By Beth Nungent, Third year, Film and TV
It’s late, you have a 9am tomorrow and the thumping tunes of La Rocca aren’t fun anymore, they’re just giving you a headache. Your friends, however, are still having the time of their lives and you don’t want to be the one to ruin that for them. You tell them you’re going home, it’s not too late, you’ll be fine and assure them you’ll message them when you get home…
You exit the club and smile at the bouncers who bid you goodnight, adding a ‘sweetheart’ or a ‘darling’ after their farewell. It’s innocent, surely, no bad intentions, just a familiar goodbye.
But still…
You begin to walk faster han usual because it’s cold and this really isn’t your idea of a good time. Of course, there are the initial mathematical equations to start your journey. How ong is the walk usually? How fast can I walk without looking suspicious? If I take the shortcut, I can get home quicker, but I might have to sacrifice a bit of lighting. No, stick to the usual path.
Luckily, tonight you brought a jacket, and inside the pocket are your headphones. You put them both in until you remember you should probably only have one in, to keep being aware of your surroundings. You start your playlist and quickly check that your live location is working. Just in case.
You reach the Kebab van and quickly assess the customers, just making sure there aren’t any who are drunk enough to start something. But it’s just students like you making their way home from a night out.
As you walk by, someone starts shouting, and your heart spikes, your limbs turn cold and heavy as your brain tries to catch up with what's happening. You spin around looking for the male voice and find it’s just two friends getting a little rowdy. They aren’t even looking in your direction. You speed up just enough to clear the crowd and head down Whiteladies.
You always hate this bit, the part where there’s low lighting and it feels like no one is around. You’d prefer the busy crowds over the quiet streets any day. So, you stick your other headphone in, you know you shouldn’t, but the silence is driving you crazy. You keep your head down and walk spurred on by the music blasting in
your ears. You can pretend you’re in a movie.
Then a group of people walk past you; they’re loud, and they are allowed to be. It’s a Saturday night; they’re just having fun. But something in the back of your mind whispers that what if they are saying something about you? What if the man to whom you gave a tight smile said something, and you couldn’t hear it because of the headphones? What if those footsteps you feel behind you are him coming back because you didn’t respond? What if?
You rip the headphone out to be met with the distant sound of the group as they keep travelling towards the triangle. There’s no one behind you. You take the turning to begin down your road and take a breath; it’s the worst part. No street lighting, just you and your iPhone torch. You take your phone out and message your friends, nearly home!
Madeline Richards
Grace Bourne
Unbidden, the memory of one of your friends' late night horror stories forces itself to the front of your brain. She was in this area when a man followed her home, shouting disgusting things. She was okay, thankfully, she had her friends with her then, but it scared her out of walking home at night for a good few weeks.
What if this man comes back? And this time you’re on your own? You remember that one serial killer interview where they said they like it when women have ponytails because it makes them easier to grab. You let your hair down and keep your keys handy. Just in case.
You queue up the upbeat pop music to stop your brain from going to the worst-case scenario. As you hurry down your street, you keep wondering, what if? What if someone grabbed you? What if you were cornered? What if someone is behind you right now?
You’re at your door, you shove the key in, turn it and slam the door behind you, a part of your brain expecting to see some crazed masked killer in the shadows. But there’s nothing. Your heart is racing but nothing happened. You walked home and you’re safe.
But there’s a part of you that knows this is not always the case. You’ve been catcalled before, followed, shouted at. You’ve heard your friends talk about their awful experiences. It’s not every walk, but it’s some, and some is enough to turn
palms sweaty and hearts racing.
Featured image: Epigram/ Kimberley Goh
