天忽然黑得更快了,然后當(dāng)我越過(guò)自己的肩膀看向那片煩人的云彩時(shí),我震驚地注意到兩個(gè)男人正在我身后二十英尺外的地方悄無(wú)聲息地向我走來(lái)。
They were from the same group I'd passed at the corner, though neither was the dark one who'd spoken to me. I turned my head forward at once, quickening my pace. A chill that had nothing to do with the weather made me shiver again. My purse was on a shoulder strap and I had it slung across my body, the way you were supposed to wear it so it wouldn't get snatched. I knew exactly where my pepper spray was — still in my duffle bag under the bed, never unpacked. I didn't have much money with me, just a twenty and some ones, and I thought about "accidentally" dropping my bag and walking away. But a small, frightened voice in the back of my mind warned me that they might be something worse than thieves.
他們是剛剛在街角和我擦身而過(guò)的那伙人,但不是剛剛和我說(shuō)話的那個(gè)膚色黝黑的人。我立刻轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)頭,加快了腳步。一陣與天氣無(wú)關(guān)的寒意又一次讓我戰(zhàn)栗起來(lái)。我的錢包用一根皮帶斜挎在身上,我把它緊緊地捂在身上,就是那種你能想到的姿勢(shì),這樣它就不容易被搶走了。我確切地知道我的防狼噴霧在那里——仍在我床底下的登山包里,還沒(méi)開封。我身上沒(méi)有多少錢,只有二十幾美元。我考慮著“不小心”讓我的包掉下去,然后快步走開。但是,我腦后的一個(gè)小小的,嚇人的聲音警告著我,他們可能會(huì)是比強(qiáng)盜更糟糕的人。
I listened intently to their quiet footsteps, which were much too quiet when compared to theboisterous noise they'd been making earlier, and it didn't sound like they were speeding up, or getting any closer to me. Breathe, I had to remind myself. You don't know they're following you. I continued to walk as quickly as I could without actually running, focusing on the right-hand turn that was only a few yards away from me now. I could hear them, staying as far back as they'd been before. A blue car turned onto the street from the south and drove quickly past me. I thought of jumping out in front of it, but I hesitated, inhibited, unsure that I was really being pursued, and then it was too late.
我專注地聆聽著他們安靜的腳步聲,但比起他們之前發(fā)出的嘈雜的噪音,這實(shí)在是太安靜了點(diǎn)。聽起來(lái)他們也沒(méi)有任何加速或者靠近我的意思。呼吸,我不得不提醒自己。你不知道他們是不是真的在跟著你。我繼續(xù)快步走著,速度快得就差沒(méi)跑起來(lái),專注地盯著現(xiàn)在離我只有幾碼遠(yuǎn)的右手邊的轉(zhuǎn)角處。我能聽到,他們和我依然保持著原來(lái)的距離。一輛藍(lán)色的小車從南邊開進(jìn)這條街道,飛快地從我身邊開過(guò)。我想過(guò)跳到車前把它截住,但我猶豫了。我抑制住自己的沖動(dòng),是因?yàn)椴桓掖_定自己是不是真的被跟蹤了。然后,已經(jīng)太遲了。