Last Second

Chapter 2

After making sure everything was in place, Ryan turned off the lights.

He stood rooted in place for a while, absorbing all of the events that happened this fateful day. Gathering up his courage, seeing Hector, realization hitting him pang in the heart... What could destiny throw at him next on this horrible day?

After exhaling a final heavy sigh, he proceeded to close up the shop. He took his time pulling on his long coat and fancy hat, reminiscing the past. Seeing the hat that was gifted by Misaki on his birthday started a new pool of tears in his eyes. Ryan shook his head, wiping the tears away with the back of his hand and stepped out of the shop, gasping when the harsh weather came into contact with his skin. His hat went flying down the street.

This really isn't my day, he thought bitterly.

The wind carried the item far away from him. He groaned audibly when it landed on a filthy dumpster in a dimly lit alley across the street. Ryan picked up his pace and sprinted after it. He wished there wouldn't be a sudden gust of wind that would take it even further away from him.

But he's always had a history of bad luck. If he were to list off the most embarrassing, most painful, and most regrettable moments he's ever gone through in his life, today was by far the first on his list. He had developed good feelings for Misaki since his first day at work. After that, they became shift partners with cooperation so great that it could've been called a match made in heaven. He discovered in working with her throughout the year that she was the definition of a true angel. She became some sort of light in his life so it was natural he was drawn to the restaurant to see her every day, whether it was his shift or not. But today, his form crumbled when he discovered that she held no interest in him. All the hope he saw in her form disappeared from his sight. Like a fragile candle light, it always succumbs to darkness as easily as by a gust of the wind.

Of course, today his luck proved indifferent. There was no point in chasing the hat after it had disappeared into the darker portion of the alley. He was so tired from the night, so put up with his foolish luck. With slumped shoulders, he turned around, ready to give up and go home.

Suddenly, the single alley light started flickering. His heart rate accelerated when from his peripheral vision he noticed the shadow of something closing in on him. When he turned around, he was greeted by nothing but an empty alley. It left him with an eerie feeling, the presence of another unknown being. What could they possibly want from me? Could it be....? He counted the worth of five deep breaths to calm himself. I admit that this has been the worst day of my life. But it doesn't mean that I should start expecting the worst case scenarios to happen to me.

He almost screamed when a hand reached out from behind his back and swiftly grabbed his form. The person knew better than to allow him emission of any noise, bringing another hand over Ryan's face to muffle his shocked screams. Ryan struggled against the force but the arms were too strong. They lifted him up into the air as though he were a sack of feathers. He felt his heart pounding violently against his chest as he was thrown over their shoulders and walked towards a location almost perfectly hidden within the dark shadows looming in the alley.

The single street lamp in the alley flickered on abruptly, allowing Ryan to catch a glimpse of a suspicious black van and two people. He saw that they were holding long, slender blades before the light dwindled and he was plunged into darkness once more.

Ryan's mind scrambled desperately for an escape method. Think, think, think!

He noticed the grip around his waist was slightly loosened compared to moments before, and he seized the opportunity. He opened his mouth wide and bit the person's fingers with the strength of a beast. If Ryan had intended to bite off the fingers, he probably could have.

"GAAAAHH!!!" a low voice shouted in pain. The person immediately dropped hold of him to tend to his injured hand. Ryan fell onto his side, his head banging against the concrete floor. The blow immediately sent tendrils of pain to his cranium. It left his hair damp with blood, oozing out of his wound by the second.

The person pointed at the two standing near the van, barking, "Quickly, seize him! Don't let him use his power!"

Ryan stood groggily, his balance no better than a drunk. He started towards the sidewalk away from the alley, only taking a few disoriented steps, before he felt a force pull his entire body back into the darkness again.