew and it was late there were hardly cabs at that time.’ She explained.

'So, he cornered you in the alley.’ He asked and she sighed

'He tried to drag me back to the bar but I pushed him and ran but he caught up with me.’ Danny closed her eyes again and we follow her through the darkness behind her eyes to the darkness of the alley.

Danny ran with all her might but the alley seemed endless and he caught up to her eventually. He headbutted her and that stopped her trashing. She sunk to the ground but somehow she knew she was in danger and didn't have the freewill to fall to sleep. So, she started trashing and biting again with all her strength. She felt possessed by something. In her head she repeated every bad thing people had ever said about her and that made her mad. She thought about how she'd become the subject of gossip even in death.

'She's so stupid! Didn't her mom ever tell her not to talk to strangers? Oh! I forgot she doesn't have one.’

She cried as his callous and hard palm sank into her neck. At some point into the strangling she wanted to quit. Quit fighting, quit trying to be pretty, quit thinking she was somebody but she couldn't go through with it. So, she kicked him in the place where every man's kryptonite lies. It worked. She continued kicking until he released her neck and she sucked in air.

Danny stood up and started running but slower this time. She continued running but it was quieter. Danny turned to see but he wasn't there. This made her even more nervous. Suddenly, he appeared in front of her and carried her effortlessly. Everything was in slow motion but the second her back hit the wall, the severity of the situation put a pause on the slow motion.

Danny scampered around, her hands desperately looking for a leverage, something to use to take her monster down. She felt something as he pulled on her legs. She lunged herself backwards and grabbed whatever it was. She lifted it all her might and it hit him in the head. She felt pumped up by her weapon that she continued to hit him, over and over. It's like she's hitting everyone that's ever said a mean thing about her. Then she stopped suddenly. It was all too quiet. Danny didn't have to see his face to know exactly what she'd done. So, she ran all the home in fear and exhaustion.

'Thank you very much, Miss Wells. There is one more thing we need you to do for us, you need to take us to the crime scene.’

‘'I could but do I have to? I don't want to see him. Can I stay in the car while you check?’ Danny asked

'Of course. If it's too much for you then you should stay in the car.’

Danny floated through the ride back to the alley. She remained in the car as discussed. Some people in the club came to look while others left. The police officers made calls and the ambulance joined them. Danny didn't need to be told that she killed him. After what seemed like ages, the cop came back to the car.

'Wow kid. I must say, you are one hell of a survivor.’ He said

'Am I going to prison?’ Danny asked

'I don't think you need to worry about that. He is a wanted criminal. If anything you saved a whole lot of other girls. He's a creep that one.’

She saved a whole lot of other girls

Danny repeated this over and over and it was the anchor that held her aloft. She held on to those words and they were the only thing that made her feel better. Maybe she was brave and didn't need to do stupid things to prove this and maybe she didn't need people to validate her feelings.

Danny being in the news changed the course of her life. She granted several interviews from news channels, talk shows and podcasts too. Contrary to many thoughts, she did it to draw awareness and not to become an overnight celebrity. People suddenly became nice to her. Danny could easily have been distracted by the attention and maybe the old her would have enjoyed or even relished it. Not anymore, she knows herself better now and she didn't need the praise or party invites to tell her who she was. She was the girl who survived.

THE END