Chapter 1:

I ran back into the alley I was accustomed to living in. There weren't as many rats, and the restaurant next-door dumps their food back here. I crawl back behind some trash bins. The man jogs to the opening of the alley, looks to the other end of it, then to each side. he seemed to recognize my hiding spot because of the trash cans bundled together. He came closer, and in almost a blink of an eye, he was face to face with me. Monster?... No. He was wearing a purple track suit, a really expensive one, had sandy blonde hair, and carried a cell phone. He looked concerned. I shuffled back to be behind the trash cans, but he just walked closer. I just pulled my knees to my chest and hid my face. I was watching his shoes, Reeboks, knowing I was cornered between the dumpster and the wall of the alley.

This guy had been jogging behind me for at least ten blocks. I only realized after I saw him three times when I turned to look behind me, him trying to blend into the scenery. Why was he following me? Will he call the police because I'm living on the streets? He can't call the police, they'll think I'm crazy. I start to inch towards a trash can lid that is laying on the grimy ground a foot away from me...

I heard him talking on the phone, "I found one... your place?... yeah, okay. Bye."

He didn't even have the chance to look down before the lid banged into his face. I launched up, and towards the other exit of the alley. I jumped over trash cans and kicked what ever I could behind me to trip the man up. For whatever reason he wants me I don't give a crap. I'm outta here.

This has happened so many times...Once I saw a one eyed man with a baby voice call me "Birdie!" then come after me in an alley. I ran him off, but I couldn't shake his face from my mind. Then there was another situation where I could have sworn a three headed dog bit me on the legs. I still have the scars from that... Then there were the times when I was cornered by these reptilian people... Anyways, I've had a lot of these situations where strange things and people came looking for me and I either had to run away, or fight them off. This was no different.

The brick alleyway was sprayed with graffiti and posters were pasted onto the walls, too faded to figure out what they say anymore. Paper was strewn everywhere, escaped from the trash bags, and rotten food was in the mix, so the smell was enough to make you gag if you weren't used to it.

I feel my legs pump in speed when I hear his steps echoing off of the walls behind me. Damn, he's fast.

I got to the end of the alley and turned left onto a street corner. Even though the light didn't allow walkers to go across, I ran straight over anyway. Several cars honked at me and braked suddenly, but I made it across, my grimy hair flowing behind me. I stole a glance backwards to see the man was running across the street as well, with his phone to his ear, yelling into it, and his other hand on his face. From where I was, his nose was bleeding, it must be broken... but the blood wasn't blood... it was gold...

I kept running, looking back at the man. His eyes lit up when he saw something in front of me.

By the time I looked back around, I had run into someone. The person fell down, and I rolled to the right and collided my head into a light pole. The last thing I saw before blacking out was the jogger man's finger in my face, pointing at me.