Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
A/N: T/W - just a brief warning, there are some explicit language and disturbing violence descriptions. You have been warned. Also some edits will come soon, forgive me for mistakes - it's been a while.
Enjoy!
"Honestly Josh, I never thought I would be the type to sleep over on the first date. No hate to all the wonderful women out there who do it, but for me personally, I just prefer to stick to the old ways of waiting until the time is right."
"But Carol, what if the first date is the right time? How could you possibly gauge the perfect time, if you pre-emptively judge it to be days after?"
"Well Josh, here's the thing-" the radio fell silent before the telltale noise of static assaulted her ears.
Flipping the radio off, she felt relieved at the calm silence. The old crones droning on about what prim and proper behaviour for a young woman on the radio were not her first choice for entertainment but the lack of steady signal from the other radio channels left her choices scant.
"GPS signal lost," the automated voice sounded from her device.
"No, no, no." She hissed, glancing over at her phone, she cursed at the winding circular arrow. The buffering symbol flashed a couple more times before the map interface froze.
"Fuck."
Glancing in front of her, she could only see more road and trees. No other landmark. Glancing over at the dashboard the clock read, late. She was now officially late. Well, not officially, but there was no way she was going to make it to the venue within the next ten minutes considering there wasn't even a building in sight.
But it didn't matter. Because this was her golden key. One good moment was all she needed into to turn her life around. Like turn everything around. She would be able to move out of her shit box of an apartment. Move from her basement cubical to an actual office with a window. Pay out her mother's last bit of mortgage so she could finally retire. All she had to do was show up, meet a couple of snobs, and catch the scoop of the biggest scoop of the art scene.
Manhattan's underground artist was finally showing his face. And she had the exclusive ticket to witness just that. Her boss wasn't going to know what hit them.
Readjusting her pumps, a bit, she pressed harder on the gas. The plus side of being the only one on the road was having the freedom to speed up here and there. Though she'd probably forgo that detail if anyone asks.
"Recalculating."
"Finally!" She blew out a breath of relief at the GPS continued to reconnect.
The last time she paid attention, the map showed highlighted a tiny obscure road she had to turn to reach the barn that the art show was being hosted in. She feared she missed it from all the spotty connection she faced since hitting the country roads.
"GPS signal lost."
Before she could respond a loud and equally jarring noise startled her from behind the hood of her car. A few seconds later, she noted heavy smoke seep out. She didn't know if it was the shock or just experience, she calmly pulled over to the side of the empty road and turned the ignition off.
The smoke was far more apparent now that it wasn't being blown away by the wind. Now she was officially late. Grabbing her phone from its little perch, she swung the door open and walked over to the hood. It didn't take a mechanic to know that it wasn't a good sign.
Technically the rust bucket she put all her faith in was set to be scrapped four months ago, but she begged to keep it running for just a bit more. It was all going to work out in her head. She was going to save up and once she could afford to lease a new and reliable car, she was going to scrap Roxy once and for all.
Roxy was her best friend from high school. The last gift she received from her dad before he past. They worked on her for years together before she finally passed her drivers education and was officially allowed to drive Roxy around without supervision.
But here she was. Roxy was smoking away. The radio was either busted or the reception was simply poor. Her tires were worn out and she was sure her brake pads had seen better days. Sighing in defeat, she swiped at her phone. A lone and very finicky bar pulsed symbolling the spotty signal.
"Fuckfuckfuck!" She all but screamed into the sky.
She felt water on her cheek. And part of her wondered if that was nature's way of crying for her disastrous day. Hobbling back into her car, she watched at the raindrops became heavier with each ticking second. She'd have to wait it out until either another car passed by, or until her phone received some actual service. Though at this point she supposed she'd have a better chance at being hit by lightning than that.
But not all was lost. She slid her driver's seat back and reached into her bag. Pulling out her company issued laptop she started typing away. She might not be getting the exclusive like she wanted, but that didn't mean that she couldn't finish her original story.
It couldn't have been more than forty minutes top, before a loud knock broke her out of her work. Clutching her now thundering heart, she turned to peer out the passenger window. There was a man, from what she could gather between the rain drops smashing through the open spaces.
"Need any help?" His voice was muffled, through the shield of the window.
Too startled to think, she gulped before stammering out a reply. "Yeah actually, do you have any cell service?"
Taking a second to analyze the situation, she looked around. From all her line of vision, there wasn't a car stashed away anywhere near her.
He pulled out a little square device from his pocket. Peering into his own phone, she watched as the man swiped across to fiddle around with it. With a frown, he furrowed his brows and shook his head. "None. I'm guessing yours is down too?"
Truth to be told, she wasn't even sure if what she saw was a phone. But her other options were low, so instead she reached over to manually wind down the passenger window a smidge.
"I'm just checking. I already called roadside assistance so I'm just waiting for them now." She fibbed.
He nodded. "What's wrong with your car?" He gestured towards Roxy's smoking hood as the rain continued to deafen their ears.
"I don't know, it just started to smoke really badly." She called out. "It won't turn on now."
"Sounds like your transmission combusted. Want me to look at it?"
"That's not necessary, the roadside assistance should be coming right about now. Thanks, though." She pressed on. She hoped her voice was stable considering how hard her heart was thundering against her rib cage.
He thought about it for a bit. Flickering his eyes between the rectangular device still clutched in his hand and the hood of her car. "Tell you what, pop open your hood and I'll see if there's a quick fix until you can get to the next gas station."
"It's honestly, fine. I don't mean to be a hassle; I'd rather just wait for the assistance to come." She didn't care if she was being rude now. But as an afterthought, she added "You know, just in case the insurance needs to be sure there were no foul play."
He didn't respond, instead straightened out his back and peered out into the road. The sun was already setting, though it didn't do much considering the density of the raging clouds that gloomed over them. He was handsome enough from what she could gather. Tall built. Raven locks, and a soothing voice. Had he popped out anywhere else outside of the situation they were in now, she may have even asked him for his number.
"Okay. If, you're sure. Just didn't want to leave a damsel in distress you know?" With a shrug, he stuffed his phone back into his pocket and walked off without waiting for her reply.
She watched carefully as he vanished from the direct vicinity of her vehicle. Clutching her phone in her grasp, she watched for any indication that another bar popped up or anything that signaled some service. Much to her delight, the additional bar flickered. Opening her contacts, she quickly pressed call for the roadside assistance.
It took some time until a click was finally heard. "Hello, roadside assistance. How can I help you today?"
It was muffled, but the relief was immense. "Yes! I'm calling from Stony Point, I think. My car broke down...Hello? Hello?"
The operator's voice was muffled even more now. Feeling her heart drop, she flipped the phone watching as the bar flickered again. Biting a curse, she reached over and dug through her glove department. Fishing out an old and questionable little can of pepper spray, she grasped the phone between her shoulder and ear getting ready to unlock her door.
CRASH.
A scream broke out from her throat, as a large crack sounded from her window. The phone fell into the floor of the car with a thud, as she scrambled to the passenger side eager to escape as another hit against it started to completely shatter the rest. The man was back. He was the one smashing her window into pieces. Fear ripped through her as her mind started racing, filling in the countless possibilities of what was about to happen. None of the scenarios seeming to shed a positive light. It only took a few swift movements so the man successfully clear out the jagged edges of the window before unlocking the door and swinging it open.
It was only then when she saw that he was clutching an axe tightly in his right hand. Feeling the click of the lock, she used her legs to kick out as he leaned over the drivers seat towards her no doubt catching on her escape route. Her hands were busy trying to open the handle to free her from the door, but the man had other plans.
"Oh sweetheart," and with that he threw the axe causing all movement to halt. A few of her limbs twitched as her brain finally registered the movement.
"I usually like to take my time, but I can't have you running out on me now. Not in this rain." It would have sickened her to remember it was only minutes ago she considered his voice dreamy.
Now, she felt pain. The shock was slowly withering away leaving her exposed to the new sensation. At first the burning pain was every where and all at once. It barely occurred to her where the wound was even located. Opening her mouth to scream, the sound drowned as a slow, but steady pool of thick metallic liquid gargled in her throat.
This was it.
Nothing in her life could have prepared her for this moment.
There was no flashing of memories before her eyes.
Nothing.
Just the haunting looking of lifeless coal eyes, as the man reached over to dislodge the axe.
Her only solace from the horror was the creeping sensation of her consciousness fading out.
"That will be $6.75, just swipe your card whenever you're ready."
With that the heavily pierced barista busied herself with grabbing a paper cup and heading over to the wildly intimidating espresso machine. Glancing down at the daunting iPad, she peered at the screen wincing just slightly at the starting tip percentage fixed at a whooping 18%.
It tore Sakura apart as a broke graduate student who knew the plight of the underpaid service workers only too well. Yet, a small part of her still made a mental note to never come back here no matter who much Ino raved about the quality of their coffee.
Walking over to the window of the quaint little establishment, she watched at the cars and random passersby went about their day on the busy street. The price of the coffees was justified given the location. While it was still a bit away from her specific department, it was still within the central hub and flashy enough to garner a decent attention.
"Sarah!"
Close but not quite. Flipping out her phone she scrolled through her notifications. The group chat seemed to be popping off recently as more and more bodies were found within the last couple of weeks. Naruto had been warning everyone to stay indoors and within well populated areas as much as possible. The girls, mainly Sakura, Ino and Tenten were planning on simply ignoring him but when Sasuke piped in, it somehow made the whole situation even more daunting.
Hence, to the present time and day. Sakura was getting her caffeine fix from a quaint little shop that her wallet could not support. But the said shop was within a well populous area, and heavily armed with CCTV if the extra security measures were even needed.
"Sikora!"
Close but not quite. Sadly, she knew it was hers.
Quenching the need to roll her eyes, she adjusted the strap of her tote before walking over to the pickup counter. She grabbed the upscale paper cup, secretly relishing the warmth in her cold hands. Flashing the unenthused barista, a little tight-lipped smile, she proceeded to briskly exited.
A slight buzz caught her attention. It was a text from Shizune, asking her to swing by her office to pick up the follow-up documentation she needed to fill out. It was still early in the morning, only 9:26 AM. She had exactly twenty minutes to head back to Shizune's office, then to her lab to finish up the last bit to her grant application before the deadline which was sadly only two hours away. Taking a healthy sip of the hot liquid, she ignored the slight burn on her tongue and instead powered her way through the new onslaught of the crowd back to the direction of her campus.
The familiar jingle broke her attention from weaving through the morning rush. Sakura effortlessly swiped across the screen before pushing the little device flush against her ear.
"Forehead, someone was supposed to call me back last night."
Rolling her eyes, she silently cursed not check the caller ID prior to accepting the call. "Shit, Pig I totally forgot. I just have a lot going on now that I'm starting my placement soon."
"Nice try, I know you're not starting at the looney bin until next week." Ino deadpanned.
"It's not called the lonely- "
"-Yeah, yeah. Listen, that's not why I called. We're getting together tonight at my place for a few drinks- "
"-Naruto specifically said- "
"-Even though Naruto said. We'll be done by eight, so there's plenty of time to get back for role call." Sakura have always been told she was stubborn, but Ino really did take the cake on this one.
Nibbling on her lips, she pondered over the invite. On one hand, Naruto, Sasuke and even Kakashi had been working nonstop on the new cases that seemed to pop up more and more frequently. But on the other hand, she hadn't just been able to let go lately and just enjoy herself.
She tried to think of the last time she truly felt free and herself and frowned. Sasuke's party wasn't too far back, but the event seemed farther for some reason. A small voice in the back of her head pointed out the obvious fact that she ardently tried to sweep away from her active consciousness. It was obviously because her stalker's presence was barely around anymore.
"So, what do you say?"
"I…" She paused. With everything that was going around lately, it wasn't the brightest idea. "I say let's do it. I don't have to go into orientation until the afternoon. So, let's do it." Sakura winced at Ino's loud squeal but couldn't fight the little grin that broke out on her own face.
"That's my girl! Okay I'm going to go tell Tenten that tonight's still on." Ino all but yelled before hanging up.
Rolling her eyes at her friend's tactics, she shoved her phone into her bag before making her way to the office.
"Any leads on the case?"
"We're still working on it." Sasuke replied. His hand was clutching a used pocketbook, which Kakashi could faintly make out some organized writings.
"Where's Naruto?" Kakashi was having a long week. Ever sense he had to let Naruto in on the whole case, the days just kept getting longer. Not that a running homicidal maniac running loose wasn't enough to drag on the days, but adding Naruto to the equation included more management than normal.
Sasuke sighed. Sighed. Pinching the bridge of his sharp nose, he gently massaged the nasal bridge as if to ease the growing headache. "Naruto is outside the city right now, somewhere along the border of here and Vermont."
Leaning against the sad communal table in the dingy under-funded kitchen, Kakashi crossed his arms. "Do I want to know what he's doing there?"
"He's under the impression the new case is related to ours."
"That far out?" Kakashi, albeit skeptical about the reach still silently applauded the younger man for his dedication. "The one with the pink-haired woman? How is Naruto sure it's not just an animal attack?"
"It's Naruto." Sasuke simply replied.
Oddly that was an answer enough.
Kakashi oftentimes wondered if letting the eccentric Jiraiya take Naruto under his wing was a good idea. Not that the older man wasn't good at his job. In fact, he was probably one of the best. But eccentric. Which meant no stone was left unturned. Which meant all leads were chased and consequently cases took a lot longer to close.
"When's he back?"
"He texted an hour ago saying he's on his way."
Short and simple. That was exactly how every conversation with Sasuke went. While most would find it pleasant in the sense that it was always straightforward without the need to skirt around awkward chit chat. But Kakashi was still worried about how Sasuke was doing.
"So…" The odd break in the older man's voice was indicative to Sasuke just where the topic was headed.
"We're done here." Without waiting for a reply, Sasuke picked up folder and black coffee and headed out of the kitchen.
Though the captain new he should have asked where Sasuke was headed to, he simply resolved to sigh. Partly in relief of avoiding a catastrophically awkward conversation about feelings with Sasuke, but also because he still felt uneasy about the whole case, sending Sasuke in, which meant roping in Naruto. Without definitive leads, or any real evidence connecting all the recent crimes together, the precincts were all grasping at straws in hopes of catching a break.
A slight buzz sounded from his phone. Unlocking the ancient yet trusty smartphone, he watched as the notification of a new footage recorded from his office. Swiping the icon, he watched as the footage loaded and unfolded the scene he had an inkling about, but curiously never thought he would catch.
There was a rat in the office and Kakashi just got a sharp 1080p evidence of it.
This was a preposterous idea.
Insane.
Deadly dumb.
It was never going to work.
Sakura bit her lip slightly, as she watched the two terrifying shadows stalk down the path of the dark alley. It was only supposed to be a quick fun little outing. The girls were in dire need of some wind down time, and even planned to head on over home before the clock struck eight as per their blond friend's instructions.
Technically, everything was going to plan. She had left Ino's place at around 7:30 sharp. Thirty minutes prior to their supposed curfew. Ino only lived a couple of blocks away. She figured taking a quick short cut through some of the empty streets would shorten her twenty-eight-minute walk down to a solid twenty-minute. Which would give her ample time to be home before Naruto's strict time deadline.
Yet here she was. Stranded. Scared out of her wits with a dead battery phone.
Crouching down next to a quite foul trash bin, her hands gripping tightly against her mouth as she tried to both calm her thundering heart while not inhaling the gut-wrenching stench. Somewhere between her second shortcut route, she managed to capture the interest of two drunkards, the very kind that looked a tad bit too shady looking for her liking. She was hoping it was simply coincidence that they were following the same route, but after changing sides a few times and having them mimic her tactics started to worry her.
The men didn't make gains on her trail, thankfully. They kept their distance, but not enough for Sakura to brush off the event as paranoia. Whatever they were planning, she didn't care to find out and used her brain to plan her next move.
Sakura still had a few more streets to cover before she would face the main road, which she doubted would be busy enough to hear her calls for help. So, she decided to sprint as fast as she could to the nearest adjacent road. Which just happened to be a dead-end alley behind some abandoned restaurant.
Honestly, at this rate if she didn't die tonight, there was a good chance that Naruto would kill her. Tilting her head slightly, she peered over the bin to watch the road. The faint streetlight overhead illuminated the scene just barely, but enough for her to gauge if the coast was clear. She could hear them, well their gruff and slurring voices that echoed but couldn't see them. Which meant they were somewhere within the vicinity but not within direct route.
This was her only chance. She could quickly cut back, by retracing her earlier steps and hit the main road again. The distance backwards was still shorter than the one forwards. Once she made it to the main road she could walk into any store and call for safety.
With a shaky breath, she pulled all the strength she could muster on to her knees to stand. Unfortunately, the minuscule rush of adrenaline thrusting through her muscles was too much which led to her shoulder clashing against the bin. Managing to barely swallow the wince that threatened to escape her throat, she failed to notice the bin fall until it was too late.
Now she could feel the bubbling fear. The flight or fight response flowing uncomfortably through her veins like viscous sludge. It was nothing like the stories or movies portrayed it. It was slow. It left spots in her vision. Her thoughts were racing miles a minute, yet there was not a coherent plan insight. She could hear the echoes whisper through the empty streets. She could hear the men notice. They were going to circle back.
Dashing forward she plunged her body into the shelter of another bin. This time she embraced the smell. She didn't care if the littering black bags of trash touched her skin. Anything to help her hide from the men. But this new hiding place blocked her vision entirely. She was more at ill advantage despite being more hidden.
Straining her ear against chilled night, she listened earnestly for the telltale sounds of the men. Thick, hot, tears trailed the length of cheeks with no sign of stopping. Her heart was hammering away, but she couldn't care less. Everything that could have gone wrong was going wrong. Murphy's wrath was at play.
"She's here."
"Are you sure?"
By now she could barely hear over the deafening sound of her blood coursing through her veins. There was a faint ringing in her left ear. Her fingers were quickly growing cold, as sweat lined the back of her neck. Her body was becoming heavy and ridged. She was officially in shock.
"Here kitty kitty, kitty. Here- "
She could feel snot drip over her frozen hands. Sakura was a mess. But these were superficial concerns over the reality of the situation. Instead, all she did was wait. Wait for the inevitable until she got her second chance.
Seconds ticked by. Then minutes.
Eventually, the ringing faded. The blood cooled, and her appendages regained warmth. Her heartbeat slowed to a more manageable pace. Her thoughts were ready to race again.
Something was wrong. Something was wrong…? Everything about the scenarios was wrong, yet the wrong was not… wrong-ing?
Releasing her mouth from hostage, she tentatively placed her hands on the ground under her. With slow movements, she inched forward, barely peering her face over the edge of the trash bin and various oozing garbage bags.
Just as she had initially thought, the two men where there. Except, they were on the ground. One of them laid flat, face forward while the other was propped against the brick wall. Stunned, Sakura edged further forward to take in the scene.
They seemed to be out cold. No blood, nothing to indicate what had happened. But this was it. This was the second chance. Without wasting another second, she launched her body forward. Unfortunately, agility and dexterity had yet to make her acquaintance after her initial panic which caused her to accidentally crash forward. Ignoring the heat that shot up from her palms and knees, she scrambled on to her feet as fast as she could before running.
Shooting through the entry of the alley, she ran down the length of the shortcut back to where she knew the main road lay. Her feet felt heavy as the adrenaline rushed through her full-fledged. But the sight of a van that seemed to enter the road and head towards the direction of where she left the two men lying down was enough to egg her on full speed.
It was only when the main road in full sight did, she allow her burning lungs a break. Her body was now in full recovery mode whether she wanted it or not. Sakura picked up her heavy legs with each step as she forced her body towards the bustling sound of civilization and traffic.
She was almost there. Almost at the first sign of safety when a hard body crashed into her, violently throwing her body off balance and into the strong arms of the stranger. Peering up, she barely had time to register the coal eyes staring down at her.
"You…" Sakura breathlessly whispered before her vision blurred and her consciousness eagerly welcomed the dark abyss.
A/N: There you have it folks! I haven't forgotten about this story and hopefully neither have anyone of you! I am so very thankful for all the reviews and appreciation for this story so far and hope to continuously see your enthusiasms, complaints, comments, and everything!
Until next time!
