Welcome to The Red-Light District

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Spinel backed up with every step he took forward, subtly looking around to make sure she didn't back herself into a wall. I should have known. What an idiot. Her eyes flitted around desperately looking for a means to escape. Even with her knife it'd be suicide to try stand up against a man who was two times her size with her non-existent training. His eyes gleamed with a disgusting hunger, she could hear her heartbeat pounding at her ears. Spinel was terrified. A shudder crawled through her body as the spiked man ravished her with his thoughts. I NEED TO ESCAPE. Just before panic set in she saw it. A dumpster that she could use to get up to the fire escape. She could use her quirk to climb or rather bounce up as fast as possible. It would hopefully lead up to the roof or windows, it didn't matter to her as long as she got out. Once there Spinel could break the windows to escape inside or alternatively take a few leaps of faith from roof to roof. She had seen it before in movies and it didn't look too impossible. Sure, Spinel could have just 'eaten' him with her quirk but at the same time, she would rather not have his filthy touch and probably taste, anywhere near her.

She steeled herself. The only sound she could hear was her pulse. She didn't respond to the man who seemingly asked her a question, she couldn't understand what he was saying with the deafening pounding in her ears.

He finally made the first move and swung the knife at her.

Spinel immediately fell to the ground in the form of a puddle of black goop. Taking the man by surprise she was able to slip past him and bounce up onto the fire escape. She turned back into her original human form, her heart going a mile a minute.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT. I WAS GOING TO MAKE THIS EASY BUT IT LOOKS LIKE YOU WANT IT THE HARD WAY. I'LL ENJOY CARVING YOU UP" The man shouted as he slowly clambered up the dumpster trying to get to the fire escape, weapon still in hand. He was considerably slower than Spinel though it was to be expected being twice her size and all while trying to climb up a narrow fire escape.

Spinel put all her weight on the first step as she raced up the rusty stairs, the squeaks that would have been lost in the constant noise of traffic were instead echoed in the empty alleyway. Much to her dismay every single window on the way up was boarded. It's an abandoned building. Spinel kept climbing higher and higher till she reached the roof. She could hear the man struggling to climb up the fire escape. There was nowhere for her to go . . . All the other buildings were too far for her to jump towards. Spinel searched around frantically before her eyes landed on a wooden plank with two long rusted nails in it. Hello, baby. There was only one way the man could enter roof and it was Spinel who had the higher ground. An idea struck her. One way up. So, all I have to do is whack him with this as soon as he makes it halfway. There is no way he'd be able to avoid it while climbing. Just as predicted the man's head popped into view from the stairs. She was ready this time though. With as much force as she could put into her swing, she smashed the board right into the man's face, causing him to drop the knife and fall back into the railings growling.

"YOU BITCH!!!"

The man writhed stuck between the metal as Spinel assessed the damage. It was a good swing. It probably broke his nose, and those two wonderful nails in the wood? Those sweet little things found their way into the flesh of his cheek and one in his eye.

A bubbling sensation started inside her; a manic grin appeared on Spinel's face unable to control herself anymore. "Oh, that was the most I've felt in a long time. How fun. Let's play again next time" she said as she kicked the man in the head effectively knocking him out. It was a foreign feeling. Where fear and terror should have been there was excitement. It was absolutely absurd. Spinel didn't hate it. A little crazy might be needed one day. The man lay unconscious but alive. Spinel blinked a few times before she realized that she needed to move the man away from the fire escape so she could get down. With a sigh and a particularly strong heave she managed to move him to the side just enough so she could squeeze through. Once she was done Spinel took out her phone and dialed a number.

"Hello what's your emergency?"

"Uh, well there is this man who tried to attack me. So, um... I ended up knocking him out. Could you please come and get him before he wakes up?"

"Please stay right there! We are sending a cop car to your location now. We should be there in a few minutes" the phone operator replied.

"Ok. We are on a roof." Spinel was trembling at this point there was no way in hell she was staying put. If they saw her, she would be sent back to her previous home and this would all be pointless. She hung up and dashed back down the fire escape almost falling a couple times. Spinel was getting the hell out of there. Once her feet touched the ground, she heard the sirens and saw the ever growing red and blue lights. NONONONONONO, Spinel had never run so fast in her life. She dived into her quirks puddle form disappearing into the darkness as she slithered away much faster and quieter than her running.

-----

"This should be far enough...." Spinel deactivated her quirk turning back into a human rather than a blob of dark goop. She realized at this point she was lost. It was getting dark. Well my phone says its 9pm. I should really be heading back. Does google maps have an alley navigation feature? She sighed rounding yet another corner of the alleyway.

"Far enough from what?" A man's voice called out in the darkness. He looked like a hobo. A Black jumpsuit and a ridiculously long scarf around his neck. Yeah, definitely a hobo.

She squinted to try and see the man clearer in the dim moonlight. He seems...kind of familiar. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. This was Eraserhead. The underground HERO. IN THE FLESH. Because Eraserhead was an underground hero it was really difficult to collect clips and research about him. It took her months to just find out his hero name. "What does it matter Eraserhead?"

Eraser raised an eyebrow at her. "So, you know who I am." Eraser paused briefly as he took off his yellow goggles before continuing "It matters to me because you look like you're eleven and lost in this part of the city. I'm a hero so it's my job to get you home." Eraser eyed her for any suspicious movements. To be honest she looked like she was ready to make a dash away to escape.

"Of course, I know who you are. You are my favorite after all" She chirped, catching the man off guard. "I'd love to stay Eraser, I really would but like you said; I should really get going. So, see ya!" Spinel took a handful of dirt and tossed it at Eraserhead's eyes.

Before Eraser could send out his capture scarf on the girl she was gone. He rubbed his eyes and cursed.

-------

It was the second time that night. No, the second time that hour Spinel had dashed away in panic. If she wasn't sure before, she was now sure as hell that she was truly and utterly lost. She wandered aimlessly, her stomach growling in dismay.

She heard some giggling, it sounded like a woman. "Hey there cutie. Haven't seen you around these parts."

Spinel felt a wave of dejavu crash over her. "I'm not really in the mood to be mugged again."

"Oh honey. You sound like you've had a night. Well don't worry I'm not going to rob you. I work around these parts after all."

"What do you mean by these parts?"

The voice...the woman showed herself from around the corner. Her hands held open in a welcoming gesture.

"Welcome to the red-light district."

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