Chapter 1

The rain was hitting hard on the dirt covered ground. I looked down at it mindlessly as I made my way back home to my apartment. Unfortunately, I lived in Hell's Kitchen- one of the worst parts of town. Fortunately, however, that meant that I got a good deal on the rent, and that everyone kept to themselves. I liked to be left alone, as my job consisted of me always needing to be overly friendly to customers who came in and out of Josie's; a pretty high end restaurant for those New Yorkers who had the privilege of being privileged.

I huddled inside of my coat more as I checked the time on my phone; 11:49pm. I've been stuck with the late shift ever since I pissed off my boss a few weeks ago by being a little too "mouthy" when it came to how I handled being told that my uniform wasn't "spirited" enough. Hhhh. Whatever. I could actually use the extra hours- despite rnt being quite literally dirt cheap (matching the decor) I could always use the extra money.

Just as I was thinking about how much I needed some cash, I felt a hand grab my upper arm in a vice like grip while another followed suit- snaking around my mouth. I was too shocked to even try to scream, not that I had time to, because as soon as I was tugged into the alleyway at my right, another man approached- this time with a blade pointed at my throat. It was held there shakily, yet with a confident grip. I could feel the metal touching and leaving my skin with every second that passed.

"Now, you make one sound and I don't think I need to explain where this'll end up." He gave a toothy grin- slimey yellow teeth stained from years of drug use and cheap coffee gleamed in my face.

The two men gave each other quick glances and smiled at eachother, as if to say "we're gonna get away with it tonight."

Just as they were looking at each other though, I could hear someone approaching out on the street. Heels. Damn, it was a woman. Nevertheless, I would take my chances.

"Help! Hey! Help me!" I screamed as loud as I could before the one holding the knife jammed it into my side and tried to turn to run. I fell to the ground clutching my side as I heard the men grunt and fall to the ground. The woman with the heels had long ago run in the opposite direction, and I couldn't say I blamed her.

My vision was starting to get blurry and I felt light headed. I could barely look up at the figure approaching me in all red. Immediatley, I recognized the man standing over me. From what I'd seen on the news, they were labeling him as a terrorist. A nut job. Someone fighting for a hidden agenda. I tried to scoot back as far as I could and even tried to get up and run, but he just scooped me up in his arms whispering;

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you."

That's all I remember before waking up in Metro General, bandaged and sore. Oddly enough, my purse was on the chair next to my bed. I guess whoever saved me was kind enough to grab it for me. I reached over to it, wincing as I did, and went for my phone. It was the next day, 9:08 am.

I didn't really have the money to pay for a hospital stay, so I decided I better hurry out before anyone notices i'm gone. I very gently pulled out my I.V and took off my heart monitor from my finger. Then, I grabbed my bag and the set of clothes next to my bed. I made sure the coast was clear before I quickly opened my hospital room door and made a b-line for the lobby.

Passing through the open doors, I ran into someone as I wasn't particularly paying attention to where I was going.

"Oh, sorry." I said more to myself than to the person. I looked up briefly then stared. The man was obviously blind, as he was wearing darkly tinted round shades and carrying a aid stick.

"Sorry. I'm not looking where i'm going." I laughed half-heartedly.

The man gave a gentle smile. He was handsome. Very handsome.

"No problem." His eyes were looking past me, but it was almost as if her were looking AT me. Obviously that's not possible, but it's like he was studying me.

"Do you need some help?" He asked, worried expression on his face.

"Uh, no. No, i'm fine. I really should be going, actually, I'm late for another appointment across town." He just nodded and smiled. As if he knew I was lying, but I paid it no mind, as I was making assumptions about a man that were obviously untrue.

I shook off the weird encounter almost immediately, making my way back to my apartment- the place I should have ended up last night.