It was a stormy night. You walked home in the raging weather, soaked. Every droplet of water felt like a small needle piercing your skin. The roaring winds threw the hood of your jacket off your head. You continued walking, even if your hair was now dripping wet. You reached a corner store and went inside. They stopped you at the door, in fear of you getting the floor wet. You stood there and waited for them to come back with an umbrella which you would pay for at the door. You were lucky enough to have about 5 dollars on you to pay. It was barely enough. You were left with a dime and a couple of pennies. You walked out, opening the umbrella and praying for it not to get wrecked by the furious winds in front of you. It didn't.
The wind had calmed down, but the rain had not. You calmy continued walking home, the umbrella above your head. You lived in a house with your childhood best friend. You both agreed that curfew was around Midnight, but you were out at 3 am. You wanted to take a shortcut to get home quicker, but you only knew of one. It would cut the time in half... if you were willing. This path was dangerous. Gangs were known to hang out down there at night. You went anyways.
( . . . )
You were walking down the alley in the black of the night when you saw some silhouettes in the near distance. You continued walking, but with a bit of a tougher stature. You didn't want to seem like weak prey, but you didn't want to seem like you would make a tough fight that they'd enjoy. You kept your posture and passed them, thinking you were in the clear.
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You weren't in the clear.
They jumped you from behind and one of them sat atop your back, keeping you from getting up. Another held down your legs to keep you from kicking your way out. A third figure helped them flip you on your stomach while the others went back to their previous positions to hold you down. The third held your lower jaw tightly with one hand, causing you to wince in pain.
"What are you doin' down here, softie?" The third figure said. Their voice was deep and raspy. It scared you. They were definitely male. "Huh?" They asked in a threatening tone.
"I- I-" He let go of your jaw, still making intense eye contact. " I was just trying to get home quicker."
He made a signal towards the others and they let go of you. You tried your best to get to your feet quickly, but the man socked you in the face. It was so sudden and harsh that it threw you back to the ground. You could feel the blood welling up in your mouth and your nose run red. You got up and ran. You ran as fast as you could. You jumped a fence and made it out of the alley to another side of the city, near your home.
