• My thoughts and silence in the wide street alley were shattered with a disturbing whimper. Curiously, I followed the noises which lead me to a smaller alley in which two big garbage dumpsters were lined up side to side against the brick wall. The wet brick wall made this alley a dead end. I followed the bricks with my eyes upwards, and saw that there were windows on the top. This probably meant these were townhouses.
    Without thinking I poked my head into the opening of the alley. I almost gasped, but my hand instantly covered my open mouth.
    A man with a gun in his hand stood over a boy, about my age. The boy looked like he would go insane due to fright.
    “P-p-lease leave me alone. I’m sorry I won’t do it again, I promise. Just one more chance” he whimpered helplessly.
    As my curiosity grew, so did my fear and impatience, and without knowing I moved two steps forward and saw what almost stopped my heart.
    Beside the whimpering teen was a lifeless black lump wearing a leather jacket, which had black fluid oozing out quietly, into a puddle that reflected the man’s face.
    I tried to gather all my courage together. I’d read a lot about this and seen it many times on television. I inhaled and then exhaled without a sound. I tried to think of a way to help the boy, and the only thing that popped up in my mind was the scissors. Cautiously, I unzipped the side of my bag and shoved my hand inside, never looking down.
    My hand finally caught the scissors, and without any doubt about my future actions, I took them out. I walked slowly, approaching the man.
    I was as quiet as a shadow, and unnoticeable. I positioned myself behind the man and at that moment the teen boy’s eyes caught sight of me. I don’t think he could see my eyes, for they were covered with a shadow. But I know he saw me mouth out the words: It’s okay, hold on!
    He nodded ever so slightly, and turned his attention back to the man. He seemed slightly unsure of my presence, I could tell because his brows were pushed in frustration.
    “Back off!” I hissed quietly into the man’s ear.
    The man’s reaction surprised me; he stood frozen for a minute and then sprang into action. He turned around and grabbed my elbow twisting it so that I had my back to him. I howled in pain as the man bent over so that his chin touched my shoulder.
    “Shouldn’t I be the one saying back off?” I heard a smile in his words.
    “RUN!” I yelped to the teen.
    I had noticed that in this short time the man had forgotten about the boy and was fully focused on me. When I mentioned the boy, the man’s head swivelled away from me and towards where the boy had been standing a second ago. The boy hadn’t run, like I’d told him to, instead he stood in the opposite direction from where the man had turned around, so he was beside me. When the man turned back to me, the boy instantly sent a flying fist to the man’s face. I was sure his jaw was broken. The force of the punch sent the man onto the ground, and I was free of his grasp. The boy ran past the man and then turned around.
    “What’re you waiting for? Come on!” he motioned quickly to me, and I nodded in response.
    I jumped over the man holding his face in pain, and took the boy’s hand with my free hand. Before we even started to run, there was a clicking noise which we both seemed to recognize immediately. It was a gun. We both froze in tracks, and then I suddenly remembered the gun I’d seen by his side before I had approached him.
    The boy tugged on my hand, as a sign to hurry up and run, but right then the man struggled up, pointing the gun straight at the boy. The man took a step forward, and then without hesitation shot it. It had struck the boy’s thigh, I could tell because when I turned around I saw that he was clutching his red-soaked jeans and his tangled brows reflected pain. I was going to bend down to check his wound, when I was suddenly pulled backwards by my, open, shoulder-length brunette hair. I gasped as the man kept pulling me backwards by my hair. Then he brought his mouth to my ear, and pointed the cold gun at my neck, so close, that I could feel the bullet ready to come out.
    “Not so fast” he snickered
    “Leave me alone, I never did anything to you!” I screeched
    “You don’t even know who the hell I am!” he said
    “I don’t know and I don’t care!” I responded trying wriggle free of his strong grasp.
    I don’t know why I had such a bad memory but at that moment I seemed to remember that one of hands was occupied with a weapon. I smiled to myself, perfect!
    “So, um, what was it that you were saying?” I questioned innocently
    His reaction to this was unexpected. He pulled me by the hair so hard this time that I thought that all my hair would fall off, I screamed.
    “Playing games with me doesn’t work, so you better stop” his voice was as cold as steel.
    “Okay, as you wish. We’ll work more easily then!” I replied through gritted teeth.
    I jabbed my elbow in his chest, quickly turned around and then kicked him in the shin. He fell back on the ground, and I walked up to him, picking up the gun that he had dropped by his side. I was standing over him now, holding the gun and pointing it towards his forehead.