"So this is the true meaning of despair" I thought to myself. As I turned into my alleyway, I thought about how to get the next lot of food. Yup, that's right, MY alleyway. I'm one of the lucky guys, tough enough to own the luxury alleyways. Oh, by the way, my name's Fang. Just Fang. I'm one of the many homeless people in New York. Today I had tried yet again to get into the shelters for homeless people, but they didn't accept me because it was full. So tonight would once again be spent under the stars. And by the looks of it, rain.

I fingered the cash under my black jumper. I wondered if I should spend it on the hot dog vendor that was near the entrance of my alleyway. As my stomach growled, I took out 5 dollars to pay for a large hot dog. However, as I turned into 57th street it seemed my choice had already been made for me. I let my jaw fall open, a rare thing. However, what was happening was also a very rare, and a very bad thing. Two words: Gang 51. Before I did the sensible thing and walked away from the scene, one of the most ugly people I have ever seen turned around and looked... straight at me. "Dylan, you might want to see this!" He shouted almost instantly. Dylan was the current gang leader. Not a nice person. As he turned around and saw me, his mouth twisted into a sardonic grin. "Well, well, well, if it isn't a little street vermin." He spat. Unfortunately, I was renowned for my very short temper. "Looked in the mirror lately loser" I shot back. "Talk about a face only a mother could love!" Unfortunately for me, Dylan also had a short temper.

"GET HIM!" He screamed, showering me with spit. I barely had time to think "Oh oh" before the other gang members – Sam, Ari and Shadow started sprinting towards me. Turning, I hared the other way. Before I had been kicked out of the house, I had won a couple of medals in 800 meter sprints. Unfortunately, that was about 10 years ago. As I sprinted down 79th street, I looked up... just in time to see a police road block, blocking the way to the side streets that I knew so well. I didn't even have time to wallow in self pity, because Dylan and his goons were right behind me. I made a snap decision and turned right, running through central park, and on to 51st. As my pounding heart started to get the better of me, I started to notice my stitch as well. Deciding that fighting was better than running, I turned to face the gang. However, as they charged toward me with murderous expressions, my firm resolve began to waver.

As Dylan steamed toward me, he shouted out: "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" I don't know about you guys, but if you had seen the expression on his face, you would have done exactly what I did. Ran for my life. Fortunately for me, as I had turned around to face Dylan, I'd noticed that there was an abandoned warehouse about 5 meters from were I stood. As I ran inside to hide, Dylan shouted out behind me: "What, too pussy to fight?" Another bad thing I was known for, was my inability to back down from a dare. Now, I wasn't going to fight him and his gang on the front doorstep of an old warehouse, but right then and there, I swore to myself that I would take these guys down. And in an old warehouse with junk lying all over the place, that would be a surprisingly easy task. As I tried to hold the door shut, I spied with my little eye, something starting with W. Wood. I grabbed the nearest piece of wood and used it to barricade the door. I figured that it would leave me with about 2 minutes to plan...

(2 minutes later...)

Outside, just as Dylan was staring to get really annoyed, the door finally gave in. Sam, the first member of the gang stepped inside. He looked around, and than shouted back a piece of bad news. " Dylan, this might take longer than you think. Just look at this place! It's huge, the guy could be hiding anywhere." "Like right beside you" Fang thought with a smile. His plan was simple, wait until they all went looking for him and than sneak out and lock the door on them.

(time-lapse two hours)

It had taken a long time for the guard at the door to finally turn his back, but when he did, Fang seized the opportunity. As Fang ran back on to the streets, he finally realised that he could not go back to his alleyway, in the fear that Gang 51 might follow him. It looked like he would be starting over at another part of the city.