Losing It

Chapter 1- Losing Voice

I lie in the dirt. I've been discarded in the filthy alley like the trash covering the streets. My body hurts. I'm covered in blood but I'm not sure it’s my own. Did I lose it? My thoughts travel back to the night before: Men, chains, skin, pain. I cringe away from the memories. Better to forget, safer that way.

"Hey! Are you ok?!" a voice calls out. I freeze. Who is it? What do they want? What if I lose it? I must have lost it last night. What if it happens again? It can't happen again. "Hey speak to me. Are you all right?" A face appears above me, and I find myself staring at the owner of the voice. It's a guy. He's about 18-19, same age as me. He has spiky black hair and pale skin. His eyes appear black, but at a second look they are actually an incredibly dark blue. He's wearing a white button up shirt and cargo pants. I look back to his face. There's a scar on his forehead, just above his left eye, partly covered by his fringe. His dark eyes are filled with concern as he reaches out and touches my shoulder. His lips part as he begins to speak.

"Hey. What are you doing here? What happened?" I looked up into his eyes and gazed at him. One question rang through my mind; 'who is he?’ He waited for me to answer and when I didn't he asked again. I stayed silent. He frowned and was going to ask once more when a shout and the sound of breaking glass rang out through the air. Both our heads snapped toward the sound. More fighting. The boy looked down at me, then back towards the sound.

"It's not safe here," he said. His eyes trained towards the direction of the fight. Still staring, he reached for my arm and side and began to gently encourage me upwards. As I began to stand pain shoots from my ankle to my skull. The pain explodes in my head and I fall back into the ground’s waiting arms. A curse escapes the boy’s lips and in a flash he's rolled up my pant leg to reveal a bloody sprain. The boy's eyes widen as he stares at the horrid wound. More banging sounds from the alley. Once again the boy swears. He turns his head toward me and gives me a quick inspection.

"Oh well, I guess there's no helping it." he said with a cheeky grin. With a single swift movement, he hoisted me onto his back and walked away from the violence that unraveled behind.