THE ALGORITHM

1.

"Don't worry, friend." Katrina placed her arm around Penny's shoulder and said, "Soon, you'll find a job in your field, and you're going to start bringing in a lot of money."

Penny rolled her eyes and replied, "I hope so."

She didn't take Katrina's words seriously. Penny never gave much thought to her career and the money it would bring in. She attended college to escape homelessness and the welfare system. Her tuition was free, so she figured it wouldn't hurt to take advantage of the perks she had.

Penny liked cooking, but didn't want to spend her life doing it. Instead of choosing culinary as a major, she went the technical route. Initially, she was afraid to learn computer science, but she later found it easy after realizing that the concepts used a lot of numbers. Penny was good with numbers, so she got the opportunity to gain a full understanding.

"So, what do you have planned?" Penny questioned her friend. "I see that phone has most of your attention. Is that Chris?"

"You know it..." Katrina trailed off. "I don't get him. He only wants to hang out with me at night. Like I'm a booty call."

Because you are. Penny said to herself.

"I'm more than that." Katrina continued with a slight pout.

Penny didn't like getting into anyone's business. It wasn't her thing to give advice and show empathy with humans. She hated it with a passion. Instead of giving Katrina advice, she decided to stay quiet. There was no way she could convince her friend that Chris was a user. Katrina wouldn't listen, so Penny didn't waste her breath.

"I'll figure it out." Katrina blurted. "Until then...I'll see you tomorrow."

Penny parted ways with Katrina and felt a surge of relief. She knew how obsessed her friend was with Chris. She didn't want to hear her rant about their nonexistent relationship.

As soon as she began her walk, raindrops fell from the sky. Penny cursed under her breath as she continued to walk on the sidewalk. Her small apartment wasn't far from the restaurant, but she had a block to go.

"Just great...and I recently washed my hair," Penny whispered. Her natural hair was long and locked. A few years ago, she'd decided to get sister locs and didn't regret it at all. She had her hair pulled into a high ponytail.

The convenience store was still open, so she purchased a few items. During her walk home, she decided to take a shortcut to her apartment. She secured the rental at a low cost thanks to her foster care benefits. However, the apartment wasn't extravagant. It was basic, yet it satisfied her.

Penny reached for her strawberry can of soda, but didn't get the chance to open it. She entered the alley with the fizzy drink in her hand. In her opinion, it was the quickest route to get home. She always took the short path after work since her apartment wasn't far from the restaurant. As she walked further into the alley, she heard a disgruntling sound. She looked into the open path and stumbled upon something brutal. Her eyes widened in bewilderment. Two men in suits were in the pathway, beating another man. Blood gushed from his swollen face as the aggressors screamed at him.

"Come here." One of the men demanded harshly as he grabbed the battered man by his neck. Everything happened so fast. Penny witnessed the guy standing over the battered person and punching him in the face repeatedly. When he pulled back, he held the man by his collar, forcing him to speak.

"I don't know anything...I swear." The man stated as he tried to hold it together.

"What do you know about him? What else is he hiding?" The other aggressor asked as he drew his gun. He was a pale man with ginger hair that was styled into a buzzcut.

"I don't know!" The injured man shouted. "I'm just a worker. I don't know him personally."

"You're a liar." The aggressor with the gun spewed as he shook him by his collar. "You work with him. You may be a worker, but you know something."

"Tell us what we want to know. When was the last time you saw him?" The other aggressor asked. He was darker and had curly hair.

"I don't know—maybe a week ago."

"Really? So, you haven't seen him since last week." The guy aimed the gun at him and added, "Are you telling the truth?"

Penny was from New York. She knew murders happened all the time. She wasn't surprised to hear and see the scene before her. However, she never expected to witness it firsthand. She was always cautious and tried to avoid such situations. 

Instead of staying there, Penny took off. Like the clumsy person she was, she dropped her strawberry soda on the ground. The bubbly, red liquid spilled all over the pavement, quickly coating the concrete's cracks. The can clinging to the ground caught the attention of the suited men. They zeroed in on Penny and immediately grew defensive.

"Get her!" The pale man instructed as he pressed his iron against the battered man's head. He put his finger on the trigger and wasted no time pulling it. The corpse dropped on the ground with a thud.

Pow!

"Why would you do that?" The man with the darker complexion asked with anger. He felt like they were close. With more pressure, the associate would crack and tell everything.

They didn't have time to discuss what had happened. They wanted to catch up with Penny and end her since she more than likely witnessed them beating the man and murdering him.

"Hey!"

Penny zoomed through the darkness. Her heart raced as she tried to control her breathing. She ran for her life, hoping to lose them. Unfortunately, they stayed on her path, trying their best to catch up with her.

Pow!

It almost felt like a video game to Penny. Except she wasn't having fun at the moment. She jumped and immediately turned left as her mind raced, trying to figure out how to get far away from the men and save her life. Penny took the quick-witted route and kicked over trash cans. She figured it would slow them down and give her time to lose them. Unexpectedly, it did work for her. One of the men tripped and fell to the ground with a thud. He fell into a deep puddle of water, saturating his clothes with muddy water.

Penny didn't bother to look back. She continued her journey until she made it home. Quickly, she ran inside the brownstone building and climbed the stairs. Her heart continued to drum as she fumbled with her keys, trying to find the right key to unlock the door to her quaint apartment.

Beat, beat, beat...

When she stepped inside her domain, she locked the door and fell onto the floor. Feeling anxious, she placed her hand on her heaving chest. With her eyes closed, she tried to calm herself down. Her burning throat and aching chest felt like they would return to normal. The sound of a gun blaring caught her attention. She widened her eyes after realizing she had witnessed a man being murdered in the middle of the alley.

Involuntarily, Penny felt the need to vomit. The puke shot up to her mouth as she ran toward the bathroom. Penny emptied her stomach as she leaned over in exhaustion. She moped toward the sink and leaned against the counter. Slowly, Penny surveyed her face in the mirror. Her hair was soaked from the rain, and she noticed how weak her eyes were.

"What did I just see?" She asked herself as she stared at her worried face.