10/05/2025
Title: Erika Drayton: The Places We Hide
Scene 1 “The Night I Should’ve Kept Walking”
The night air wrapped around Erika like a quiet secret.
Streetlights buzzed and flickered above her, painting her shadow long against the cracked sidewalk. The city had that strange stillness — not quite asleep, not fully awake — and the hum of distant traffic filled the silence between her footsteps.
Erika walked with her usual mix of confidence and caution, blue tank top catching the light, jeans fitting snug against her frame, white sneakers brushing through scattered leaves. Her long black hair, parted by a soft side bang, swayed as she moved — a rhythm she’d perfected over years of walking alone.
She wasn’t looking for trouble that night.
But sometimes, trouble has a way of recognizing you first.
Up ahead, a group of men sitting on a house porch and one standing— music low, laughter spilling into the street. She barely looked their way, used to being glanced at, sized up, ignored, or admired. But one voice cut through the noise — a deep, smooth tone that made her pause without meaning to.
“Hey Erika!”
She looked over in surprise.
“Oh, Hey Snake.”
He was standing with confidence and with a cigarette glowing between his fingers. The name fit him — all slick charm and dangerous ease. His grin carried familiarity, but not warmth. She’d seen him before — a party, a crowded room, a passing face that should’ve stayed in her past.
“D*mn, it’s been a minute,” he said, turning to approach her. The way he said her name made it sound like a secret only he was supposed to know.
Erika gave a small, polite smile. “Yeah… been a while.”
He stepped closer, eyes glinting under the streetlight.
“I just wanted to ask you a question.” He said
“Sure, what’s up?” She replied
“Can I get your phone number?”
Without thinking, she smile and nodded her head.
And his grin got wider.
It was casual. Harmless on the surface.
Just a number, right?
Something in her chest hesitated — a faint whisper that said keep walking. But the night was warm, his tone smooth, and maybe she was tired of ignoring people who noticed her.
So she jotted her number down on a piece of paper then handed it to him. “Sure, Call me later.”
He smirked and replied "Sure."
She nodded, smiling back as she turned away, unaware that with every step she took, a thread had been tied — one she’d spend months, years even, trying to cut loose.
Because Snake wasn’t just a familiar face.
He was the mistake that would change the course of her life.
After Erika was far away enough, Snake turned to his friends with a shady grin and said "Dumb B*tch."
Written by Brandy Scott
