A Rose In a Field of Rats

Chapter 1

There never were enough street lights in the city streets. The streets were deserted anyway, but you could never been too careful. Ash knew this. She was alone in the city and knew that she needed to find some kind of refuge. She was cold, wet and hadn't bathed for 2 nights. Her hair was catty at the ends but the rain never gave this away. Her leather jacket glistened in the dim street light. The rain mixed with her tears. She needed help....

"Cig, love?" A deep male voice from her left. She couldn't see him.

"Um, sure. You got a light?" She voice cracked with the sobbing she was trying to cover with a cough.

She took the cigarette and placed it between her frozen lips with shaky hands. He leaned in a little to light the end of the tobacco filled paper.

"There. That should get rid of those shivers." He backed up against the wall again. He took a drag of his own cigarette and looked Ash up and down, trying to answer his questions without asking.

Ash instantly felt better. Her shivers had calmed down and the tears subsided slightly, just enough for her to see who had been nice to her.

"What are you doing out this late? If anyone saw you, they'll be in the right mind to think you're gonna mug em'" Ash asked anxiously, taking another long drag of her cig.

Exhaling smoke, the stranger admitted, "Waiting for a friend. We're going to a party tonight. Big celebration between friends. What about you? Can't understand why a pretty thing like you would be strolling these streets alone without an escort of some kind. You okay, love?"

She hated that word.

"Not really and I don't wanna be reminded. Also, please refrain from calling me pet names. I ain't no ones 'love'." She crossed her arms and looked away.

He held his breath whilst looking intensively at her again. Ash knew he was looking but she didn't care anymore.

"In that case, there's no problem in me asking you if you wanna go meet my friends at this party?" He was very straight forward in his asking and shifted his weight to one foot to the other, bracing the other foot against the wall behind him.

Ash chuckled at his cheek.

"I thought this was a 'celebration amongst friends'? Also, I don't know you and you don't know me. For all I know you could......"

"Mug you? Murder you? Slice open your jugular and let you drown in a puddle of your own blood? Yes, I could. Ain't no doubt about it. But I offered the nicer option of inviting you to a party, where you won't be alone and there's a roof over your head for a couple of hours. So? Which one do you want? Party or puddle?"

Ash could see his eyes now. They were green fire. She didn't look angry, but his eyes and throat growling gave her the answer she was looking to give. She nodded slowly, scared. He took her hand firmly and they disappeared down Meeting Street.

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Damn, it's been a while since I wrote anything on here and I'm happy that I've got the inspiration back to finally write something. I've wanted to write something for a while now but never knew what I could do that was a little different. So here we are!!!

Btw, it gets more violent and stuff the more we get into this haha. This is just a small chapter to get me started.