Stranded With My Familiar Stranger

Chapter 2- Saved by the Alley

I ran. I was actually running from foreign gun men who were possibly involved in some major drug trade and trafficking of the female species.

They were catching up to me, hadn't been long running but my legs were about to give up on me.

I turned around the bend of another block of this unfamiliar town and there were no front porches, nor friendly coloured houses or dogs barking. It was still the light of day but the buildings' shadows engulfed my surroundings. Where was I?

If you slow down Katelyn, you'll fall.

I couldn't think quite straight anymore because the heat and the pain shooting through my legs were luring me into just giving it up because I didn't even know where...or what I was running to.

I could feel my thoughts, or lack thereof, take control and I slowed one long half attempt to run at a time. Just when I could feel myself begin to stop, I heard the clapping of their feet, clearly seconds away from breaking the corner onto the block I was on.

There were a few things to realize.

One, these men were either too in love with the thought of having me do whatever unpleasant, unclothed desires they had.

Two, they weren't allowed to use their weapons in public.

What? They clearly could've shot but maybe they were trying to keep their cover....they were disguised in public eye by their non violent behaviour, which by the way might not be true because chasing me counts as abuse to the soles of my sorry feet.

Three, that I was probably about to die, or be carried back to some torture chamber, or sold...

I found myself leaning on the edge of one of the hard, cold red stoned buildings, listening to their steps just get closer and closer from the end of the road, maybe three of those great stone buildings away.

I had a split second moment with myself to reflect on my sins and whatever else I clearly did not do to deserve this. Was I having a nightmare?

Suddenly, someone grabbed me by my arm and yanked me into the alleyway I was leaning next to.

Considering that I was mentally preparing myself for variations of death, that didn't mean I would not put up a fight.

As I opened my mouth to scream, a hand restrained my body, wrapped around my torso, the other pressed hard to my face, preventing any noise to escape my mouth. I tried twisting and turning to get out of this grip.

Whisper-shouting as close as he could to my ear, me twisting and all, he said "stop" and I don't know what came over me. I stopped at his command and waited a few seconds until I heard the two pairs of feet of my kidnappers, beating unsynced with my threatened pulse, treading down the lonely, main, shadowed roadway.

Wait. They're looking for me. Who. Who was this pressed so close to me? I waited until I can no longer hear them, then bit this new person's hand... hard.

He shoved my face away with his teeth indented hand and I didn't run. We were facing each other now, and I didn't dare to run.

"Don't." He spoke one word, compelling and bland as if he were tired... and I obeyed.

"And.. and what if I do?"

"Then ma chérie," he paused. "They'll kill you."

Did he just call me a cherry?

"Oh and you wouldn't?"

He stared at me for a really long time. His face was average, not too much of a stud, but there was something about him that made me want to ask him for help. 

Actually, I think its just desperation for a direction to get back to my comfortable apartment with comfortable clothes and soft slippers, away from this city or uncivilized district, away from these thoughts, away from these people.

Rule number one I decided for myself ever since I started to live on my own...don't trust anyone. 

Lesson was learnt from trusting a strangers appearance at a new nightclub to buy you a glass of cherry wine without pressing a weapon to your back.

I was sure that right now, I looked like a teenage runaway with no dignity who has been over twelve hangovers in a row without any physical recovery. The way he just stared, even though he was probably lost in thought and not analyzing my face, made me feel so conscious.

My feet were also dying.

"Listen." He stepped closer and I immediately backed up against the wall. I saw him roll his chocolate eyes as he sighed. "No promises. Just be thankful I saved you."

I glanced his shirt (though crinkled because of me) and his 

"Saved me? Thank you but I don't trust well dressed men."