The torturous heat and putrid stagnant air was eerie and sickening as I cut through the alley. The smell of rotting garbage carried by steam emitted from god-knows-where had me second-guessing my choice of shortcuts.
Halfway through my journey the sound of a shrieking cat and the tipping of a trash can startled my nerves…I jumped. Spinning around I caught a fast moving shadow streak across the alley.
I had enough I thought, turning and running for my life back to the relative safety of the crowded thoroughfare. Saving a few seconds travel certainly isn’t worth risking it all.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
Dom DiFrancesco 
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