A Walk of Shame

As I put distance between her and me - after all surely she was still walking and I was now running - I finally managed to think about what I would possibly do next. Running up the path forever was really just getting me deeper and deeper into trouble and I'd have to eventually make my way back down. Looking desperately to either side, I considered my options. I could - indeed I realised that I'd have to - dive off the track and try and hide amongst the trees. This would be easier said than done. While the trees were tall and provided a good canopy overhead, they weren't particularly thick and so hiding behind one wouldn't absolutely guarantee that I wouldn't be seen from the path. Nor could I simply put sufficient difference between me and the path itself, as the undergrowth steadily became harder to fight my way thought, and the hilly nature of the terrain made climbing up or down especially challenging.

Bizarrely, the thought of putting my old clothes back on never crossed my mind, perhaps because I was so fearful of needing to re-do this entire video from scratch. Besides, it might take too long and I could have been caught while even trying to extract the clothes from my bag, especially as I was shaking and my hand-eye coordination wasn't at its best.

I was out of options. I scurried off the path, and made it about fifteen feet away from the track before I realised I could go no further. Whimpering slightly, I dropped to my stomach and tried to press myself into the dirt behind a low bush and a neighboring tree. I still held on to both my phone and my backpack, and my phone continued to record by abject predicament. I dared not breathe. There was no sign of the woman. I lay there trembling for what felt like ages but that I later realised, on rewatching the video, was only a few minutes. I lost all ability to judge time as I lay flat on the earth, dressed in my absurd clothing, risking discovery at any second.

Still, there was no sign of the woman. Had she caught sight of a bizarre man in a mask, crop top and pink panties, and decided her best course of action was to find another path to walk, or had my run simply built a big enough lead that she was actually still heading my way and would soon walk past me, perhaps almost looking for me. As I lay flat on the ground, I felt increasingly like I wasn't hidden well enough, and that my colourful clothing must be visible and obvious from the path. The last thing I needed was her walking past, seeing me, and then just gawking at me while I hid in the forest with nowhere to go. Fuck, what if she had a camera too!

Shaking, I finally resolved that I had to risk it. I had to head back to my car. If I ran into her again, so be it, but I was gaining nothing by hiding behind a thin tree in low undergrowth, with the growing possibility of yet more walkers appearing.

My breath ragged, I clambered back to my feet and shuffled back to the path. I fully expected to be discovered at any second. Holding a wobbling camera out in front of me, I gathered what little courage I had left and started to walk quickly back down the path. Rounding the first corner I closed my eyes, believing that when I re-opened them, I'd be face to face with the shocked woman. Who knew what she'd say? Would she laugh? Why wouldn't she laugh?! Oh God, the laughter would slice through my soul!

Squeezing my eyes open, I almost gasped in amazement that the path ahead was still clear. Not yet daring to hope, I scurried down the path. The phone shook and moved but it continued to capture every agonising second of my embarrassment. Around the second and third corner I went, and still no sign. Now, the next corner would take me to the top of the hill again, where I'd been when I'd first seen her. I stopped in my tracks for just a moment, and uttered a silent prayer. Then, with nothing much left to lose as any scrap of dignity was long since gone, I stepped around the corner.

It was only as I stood on top of that hill, with nobody else in sight, that I dared to hope again. Had she turned back and taken the other path? Had she somehow already passed me on the path unnoticed, as I lay on the ground wishing it would swallow me up? Was she now in the car park calling the police?! It was that last crazy thought that spurred me on. If she was, then she'd be near my car and I had to get back there and drive off somehow before it occurred to her to record the license plate. That me appearing and getting into my car would only give her more evidence to hand over, stupidly didn't occur to me.

I hurried on, not daring to break into a run, but walking rapidly down the hill. When I was half way down it hit me again just how incredibly exposed I was. If anyone appeared now either at the top or the bottom of the hill, I wouldn't be able to turn and run and avoid discovery. They'd get a full sight of me with no cover to hide behind.

I didn't breathe as I walked down the hill, and I was light-headed when I finally reached the tree line again. Sucking in air now, I looked ahead and my pulse raced as I saw the the fork in the path I'd passed at the start. Once I made it past there, it was a straight run, or at least a fast-paced walk - to my car. Then it was simply a question of finding out whether I was alone in that car park, or whether I'd be forced to put on a show.

On and on I pressed, reaching the fork and glancing up it. No signs of anyone. I breathed in deep and looked at the path ahead of me. There had been a car parked near me when I'd left. Was it still there? It would have been joined by at least one other car, probably, and who knew who else had arrived by now?

Still, I couldn't delay finding out any longer. I walked forward, taking a moment to try to uselessly pull my crop top down my tummy again. I gulped. Moment of truth time.

The path ahead of me came out of the overhead canopy and into a brightly lit open car park beyond. I paused at the edge and tried to see who was there. I could only see part of the car park however, although my tattered nerves were slightly relieved to see that the part I could see was empty.

Screwing my eyes shut for a moment to try and concentrate, I finally took that first step off the path and into the car park. As I turned to face my own car, my heart almost stopped as I saw a second car parked near by own. Not the car that was there when I'd arrived, that had evidently gone, but a second car I didn't recognise. It must be the woman's! I froze and for a split second it took all my reserves of willpower not to simply turn on my heels again and head for the trees.

As my wild eyes stared ahead though, the thought finally managed to penetrate the mad cacophony of my mind that the other car was empty. It was empty! I almost laughed in relief, and the hand holding my backpack went to my face as held my mouth in blessed relief.

Then, after a few seconds of standing there, I realised what I was doing again, and that the risk remained that someone, anyone could appear at any moment. Taking in gulps of air, I walked quickly to my car, almost wrenched the door of the hinges, and climbed inside. I stabbed a thumb at the phone, stopping the recording, which now showed it had captured ten minutes of the most embarrassing ordeal of my life. Throwing the backpack to one side, I leaned over to the backseat and grabbed a towel. Slamming the door shut, I threw the towel over myself, and leaned back in my chair.

I had survived. Somehow I had survived. Looking at my phone, I wondered if I dared even look at the video again, or whether I just sent it to Jenna as-is. What would she even make of it or, in fact, do with it? Closing my eyes, I just sat there for a short while before - under the cover of my towel - and began to get dressed back into my normal clothes.

Once finished, once my sissy outfit was safely secured back in my bag once again, I allowed myself the luxury of a small smile. Then, turning on my car, I drove away from the car park, glancing back only once in my rear-view mirror as the path receded into the distance.

I would never know who that woman was, or what she saw. I would only know that it could have been oh so worse, and that if I ever met my past-self, I was sure to give him a slap in the face for putting me through all of that.

It was barely thirty minutes later however, as I sat in my once-again stationary car, staring out into the sky while waiting for the video to upload from my phone to Jenna, that my mind wandered to fanciful ideas of other bets that - of course - I'd never, ever actually make. Surely not. Not after today's embarrassing Walk of Shame. Not even I'm that stupid, I thought to myself. I couldn't immediately tell though, as to whether the emotion I felt as I thought that was confidence, or merely hope.

THE END.

Note from the author: I have similar tales of embarrassment to share, and I welcome all thoughts, criticism and feedback either via the comments section or via PM. Please do vote. Thanks for reading!