Scream of pain

I pulled the box of shit up to my chest and took one last look at the building. I turned toward the subway station, but stopped when I heard a loud bang through the hole in the side. A door burst open and a figure came running out. He ran straight at me, looking over his shoulder as if he expected someone to be behind him. He punched me in the side, knocking my box of shit to the floor.

“Hey!” I yelled, but he didn't stop. He kept running like the Devil himself was following him.

I bent down to pick my stuff up off the floor and a flash flew by, followed by a gust of wind. Papers flew in all directions, and I ran to grab them before they blew away and disappeared completely.

What the heck was that?

I growled in frustration as I watched part of my research blow away in the wind. Good thing I had some of it saved in the cloud.

I stuffed the papers into my mailbox, suddenly overcoming that moment of fear, replaced by indignation. I jumped to my feet, turned around and saw nothing but the empty street behind me.

“What the hell?”

Where had the kid gone?

Probably some secret tunnel that ran under the building so he could lurk in the shadows like a damn weirdo. I climbed up my box and continued on my way to the subway station. This day could go to shit.

I crossed the street and continued my journey. The adrenaline from earlier left a nervous feeling in my stomach. It lingered, churning me uncomfortably. I'd had enough of today. I couldn't wait to get out tonight and forget about it all.

Fuck Dr. Kang .

Fuck the Board.

And fuck the guy who told me to run.

I turned onto Jackson Avenue, which ran between some skyscrapers and looked more like a huge alley than an avenue. It connected the main street to the subway station and the subway parking lots that served the apartments and offices. There were usually a lot of people when I walked by, but by mid-afternoon it was pretty deserted. And dark. Strangely so.

Maybe it was that nagging unease from earlier, but my footsteps slowed. Something was wrong. Everything was silent.

Too quiet.

Fuck. I was going to end up like the hapless jock who died in the horror movie.

“Hello?” I whispered shakily.

A loud cracking noise assaulted my ears, reverberating through the alley loud enough to stop me in my tracks. There was only one thing that sounded like that.

A gunshot.

Followed by a scream of pain.

Someone was under attack.

I dropped my box and ran toward the sound, hoping I wasn't too late.

Two figures appeared in front of me, struggling against the side of the building.

“Hey, stop that! “ I shouted as I approached.

Both men turned toward me, but there wasn't enough light to see what they looked like. The one cornered against the wall took advantage of my distraction to knee the other one in the groin and shake off his attacker. He turned and fled down the street, but the other guy strode purposefully toward me, one hand pressed against his side.

“A-are you hurt?” I asked, looking at the growing bloodstain on his spotless white shirt.

“Oh, birdie, you should have run.”

Run. My muscles quivered with the need to run.

The guy from earlier walked toward me, his eyes bright in the dim light, looking like a lethal predator.

Come on. Run, damn it. I needed to run.

I took a step back and the guy smiled, “It's too late for that now.”

He lunged at me and my body seemed to come out of paralysis, holding still. I turned and ran toward the end of the alley. If only I could make it to the main street, I could....

Something hit me in the back and threw me forward.

No. Fuck this.

I wasn't dying in this alley.

I turned around and saw him up close. He had pitch black hair and cold, lifeless eyes the color of ice. His face was all sharp lines, with dark, angry eyebrows, low over a straight nose and a stern mouth. There was no doubt that he was looking at a man who probably made his living killing people.

Rage seized my chest, overcoming the terror that had caused me to flee. I had to fight. I had to survive. I resisted and attacked, reached out to claw at his face. He laughed as he blocked my pathetic attempts to free myself.

“Enough!” he growled. His hands clamped around my throat and his knees squeezed my chest like a vise.

“Bonnie , don't kill him “ said someone nearby, slurring his words. You know the boss doesn't want us to kill innocents.

The guy who was choking me, Bonnie , rolled his eyes. “Fine, but you have to practice your memory.”

A shadow blurred my vision, but I was having a hard time seeing anything with the world going blurry around me. My brain was running out of oxygen, and it wouldn't be long before I died. Less than five minutes, probably.

The weight of the guy on top of me vanished. The air escaped my lungs as I coughed and tried to breathe, but I didn't have time to recover. A huge hand grabbed my face and I could only see my reddish blond hair and eyes that looked like the moon.

“You didn't see anything “ His voice echoed in my head, buzzing in my brain and making my skin throb .” We weren't here, there was no shooting and no one was fighting. Get your stuff, go home and then get on with your day.”

Something vibrated under my skin and my mind clouded over. Why was I having such a hard time thinking?

“Shut up. Close your eyes and count to ten.”

I closed my eyes. “One... two... three...”