A Strong Will

The Alley

   This was it. This was where my life would officially end. No friends. No boyfriend. No family that cares. Nothing.
   Blood streamed out of my nose, rolling down my chin and neck, staining my t-shirt. My head was pounding, pain worse than I thought was possible. I could hardly breathe and my whole body felt like it was shutting down. Preparing for my life to be over. To end. 
Fight! Don't just give up! You have more to live for!
   What do I have to live for? A family that doesn't care about me and would be more than happy to see me dead. No friends to mourn me if I do die. I have nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Live to find out. You may not feel like you have anything, but you can. You can have a will. A will stronger than anyone thought you could have. Prove to your family you're more than what they think and say. Don't let them win.
   Okay, maybe the voice inside my head has a point. But, what strength do I even have left? Here I am, laying on the hard road in a back alleyway, having been followed by a group of guys certain to harm me, getting my absolute butt kicked, with no will to live. Now, what? Listen to the voice in my head or the other half of me that believes dying is the way to go?
    "Hey!" A voice shouts from afar, startling me and the men looming above me.
   Surprising myself, I use this opportunity that the four men have stopped attacking me by kneeing the closest one in their most vulnerable area—the crotch. He doubles over almost immediately, giving me time as I scramble to my knees and shove him on the ground and out of my way.
   Standing up hurts, a lot. I'm dizzy when I get up, nausea threatening to overtake me. I do my best to try and run it off but soon find out that having your ankle stepped on by a 200 pound man doesn't do it well. I yelp and would have fallen back to the ground if a wall hadn't been a foot away from me.
   I whimper in pain as a hand grips my hair and tugs me backward. I'm turned around and pressed against that same wall when two hands close over my throat, cutting off my ability to breathe. I scratch at the man's face, but his hold is strong, unrelenting.
   My vision becomes blurry and I feel myself losing consciousness. The man's hands become tighter, trying to take my life quicker like I wasn't dying fast enough.
   This was it. It was finally happening. I was going to die.
   Out of nowhere, the man's hands are ripped from my throat and I take in a huge gulp of air, my own hands coming to my throat to try and soothe it.
   I finally look up and see all the men that had been beating me out of sight besides one of them on the ground, getting pummeled by a bigger man on top of him.
   "Yeah, you like the feel of that?" A couple of punches to the face. "The feeling of getting beat upon by someone three times your size?" Four to the stomach. "I didn't think so." Another punch to the face. "I swear, if I ever see you or any of your other cowardly friends touch her, you'll be sure to hear from me. And you won't like it." He slammed the man on the ground forcefully before yanking him up and shoving him in the direction of the street. Not wasting any time, the man did his best to move quickly that way.
   I stayed close to the wall, unsure of what to do. I thought about what just happened. I survived and attempted to fight for myself. A mystery man for whatever reason just saved my life while threatening the four others who tried to end it. And now that same man was turning around to face me.
   "Are you okay?" The man asked me, but I didn't answer right away, too busy studying his face.
   He was gorgeous. His brown hair was messy and disheveled from fighting, but it just made him look good. He had piercing green eyes that looked me up and down, no doubt to check where the men had hurt me. His jaw was sharp and clenched from anger.
   "Um, yeah I'm okay." No, I'm not.
   "No, you're not. Sorry, that was a dumb question to ask." He looked me up and down once more, his eyes lingering on mine for a moment longer than anywhere else. "Let me help you, my mom's a nurse. I can check you out back at my apartment, and see if anything is broken. Only if you're comfortable with it. I just don't want to leave you out here alone, especially with guys like them out here." He finished, dusting his black jacket off.
   I should say no. I mean, I don't even know the guy! Yeah, he just saved my life, but what's to say he did that to get me himself?
Do you have somewhere better to go? Going home like this would just get you in more trouble and you know it. Go with him. What more harm could he do?
   He is a literal stranger! A good-looking and nice one but a stranger nonetheless!
   "I know what you're thinking. Going home with a random man? No, thanks. I get it. But, I promise, I don't want to hurt you. I just want to help." He said, noticing my hesitancy.
   "Why? Why did you help me? You don't even know me?" I asked him instead, knowing this may come off as rude but I needed to know. It might help me to trust him.
   "I saw four guys go down an alley and not come back for ten minutes so I naturally got curious. I own the restaurant down the street, Kall's, which is why I was close by."
   Makes sense, I guess.
   "Please, I know you're in pain, I just want to help."
   I took a couple of more seconds before answering. "Okay, I'll go with you, thank you."
   His smile was something that lit up his face and made me want to smile in return. "Thank you for trusting me." He extended his hand to me. "I'm Keith."
   I shook his outstretched hand. "I'm RJ."