Surviving the Darkness

Chapter 4

Though I may be a merciless assassin at night, when the morning comes I have to earn some cash. Mainly so that I can keep my apartment and feed myself. I dress myself in a pair of faded jeans and a baggy T-shirt. Throwing one of my mums old cardigans over the top I head out. My main aim is to avoid any attention at any cost when it is daylight. At night I become my true self however most believe my true self to be this nerdy looking girl who is quiet as a mouse. Works fine for me as it is easier to stay under the radar.

As I make my way to the nearby coffee shop I can only pray that today goes fast. When I arrive the place is packed and I know that I'm going to be exhausted. As I walk towards the back room to change into my uniform I catch sight of a tattoo. The man whom it belongs to is sat at the corner table with 3 others and I do my best to keep walking past without stumbling or looking closer. The tattoo looks a lot like a serpent however it was larger than the usual tattoos I see on their members. I feel a chill rush through me wanting to freeze me to the spot. Only one person would have a tattoo larger than the others in a gang. A person with more authority. A person who is their gang leader.

Fortunately I find myself in the sanctuary of the back room and I make my way over to my locker. The biggest question on my mind is who were the other men. The best bet is that they are his higher ranked members. This doesn't make it any better for me seeing as their table is in my section. As long as I keep up my act though everything should be fine. Everyone is likely fearful of these men so my acting will fit in perfectly.

After my motivational inner monologue I tie my hair back ready to step back out into the busy cafe. As I make my way over to my manager Michelle I can sense her nerves and uneasiness.

"So I need you to take table 12's order please. They haven't had anything since they came in and sat down so it's best to go and ask. The last thing we need is for them to condemn the cafe for inadequate service"

I know what Michelle means by condemning the cafe. It would mean that they send some of their lower gang members to do with it as they wish. And that wouldn't just mean the cafe itself. It would also mean they could do what they like to the employees as well. Determined to not let that happen I take a breath, pick up my notepad and make my way over to the table with the supposed gang leader on.