Human

Joel kept digging his own grave. It was something he'd noticed a long time ago - it didn't matter how many times he messed everything up, he never learned.

His footsteps echoed as he sprinted down the alley, his pursuers getting closer and closer. He didn't have a hope in hell of outrunning them, he knew that. He also couldn't outsmart them, and he'd never be able to hide. His capture was inevitable. And yet, it was human nature to keep running, to put it off as long as possible, and he was as human as you could get - painfully, heartbreakingly human.

*** EIGHT HOURS EARLIER ***

It wasn't Cianne's fault she was still single. She was just different from the rest of her kind, too different, and even her own parents were ashamed of her - the Mayor and Mayoress of the city, and their pro-human rights daughter.

Because it's practically a crime to think all life is important, Cianne thought angrily as she slammed the fridge door. It was the tenth time she'd gone into the kitchen looking for something to eat in the last half hour, but she was bored of the food they had in the house.

Her laptop made a sound as she walked back into her room and she lifted the lid up to see a notification: the dating site had found her a match. For a second she bit her lip and considered changing her mind, her stomach a mess of nerves. Sure, she was kind of lonely, but was she this desperate? Her fingers decided for her and clicked on her match's profile.

He was a guy about her age, not a spectacular-looking person but certainly not ugly, and it said his name was Joel.

Her cursor hovered over the little x in the corner as she felt her courage wavering, but then a message from Joel appeared, and it was so simple and plain and every-day that it revived her.

Joel: Hi :)

Cianne sat down on her bed, pulling the laptop onto her knees and typed out her reply.

***

Joel stared up at the bigger boys, terrified. He knew he couldn't refuse them. And it was only a stupid date, right? Maybe they'd leave him alone after that.

Lies, his conscience told him. They had something awful planned, and he was doing exactly what they wanted by giving in to them. But surely, whatever it was wouldn't be as bad as if he refused...

*** SIX HOURS LATER ***

They'd agreed to meet at seven. It was now ten past, and Cianne was worried she'd been stood up on her very first date.

What if it was all just a joke?

He was the first guy she'd ever met who shared her feelings on human rights, who had a lot of the same interests as her, who actually laughed at her bad jokes...maybe it was too good to be true.

But just then she felt a light tap on her shoulder and she spun around to see him, wearing the red beanie he said he'd be wearing so she could identify him.

"Ci-Ci-Cianne?" He stuttered nervously.

"Joel, hi," she smiled, relieved that he'd arrived.

"Sorry I'm late, there was a thing..."

"It doesn't matter," Cianne told him. "Should we go in?"

He smiled back at her and stood aside for her to walk past him into the arcade. She didn't see the nervous glance he directed at the cafe across the street.

*** TEN MINUTES EARLIER ***

"Whoa, guys, check it out. That must be her!"