Grey

1.

Run. Run and keep running.

"Don't be scared. Suck it up Bradlii. He's drunk and your faster then him."

My thoughts pounded against my head and every part of my brain was trying to make me feel better. I was in survival mode.
It was my dad. It was my dad being...well his usual self. Drunk and violent. Even sober though he was still hostile. I don't ever remember him any other way. I mean that's why my mother took off. Without me. Never new why and I stopped caring along time ago. I've been in flight or fight mode since I was eight years old. So unfortunately I was use to this lifestyle. Although I rarely ran from him when he projected physically towards me. I've found it just makes things worse. But this time was different. This time he went too far. His "poker buddies" came over looking for a good time I guess.

A shutter came over me. I blocked it out. No more thinking about it, just keeping myself as safe as I could. I ran until I was far from my shitty apartment and snuggled myself into a dingy alleyway.

My breathing was ragged and I found it hard to catch my breath. The winter air was crisp against my face and living in 'The Windy City' didn't help. Running out with only a ragged hoodie to keep me warm didn't help either I guess. Come to think of it I didn't have much of anything to keep me going right now. Money being the main thing. Warmth too I guess I would be nice. I just needed to hang on a little longer. In a couple weeks I turn eighteen, then I could be free from my father. For good.

'Just hold on.' I thought as I held back tears.

I don't cry really. Not anymore. It was so useless and it never made me feel better. I swallow the lump in my throat and realize I was kneeling on the ground, trying to hold myself up.
The sound of sirens is what drew me to my feet. I stayed hidden but my curiosity got the best of me. I peeked out from the decaying alley and saw a swarm of cop cars across the street. They had an area blocked off by their cars and yellow tape to keep the people who started to crowd away. Something bad went down. My first guess was maybe a homeless guy was found dead or maybe a prostitute or something. But when two men approach the scene and flash what I can only imagine was some kind of superior badge to one of the police offers on the scene, I knew. I knew it was a little more serious then your unfortunate but typical death in this city. The county police didn't exactly bring in the bigs guys every time a high risk was found dead. So something was definitely up. Not that it was my problem. I didn't exactly have the energy to care all that much. I carefully make my way into a coffee shop nearby, cautious of the police. I mean I knew they had their hands full with something more important then an underage girl wandering around not looking too great but I wasn't taking any chances. I wasn't taking the chance of one of them taking me back home. Not again. So I would lay low for now.
~
"Uh miss? If your going to stay in here you need to buy something." The barista said from behind the counter. I had been here for over an hour. I very much didn't want to go into the cold again. But I didn't have money. I didn't have anything. So I sigh and brace myself for the cold.

'Just go back,' I fought with myself. 'He's probably sleeping, just go back.'

'No, no your better off right here. Huddled up in a dark alley. It beats him beating you. You can't take much more Bradlii. Your at your wits end.'

I take a deep breath, rubbing my face. I was so tired. I tried keeping myself warm by going into a fetal position and holding myself. I just hoped I was deep enough in the backstreets so nobody would bother me. That would be the last thing I needed.

~

"Your such a beautiful young thing." A voice purrs waking me up. It was night suddenly. At first I thought the voice was talking to me. I was so out of it, I couldn't tell for a moment. But I realized the voice was too distant to be directed towards me. I glance up to see the back of a man a couple yards away from me with a women. I stayed quiet as they talked.

"So gorgeous..." The man swooned. Gag.

The woman let a giggle out and I could practically hear her blushing. He reaches a hand up to her face and presses her gently against the wall behind them. I couldn't exactly see his face but since they moved into dim lighting I could make out side features. Something was off. The man...something rubbed me the wrong way about him. He was tall and lean. From the minimum view I had I could still tell he was attractive. Strong, sharp features. But he wore a hood...which probably wasn't that weird I guess but, I don't know...It didn't go with his whole ambience. I mean if you saw this man walking down the street he'd be in some fancy business suit with a freaking limousine to match. So for whatever reason, the hood threw me off. I watched carefully as they kissed passionately. Okay...I realize I sound really creepy but I couldn't look away. Again...I realize how that sounds. I just got this weird feeling though...

The man pulls away and then things gets weird. Really weird. He lets his hood down, shifting a bit. Enough to where it made him a silhouette again. That is until...eyes? A yellow glare from...the back of his head? That couldn't be right...I couldn't actually be seeing this. He takes a step towards the woman again and now, I see it clearly.
The back of his head was a...Wolf looking thing. A hyena maybe. I feel the air being sucked dry from my lungs as my mouth gaped open a bit. I was dreaming, I had to be. The nightmare continued as the man proceeded to peruse the woman, who still had no idea what he was. That is until he goes all exorcise with his head, turning it to a complete three-sixty. Exposing the animal part to the woman made her have almost the same reaction that I did. She's about to scream out when suddenly the animal head lunges at her, ripping her throat right out.

I try to scream now but my lungs fail me. I feel my hand fly over my mouth as I turn away from the horrid scene. I kept myself frozen like that for what felt like years. Even when I knew he was gone, I didn't dare move a muscle. That is until I got a whiff of the mangled up pile of human. That makes me leap up and run. I run so fast my legs go numb. I stop and I only stop because I feel the bile raise up, threatening to come out. I skid to a stop and lurch over, puking up what little I had in my stomach.
I was hallucinating. Yeah, yeah that's it, I was hallucinating from hypothermia. From not getting enough food or something. I was officially losing it.

"Hyena man-thing," I wheeze out before passing out by a dumpster.