She ran. To where she did not know, but she pushed her exhausted legs as fast as they could take her, as her heels stuck in every other pavement stone. She tripped and her dresses pulled her to the ground, sending her tumbling forward. She could hear him closer now and she wanted to vomit. Standing as fast as she could, she tried running again. Why, why had she taken that alleyway? Faster, faster...He's close! She must be bleeding. Her skirt is tangling between her feet. Something grasped her for an instant. She screamed. Shout as loud as you can, someone might hear. The air made her gag, her eyes stung from the tears.
Get away from me!
Help!
Someone help me!
A punch to the jaw silenced her screams and the world fell on its side. At least the stone was cold against her burning face. He kicked her stomach a couple of times and her vision went dark, as the air left her lungs. She resumed screaming, but she could not be heard more than a whisper.
He will leave now.
Yes, he's had his fun scaring her.
A hand is creeping up her skin and the cold air blows between her legs. Another rough hand slaps and chokes her, as the stones crash her skull. She feels something against her, where nothing had ever before been. Is this how I die? Like a dog in the cold, abused by a stranger? She can feel him against her and starts kicking and scratching whatever she can reach. IS that hair? She pulls it. She earns a punch in the face as the man forces himself harder against her-thankfully-still intact body, shuffling through the layers of clothing. A few muffled words spit at her, but she cannot understand them. She cannot fight back. She vomits and he pulls each of her legs to the side, pinning her arms above her head. Death seemed like bliss. He groans. Please let me die. She tried screaming again, louder, someone should hear.
But it was long after dark and Paris life dies down quickly.
As she kicked and fought, scratched and banged against anything she could find, her attacker froze. He didn't stop or get away from her, he just turned into stone, his head shooting up as his drunken eyes searched for something she could not make out.
A sound.
Had the man not stopped, she would have missed it in the dark, but the soft sound, like a gentle breeze, accompanied movement. A shadow passed by them and the man was suddenly lifted by his neck against the opposite wall. He fought the invisible rival, yielding a knife. They struggled. She did not know what was happening, everything was dark and there were groans of pain, as well as growls of fury. She lay there, sprawled on the ground, as the storm around her raged on. Flashes of movement was all her weak eyes could understand and she recoiled in horror against the nearest wall, curling into the smallest ball and wishing earth could just swallow her whole at last.
She did not bare to try and look at the fight. Her face was shielded in her skirt between her knees and she rocked back and forth like an infant in sheer terror. Then came the sound she would never have believed to witness, but recognised it in twisted certainty; a hiss in the air, followed by a thick yet swift snap. Something heavy fell on the ground. She cowardly opened her eyes, daring to understand what had transpired, and faced her attacker lying on the ground, his head turned to look at her in a strange, unnatural angle. She knew that his neck was broken.
The shadowy figure approached her in silence, this time barely audible and slightly hunched, slacking. It stood towering over her, as if trying to decide her fate. Would she face the same end as that man? Then why had this creature defended her, acting in such ruthless precision? She trembled and the shadow took a step back, before kneeling down to her level.
"Please, do not be afraid."
