The old bridge-tunnel was almost like an outpost for junkies and prostitutes. Astrid usually avoided dark enclosed spaces in general; they were rarely a safe place to be. But with the rainstorm hauling in over the city, she had no choice but to seek shelter wherever possible.
The entire area reeked of a foul stench and Astrid could feel every predatory stare linger on her small form as she stepped further inside. The tunnel was a bit crowded for its size but she managed to find an empty secluded corner where she sank down against the wall. Now all she could do was hold her breath as she waited out the storm. She deliberately tried to avoid any form for eye contact with anyone, keeping a low profile as possible.
She almost made it through the whole night when a middle-aged, balding man suddenly decided to approach her. She could smell him before she even saw him and internally cringed at the sight of his rotten teeth.
"'ello there, love," he slurred, clearly intoxicated. "You look mighty cold over there all by yourself."
Astrid's posture grew rigid and she began looking for the nearest escape.
"Why don't ye come over here," he continued. "I'll keep you warm and cozy."
"Hey, leave the girl alone," another voice commanded. It appeared to belong to a male in his 30s but he looked far less intimidating. He had light brown hair and was oddly clean for someone who was living this type of lifestyle.
He walked over to her and shrugged off his jacket to drape it over her shoulders. Astrid remained frozen where she sat, unsure of how to react.
The newcomer shot her a strange smile before joining her on the ground, sitting so close that his arm was touching her side.
Astrid glared at the ceiling, wanting the skies to clear up so she could escape her current predicament as quickly as possible.
It took a couple of hours but the rain finally stopped at last and Astrid carefully peered over her shoulder to see that the man beside had fallen asleep. She quietly shrugged off his jacket and started making her way out towards the light.
Halfway out, someone suddenly grabbed her elbow, twisting her around with a painful jerk. "Oh where do you think you are going, sweetheart?"
Astrid tried to wring herself free but his grip on her only tightened in response. "Let me go!" she cried, pulling and pushing against him.
The man laughed in her face. "Now why would I do such a foolish thing?" he sneered. He attempted to bring her closer to him when his face was suddenly met with a solid fist.
It was the guy from earlier, the one who had burrowed her his jacket. His punch wasn't strong enough to knock the offender out entirely but it bought them enough time to flee from the disruptive scene. Astrid shook her hand free as soon as they made it to the busy streets.
"Are you alright?" the man asked her, his breathing laboured.
Astrid nodded, staring down at the ground.
"So listen.. I, uh.. a have hotel room not far from here. You could come up and take a shower, if you want to?" he offered casually.
Astrid frowned. Hotel room? She had thought he was homeless like her. The man sensed the question on her face. "I was just down there for a smoke. You don't get this stuff elsewhere," he explained with shrug.
After a moment of contemplation, the blonde nodded again. She had nowhere else to go and a shower after so long sounded.. nice.
-,-
The hotel room wasn't anything fancy but clean enough. Astrid locked herself in the bathroom, double-checking if the door was truly locked before stripping off her clothes.
Once she was finished showering and redressed again, she cautiously unlocked the door and stepped into the tidy room.
The man had apparently dressed down in the meanwhile and was now sitting on the bed. "I thought you were beautiful, but this is ridiculous," he said with a smile.
Astrid bowed her head, cheeks burning. "Thank you for... for your help but I.. I think... I think I should be going now," she stuttered out, turning to leave.
"Wait!" he called after her. Astrid halted but didn't turn to face him. "I was going to get something to eat from the restaurant downstairs."
Astrid felt her stomach rumble at the thought of food.
The man stood up, walking closer to her. "Just wait here and I'll be right back," he said, squeezing her shoulders in assurance.
Astrid stood frozen in her spot. At the click of the door, and against her better judgement, she went over to the bed and sat down on the edge.
The man had left behind his jacket which Astrid decided to rummage through out of boredom. By sheer luck she found his wallet and it appeared to contain some notes.
Astrid could just take off with the money right now and no one would have to know. It was only a couple bills anyway. But at the same time, this guy had saved her life and it would be wrong of her to rob him like this.
While Astrid considered her options, a picture suddenly fell out. She frowned as she bent down to pick it up.
The photograph seemed to be of a young girl around her age except she had dark hair and brown eyes. She looked to be smiling towards the camera but upon further inspection, there was something off about her eyes.
Astrid wondered if the girl was his daughter.
Snooping through his wallet again, she suddenly came across two more pictures. It was of the same little girl except... these pictures, they looked all kind of.. wrong. Very, very wrong.. and dirty.
Astrid gasped in disgust and dropped everything down on the floor as she ran for the door.
She tried to fling it open but to her horror, the door had been locked up from the outside.
He had locked her inside his room. He was going to-
Astrid felt panic rise within her as she scanned the room for any plausible escapeways. She couldn't sneak out the window because they were too far up high and-
The doorknob suddenly twisted and Astrid momentarily froze in her tracks before hurriedly scurrying over to hide inside the closet.
"I hope you are hungry," the man called out. Astrid held her breath as his footsteps grew louder.
"Where did she go?"
She could hear him shuffling about for a while as he searched the room for her. Astrid closed her eyes and waited until he opened the bathroom door before she sprung into action and rushed out of the room.
She almost made it to elevator when he took a hold of her and spun her around with a growl. "I saved your life and this is the thanks I get?"
He tried to yank her down the hall and back into his hotel room but Astrid bit his hand and managed to shake herself free again.
Instead of waiting for the elevator, she took the stairs this time. Her heart pounded loudly and she could hear him hot on her trails. As she reached the lobby, she noticed two cops were standing by the entrance and ran up to them.
"I need your help," she cried. The cops merely frowned at her. Astrid looked behind her and saw the man was closing in on her. Feeling desperate to get away, she started running again and eventually ended up inside the city mall where she got herself lost in the crowd.
It took several hours before Astrid dared to leave the mall and find shelter inside a public bathroom.
As she stared into the mirror now, rage filled her heart and she ended up punching her reflection with a loud scream, nearly breaking the glass and definitely bruising up her knuckles.
She could feel her hand throbbing with a searing pain and her head felt like-
-,-
ding-dong
Astrid blinked her eyes open as she sat upright on the couch inside the living room that had also been her bedroom for the past weeks.
The familiar sight of Alex on the floor, playing a video game and Henry sitting with his laptop by his desk made her relax and let out a sigh of relief. She must have a dozed off.
The doorbell rang again and Henry let out a groan before finally standing up to answer it.
Astrid couldn't see who the person on the other end was from where she was sitting, but their visit caused an immediate change in Henry's usually docile demeanor. His fists were all of the sudden clenching and he looked rather hostile.
AN: Thank you so much for all the amazing reviews and support. I'm very sorry for not updating sooner and I'm also sorry if this chapter is a bit disappointing. As some of you know I have been struggling with my disease for the past year and while the pain has been crucifying, it is still nothing compared to the pain of losing my beloved pet bird. He was my best friend, my Toothless.
A big shout-out to Karate Koala, Duckcrusader, Khizar, Vivi-ntvg, XxPinkSkyxX2, GostRider, harrypanther, TheWatchingEye, egueng, Anonymous Noob the 2nd (thanks for your pm, btw), MischievousRose, vala411, Love you, MMM, HallaHaddock, jimmix , Angryhenry, Not Even A Quest, CJShadowRider, artsoccer, jcmat43, Kyl0Ben, coolcat2707, My Demonic Heart and Soul, Grizzly98, fastmaniac3, Smoe05 and IpperDragon and all the Guests.
CJShadowRider: Hiccup and Leah didn't get married right away.