Streak

Prologue

*Prologue*

She keeps running. The little problems, the little issues that make it harder, they don't matter anymore. All that matters is that she gets away.

This happens all the time. The creepy men. They weren't what you would expect in New York in an abandoned train tunnel. They were real Baddies. They were the bad guys you only hear about in stories. Usually it was only one. Although who could say the word usually anymore.

Her life had gotten crazier and crazier, leading up to now. When Tess was younger her mom had gotten in a bad car wreck that had taken her life. Tess' life had just gone downhill from there. Her father had started beating her. Finally, after three years of abuse, she ran away. Now, seven year old Tess ran through the tunnel, as fast as she could.

Gnawing hunger, eating away at her stomach? No problem. Sleep deprivation? Not an issue. The only thing that mattered at that moment was to escape the Baddies. That's what she called them. They were always different people though, making it hard to tell if they were friend or foe. Which is why it always led to her running and hiding. The only problem? She was running out of hiding places.

Suddenly, as if a blessing from heaven above, two lights appeared at the end of the tunnel. She ran a little farther, and her foot hit a rock. She tripped and her head hit the concrete hard. The last thing she saw were two people running towards the Baddies and the whole world went dark.