BANE

CHAPTER ONE - BLEND (Part 1)

"Here," the petite redhead said as she handed the young man a cup of coffee. He studied her face warily for a moment, before welcoming her random act of kindness. Noticing his unease, she continued, "You must be freezing. This wind is biting cold."

"Y-yeah. It is." He took a sip, relishing its warmth as it slid down his throat to his stomach. The girl sat down beside him on the sidewalk and he shuffled a little farther away from her. "What are you doing?"

"Relax." She chuckled. "What, do you think I'm going to hurt you? You're like, twice as tall as me." Though he probably weighs as much. She thought to herself as her eyes inspected his thin fingers and neck.

"I'm just a little on edge, is all. A guy got burned to death last week not far from here." He drummed his fingers along the hot cup. "I found him first, it was another two days before the cops did."

"What? Why wouldn't you call 911 or something?"

"With what phone? And it's not like people are eager to listen to me when I try to approach them. Come on..." He gestured to his dirty clothing with one hand.

"Sorry. I wasn't thinking." She cleared her throat. "So... what was it like finding that guy?"

"Disgusting. Terrifying..." He paused. "Traumatizing... but why am I telling you any of this? Why are you even talking to me?"

"I don't know, you just seemed like you needed someone to talk to." She stood and offered a hand to him.

"You're not afraid I might hurt you?"

"Nah, I might not look tough, but I can more than hold my own in a fight," She laughed. "I'm Layla, by the way. Do you want to come back to my place?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know, eat a hot meal, have a hot shower..."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why? You're skin and bone and smell rank, that's why."

"Despite that oh-so-flattering invitation, I'm going to have to decline. Thanks, but no thanks."

"Man up. Don't be so fucking sensitive." Layla stood and brushed the grit from the street off her clothes. "Let's go, you'll freeze to death out here."

He finally agreed to follow her, against his better judgement. "You're not going to kill me, are you?" He joked half-heartedly as they walked.

"In my home? Why would I want to deal with that mess? If I wanted to kill you I would have poisoned your coffee."

"...That's unsettling."

"Isn't it, though?" She responded proudly. "What's your name anyway?"

"Holden."

"That's hot. I like it." They arrived at a nice apartment building downtown and Layla punched her entrance code into the keypad. "Follow me."

The lobby was pristine, with plush leather furniture and white marble floors that sparkled. Holden instantly felt out of place; he kept checking behind him, convinced he was leaving a trail of dirt on the floor with his filthy clothing.

They took the elevator to the seventh floor, and Layla paused when they arrived at her apartment door. "Just a warning, if you see some crazy knives lying around, don't panic - my brother kind of collects them. Alright, then!" Without further ado, she unlocked the door and gestured for Holden to enter before her. "Welcome to our humble abode. I'll grab some of my brother's clothes for you to wear after your shower. Bathroom's down the hall to the right, please shower immediately."