People Like Us

3: Rescued

POV: Ethan

I stand in the store, waiting for the milk to be scanned. Once the cashier is finished, I pay her and take the grocery bags. It's a cold night for LA, chillier than it's been. I look around as I walk out, the chill in the air hitting my skin. There's no one around, presumably because no one is out around 3 AM. I keep walking, starting to dislike the eerie stillness and quietness about the sidewalk.

I brush my blue hair from my eyes, remaining alert for anyone who might just appear. I tug down on my long sleeves and keep my arms close for warmth. Then I hear grunts and a scream.

"PLEASE STOP!"

I grip my bag a little tighter and walk faster. It's a girl, probably getting brutally beaten. I look down the alley and see the girl pinned to the wall, two guys just hammering her with hits. I drop my bag in anger and scream.

"HEY ASSHOLES! BEAT IT! LEAVE HER ALONE!"

They both turn to me and the girl collapses to the ground, completely knocked out. The one aims a gun at me and my heart stops. I slowly approach him, as composed as possible. Then I knock the gun from his hands, sending it skittering on the ground.

They both jerk back in shock before sprinting off. I watch them urgently run away before turning back to the poor girl, sprawled on the ground, face down.

"What hell have you been through?"I say to myself, kneeling down before her.

I roll her over, brunette, small, soft face, cheeks and arms scratched. I slide my arms under her legs and back and pull her into a bridal carry. Forget the milk, I have a girl who's been beaten nearly to death. I jog as fast as I can home to Mark's house.

As I come in the door, Mark sits on the couch, dropping the remote on the floor when he sees me.

"What, the, fuck..."He's shocked.

She was mugged in the alleyway on the way home. I had to leave the milk, but Mark, she's a human being.

He shakes his head,"I don't care about the milk, come on. I'll get some rags to clean her up. You take her to the other spare bedroom.

Mark speed walks to the kitchen and runs water on a bunch of rags as I carry the girl upstairs. I lay her down and pull the sheets down. When Mark comes back up, I grab a rag from him and press it too her cheeks, wiping the blood and grime off. 

I run to the other room and grab a hair brush and a clean rag and run back. Mark has damp rags draped over her torn arms and is applying pressure, letting the rags soak up the blood. 

"Sit her up."

Mark walks to the other side of the bed and lifts her up. I grab a pillow and crawl behind her and Mark lowers her back. Now she lay on me, propped up by the pillow. I pull her hair back and start to brush. It's so tangled it gives me awful goosebumps to even think about how much it would hurt.

I run the rag through her hair and pull the dirt and grime out. No one deserves to be hurt and beaten like this. I continue to brush and clean until its smooth. I carefully lift her up and slide from under her, gently laying her back down. Mark and I check her again for more scratches before taking the rags off, turning the lights off and closing the door once we pull the sheets over her.

------------TIME SKIP-----------

POV: Olivia

I wake up with a pounding in my head and pain shocking my whole body. I'm able to move and I realize I'm in a bed. I sit up and look in the mirror across from me.My face is covered in bruises, but someone cleaned all my cuts and scratches. My hair is brushed and clean. Who did this? Whose house am I in?

Doesn't matter. I could still be in danger. I slowly get out of bed at the sound of voices.