Journal of a Teenage Muslim.

Chapter 47 - Action in the Alleys

I opened the text message and read two words, it was a district name. I wasn't sure what to do, if I told my dad, I was sure he would say it's just a mistake.. So I carried on walking to Azalea's house.

Once I reached, I got another message:

"Urgent!"

"Who is that?" Azalea asked reading the text over my shoulder.

"No idea, there's no caller ID," I shrugged.

"Don't you think we should go there? Looks like some one might be in danger or something," Azalea said.

"No, it must be a mistake," I said lamely.

"Are you serious?" Azalea exclaimed, "You're the one that's meant to be saying we have to go help whoever they are.. What's gotten into you?"

"The address that they sent," I said, "It's the same place my mother died."

"Oh my God," Azalea said softly, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,"

She wrapped a hand around my shoulder, it had been almost a year since we met and she had grown incredibly, she was almost my height and for some one three years younger than me, that was saying alot because I was quite tall as well.

"I know it's hard Maydah, to go back there, but we might stop another life from being lost.. Save another family perhaps? It might be a stupid prank like you said but what if it's not?"

"One life saved is like all mankind." I murmured, "Let's go."

"How far is that place from here?" Azalea asked.

"A half hour train ride, but that is too long, by the time we get there it would be too late.."

"We can use the express, come on," Azalea solved.

We rushed silently out of the house, hoping Azalea's mother wouldn't notice our absence. We had just enough money to buy the train tickets and had to wait ten minutes before the train arrived. We sat quietly the whole train ride. After Mom died, I never went back to that place.. I wondered who the person who sent the text was.. I wondered what was so urgent.. I wondered whether this was a good or bad idea...

The train came to a halt and we got out.

"My mom used to work at that hospital there," I showed Azalea.

"She was a doctor?" Azalea asked.

"Yeah, a kids doctor. Anways.. Where do we go now?" I asked.

"Is that all the text said?" Azalea questioned.

"Yeah, just the district name.."

"Text them back. Ask where they are." Azalea ordered.

"Exact location?" I text back.

After ten minutes or so there was a reply.

"Hi, who ever you were texting seemed to have dropped their phone, here's the location of the phone anyways.."

"Let's go," I said breaking into a run with Azalea following closely. We reached the place where the phone was last seen, whoever had text us back seemed to have gone and taken the phone with them as well.

"They must be some where around here," I panted. God I needed to fix my stamina. We were going to keep walking forward when we heard a loud crash. The pair of us jumped and headed straight for to where the noise came from.

"Stop," Azalea said holding out a hand to preventing me from turning into the alley where we could hear the noise from. "We need to think this through.."

We peered out, in between the old grey building was a beaten up alley, there was graffitti on the walls, trash every where, from what I could comprehend, the sound of the loud crash had been caused by the trash bins being kicked over. There were a group of tall, most of them buff looking, masked guys circling around a boy younger than me. There was terror in his golden eyes and his shirt was blood stained, as one of the masked guys moved to hit him, I saw he was badly wounded on the side of his forehead.

"Adrien," Azalea breathed, she must know this guy, he probably goes to our school. I didn't dare talk, not right now..

The same guy who hit Adrien took out a knife from God knows where. I couldn't hold in my gasp, stupid, stupid me! The whole gang went silent.

"Go see who it is." One of them said, he was not as strong built but still muscular, all the same.. The guy with the knife threw it to the guy who gave the commands, the boss I guess. He came out to where we were.

Thank God in heaven my dad and uncle taught me self defense. As soon as he saw us, his body visually relaxed, I mean how much harm could two little girls do right?

Wrong.

My fist flew past the air, giving him a blow in the stomach, knocking out his air.. He doubled over, choking for air. But no sooner was he down than the rest of them surrounded us, however I refused to give up.

One of them grabbed Azalea, she was a girl, if not for her voice I wouldn't have guessed..

I kicked them in the shin, they let Azalea go as she stumbled out of their grasp. I roughly twisted her arm behind her back preventing her from moving.

"Go!"

"But-"

"Go!" I yelled.

She backed out of the alley.

The girl fought out of my grasp and slapped me across my face so hard, it sent me staggering backwards.

Some one else grabbed me around my neck, but I could only see a mad confusion of color dancing in front of my eyes.

"I've got this under control," He said calmly.

"You sure Boss?" One of them asked..

The boss took out the knife and pressed it to my neck, I could feel the cold blade tingling my skin. Immediately I began to try and escape.

"Stay still and you'll live," He whispered into my ear.

"I'm sure," He announced to the group. "Go,"

The group left the alley leaving only me and the boss, whoever he was. I tried to scream but he cover my mouth muffling any sound I tried to make, still holding the cold blade to my neck.

Once the group was completely out of sight and their chatter had died out, he released my.

I began panting, not even realising how long I was holding my breath.

"What the HELL are you doing here? He demanded.

As soon as I got my breath I attempted to run but he grasped my arm. "Don't try anything.."

My eyes flickered to the knife. "Who are you?"

He dropped his knife and took off his mask.

This time I nearly died from gasping.. I held the wall next to me for support.

"Z-Zeke?!?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked again.

"What the hell am I doing here?!" I bursted, "What heck of a question is that? Do you now torture little kids as a hobby? Or is that a full time job? What's you next stop? Experimenting on them like Daddy does?!"

"He's not my dad!" Zeke bellowed. "And it's none of your business. For all you should care, I saved your life, those guys would have killed you.. Now get out of here."

"Why were you beating up that kid?" I asked stubbornly.

"I don't owe you an answer Maydah, now get out of here or I'll call the other guys to deal with you."

I paced out of the alley and traced back our steps to where we had come from.

I found Azalea with the boy who was being beaten up, Adrien.

"We need to get to a hospital, he's dying!" Azalea said panick stricken.