"Hey Sal."
"Hey Will, anything new happen today?" Willow stopped and looked up at him with a smirk on her face remembering the poor guy she ran into or, saved in the alleyway.
"Nah…just the usually." She said as she opened her mailbox to her apartment. She flipped through her bills ignoring them as putting them in her messenger bag. "Well, see ya around there big guy." She winked, pressing for the elevator.
She lived on a top floor of a very nice, for her rent studio apartment. She'd go home after a long days work and find herself writing, or being very involved with her movies. She'd watched Moulin Rouge a million times and couldn't get over the heart ache and raw emotions it shown through music. Two of her favorite things combined in one movie, it is magical. Since she'd been working so much lately and trying to feed herself and her dog Boba, she hadn't had time to just relax and sit.
She went to her room and peeled off her normal clothing and put on her wonderfully warm, comfortable pajama pants with a long sleeved thermal black shirt. She sat down with a sigh on her couch pressing play on her DVD player. She could feel her excitement raise inside her as the music started.
Boba came and sat next to her with her whimpering needs to go outside. Willow looked down at her poor, sad, need of attention dog and with a sigh paused her movie.
"Alright come on. Ya know, for a bounty hunter you really suck at keeping your needs to a minimum." She grabbed Boba's leash and headed for the door. She walked up and down in front of the street, shaking and trying to keep her body warm. "Yeah no, this wasn't gonna take long. Thanks Boba, totally didn't need to remind me I needed a jacket or anything. Anndd…I'm talking to a dog. In public. Awesome." She rolled her eyes as she walked up the street once more.
She saw shadows play along the bricks beside her as she looked above seeing four figures move out of sight. She squinted and shook her head ignoring it completely. Her fascination with the shadows brought her back to the attention of her dog, off further than her leash would allow. She looked down and noticed in her numb state that her hands have dropped the leash.
"Shit! Boba, come here girl…" She said calmly as she approached her dog steadily to keep the dog unaware of her freedom.
Once she was in grabbing reach of her chocolate lab, Boba took off down an alleyway. "Ah…no, not now…" Willow sighed aggravated and ran to follow her disobedient dog. "Boba, come on baby…Where'd you go? Damnit!" She saw the figures move across the walls before her once more and narrowed her eyes.
She hugged her arms around herself continuing to walk down the dark alleyway. She heard a trash lid fall against the pavement next to her and saw her dog's tail investigating the turned over bucket.
"There you are…I risk hypothermia for you and you just wanted garbage. Come one, at least have the decency to go for something a little more high class. Have I taught you…" Her words were cut off to someone grabbing her from behind. Her dog's barking echoed through the alleyway as Willow struggled to get free. The stale scent of cigarettes on his fingers forced itself into her nostrils as they grasped around her mouth.
She lifted her arms, elbowing the creep in the stomach as he released his grip on her. She wiped her mouth as she turned around to face her attacker. Or attackers. Two men stood before her, chains and crowbars tight in their hands as they pounded them against their palms. She was angry, scared, cold, tired. She wanted to fight, but she could barely move. Her stomach was telling her to run, but her body was making her stay put as it shivered with fright.
They moved towards her as the settling sounds around her made her realized Boba stopped barking. She darted her head behind her towards the trash as noticed her beautiful lab was gone. Her heart fell, and was fully aware of how close to death she was. She had no money, or belongs on her. This only meant one other thing. She clenched her eyes shut, preparing herself for the feel of their grimy hands all over her body. Her throat burned with anticipation of her screams to come. Then as the seconds ticked away slowly she opened an eye, looking at nothing but an empty alleyway before her. She collapsed to her knees.
She never thought she was one for fainting. At least that thought never crossed her mind since she had never been in this situation.
Her eyes refused to open as she felt her body being held by someone. The faint sound of shallow splashing water surrounded her as she got feeling back in her body. Her hands were clenched tightly onto a jacket. She ignored her fighting need to stay limb and in their arms forcing her eyes opened. They didn't stay that way for long as she caught a glimpse of something green. Her head started to throb with the fighting need to evaluated the situation and fell back into unconsciousness.
