Unlocking The Heart
Chapter 1
London. You've traveled the world, trying to find a city that could compete with this one, but you've failed. This, you think, truly is the best place on Earth.
The crisp, cool air and the clear blue sky beckon to you as you stroll down the bustling streets at the center of the city. September was always your favorite month. A cold gust of air rushes out of an alley and smacks you flat in the face. A little disoriented, you stop and lean against a building to try and get your bearings.
You know your own neighborhood pretty well, but this is different. There are thousands of streets in this city, and you leave the memorization to the cabbies and the fanatics. You'll be late to the family reunion for the fourth year in a row, but they should know by now tthat you don't come in to central London often.
Nevertheless, instinct tells you to take a right at the upcoming corner. Three paces and a quarter-turn later, you stand at the corner of Baker and Dorset Street. Sighing deeply, you slump against the side of the building next to you. You are completely lost.
To try to orient yourself, you pick up a little visual information about the area. Most of the area seems to be residential, but you note an Underground station about two blocks down and a red-awninged cafe three doors away. You still have no idea where you're going. All you've got is the address of the party, a hairpin, your trusty Swiss Army Knife, some change, and your Blackberry, which is currently at zero percent battery.
Sighing again, you set off down Baker Street. Now your heart's heavy. Your family will be cross, you'll definitely get a scolding from your mother for not leaving early enough. There's probably no charger at the reunion either (your parents don't even have a cell phone). Your thoughts of your family flit out of your mind as you drift off into daydreams.
The safe stands before you. Two locks are on it: a thick padlock that connects chains that are wrapped around the metal box, and the combination lock fused into the door. You get straight to work on the imaginary padlock, tugging the hairpin out of your pocket and separating its knobbed ends. You insert them, ever so carefully, into the keyhole, and begin slowly unlocking it. You work slowly, pausing at every new pin inside the lock, finding its loose spot and hearing a soft but important click when the section is undone. Finally, the curved steel bar at the top of the lock opens, and the chains fall to the floor with a clatter. The combination lock is child's play for someone with your level of hearing. Within minutes, the bolt of the safe's door is unhinged, and you're about to claim your treasure...
"HELP!" A cry pulls you out of your fantasies, and it's not far away.
"PLEASE, GOD, SOMEONE HELP!" the man's voice calls again. You begin to run down the street, glancing briefly down each alley. You nearly run past the one you were looking for, where the voices are the loudest. Your head whips around as you jog backwards a few paces to look down the shadowy back street.
For a split second, you catch a glimpse of two men, one tall and one short, losing aa fistfight to a gang of beefy thugs. No one seems to notice as you slowly begin to creep down the alley towards the action. Your mind and body start gearing up to fight. Your hands revert to a basic punching position, and you're about to step in, when a rough hand spins you around to face the street.
All you can see is a large fist before you are plummeted into darkness.