I was the only one sitting in the back of the bus. There were two other passengers, an old man slumped down asleep in his chair, and a tall scrawny tweaker looking guy standing up in the aisle. He kept looking back at me from time to time with his eyes bucked back, but he looked so far gone that he probably thought the green highlights in my hair meant that I was magical or something stupid.

The piece of gum in my mouth was starting to harden. I stared straight ahead with my hands balled into fists in my pockets. The first thing I was gonna do with that cash… show up on my mom's doorstep dressed to the nines with a huge middle finger her way.

Suddenly the bus lurched to a stop and the doors squeaked open. I was thrown from my daydreams and got to my feet, quickly storming to the front before the bus driver took off again. He eyed me suspiciously as I hopped off the steps and under the amber halo of the streetlamp.

There was a fog of black exhaust as the bus groaned to a start and roared off down the street. I quickly took stock of my location and tried not to run as I disappeared into the wide open streets. There were thin layers of puddles on the asphalt, my footsteps echoed in my ears they splashed through the muck.

The lights from Gotham reflected deep copper and gold against the rippling water of the bay. I pulled my hood over tighter and scanned the deserted scrap yard. It was empty, and the silence that permeated throughout the air set me on edge. It was unnatural, strange.

Ignoring my gut feeling, I went on ahead and crept around the corner towards the address Jones had given. It was what looked like an abandoned warehouse, with ironed bar windows that were already smashed out and a boarded up door. But there wasn't any mailbox. Nothing bolted to the ground outside, not even a square shaped box on the wall.

I checked the address, the crumbling numbers above the door. Yeah, this was the place. Alarm bells were going off in my head by now, I took the package out and debated just throwing it through one of the windows when a black van pulled around the street and parked around the other side of the building.

As quietly, but quickly as possible, I darted around the opposite side into the small alley way between the sprawling warehouses. Heart pounding in my ears, I fought against the rising tide of fear. The paranoia of being followed had me hunched over and running like a cockroach in the corners of a room. I ducked through a random opening in the fence to my left that led to a separate yard. There were large stacks of crates covered by blue tarps blocking the view from the street, so I hid behind them to catch my breath and listen.

Nothing, no footsteps in the distance. Not yet at least.

I tore open the newsprint wrapped package and for a second, I felt my brain stop working.

A chocolate bar?

I stared at the square shaped piece of chocolate as the creepiest urge to start laughing bubbled up in my chest.

Jones.

That asshole.

I smashed the pieces up in my hand and threw them into the dirt. I should have known better, should have seen right through his bullshit, but I had been blinded by my own greed. I'll show Jones...teach him to think he could just screw me over…

First things first, I had to get out of here without getting caught by whoever was hunting me down. As I crept around the dark parts of the wide open lots, I tried to recall any reason at all for being caught up in all this nonsense. I didn't think two disposable goons were thatimportant. The most I had ever gotten involved with Jones and his ilk was when I distributed his product, and that had been that one time cause I had just moved here and was extra desperate, but that was besides the point!

Why would I be important? Who would go through all this trouble just to see me?

I emerged into the main street several blocks from where I had been. Even though the area was still quite deserted, I couldn't help but feeling watched. Like I hadn't made it out of the horror movie yet. If I walked fast enough, I could make it to the bus station just a few more blocks to the south.

Keeping low to the ground and sticking to the darkest corners of the yard, I crept through the streets. The wind began to pick up and howl through the tunneling alley ways, sent a chill down my spine.

Lucy.

I paused and took a deep breath as the whispers began to speak among themselves. The cold grip of fear had me frozen where I stood as I saw several masked and hooded men walk by the mouth of the alley.

Here I was in the corner, trapped by enemies all around.

Lucy, Lucy, Lucy!

I grit my teeth and shook my head as laughter began to echo inside my head. My hands were trembling as I slowly and as silently as possible walked foot over foot. Pause.

Nothing. Not even the wind in my ears or the voices in my head.

Even though I still felt like I was being watched.

I darted my head around the corner then ran as fast as I could across the street, splashing the heel of my boot in a deep puddle. The sound of a car roaring to life several streets over exploded to life and sent me sprinting forward.

Tires squealed against the asphalt, but from where I couldn't tell. I just kept running, knowing that if I looked back then I would get caught. As the bus station came within sight, I heard car doors slam shut, again extremely close but seemingly anywhere.

You can run but you can't hide forever.

Well, fuck you. You can't find someone who doesn't want to be found anyway.

I nearly fell to my feet and kissed the earth as I made it inside the bus station, pushing open the glass doors and sitting down in the lobby in a daze. I raked my hands through my hair as the adrenaline in my system began to fade.

Now what was I going to do? Jones had not been my friend, instead he had sold me out to the highest bidder for whatever creep he was working for. It made my skin crawl at the very idea.

In fact, it pissed me off. A lot. If he thought that he could just throw me away, that I was another disposable street rat, he was going to have another thing coming to him.

Me.