In a tunnel, with little to no light, stagnant water filled the center of the path with its filthy stench, and creepy sounds of rats running around, squeaking at the footsteps of a man approaching.
"Huf! Huf! Huf!" A panting voice echoed as the figure staggered back and forth, holding on for its balance with the pipes.
A few meters away from him, was light, coming from the small holes in a sewer grate.
The man's eyes widened open, staring at the ladder in front.
"F-f-finally..." a white bright smile through the darkness, and a voice too weak as if he hadn't eaten in days.
His legs suddenly mustered strength as they found a ray of hope.
"Ha, ha-ha, hahahaha..." The man started laughing under his breath, running ahead even if it meant dragging his feet.
Finally, in front of his escape, his hands let go of the pipes to hold on to the bars of the ladder, grabbing them tightly.
The light shone on the figure's face and ragged clothes, he was a man in his thirties, skinny, his lips dry and flesh stuck on his bones because of thirst and hunger, yet his smile was still brighter than the day with glimmering eyes that were fixed on the grate on top of him.
But he failed to notice, a pair of boots stepping behind him, stealthily. No, even that would be an understatement of such a scary feat. The footsteps were never heard. The lights were too dim to brighten the figure, some would even mistake it as the shadow of the man.
A shadow.
One, that walked.
The man looked down, trying to see where he would take his first step.
But his head failed to respond to him.
He suddenly found himself looking at the holes of light. They were bright and weirdly grew blinding, slowly as he felt his body's senses and grip leaving him.
He didn't understand.
He couldn't.
He could only feel a twitch on his neck.
He couldn't think nor be curious about what it was.
The happiness that filled his face, changed into remorse, plead.
His eyebrows narrowed.
No sound came from his slightly opened mouth, no breath or panting this time.
His body, which had not had a drink for the past week, still managed to let out tears from his begging eyes.
Suddenly, he could feel it again, the twitch on his neck, getting higher, making his expression breathe out as if his soul was leaving his body.
His pupils shook uncomfortably for a moment, then, they faded.
*THUD!*
The body fell to the ground in a flash, then was rolled over by the shadow's boot into the water.
He stood in place silently, his hand to his ear, *Click* "Dead." *Click* A hoarse and monotone voice.
He raised his head to the lights of the grates, only for it to reflect on his mask's teeth, those of a demon before he walked back into the darkness.
A city, unaware of the dangers it called upon.
*Footsteps from above the sewers. *
A foot stepped on the grate and passed.
---
A young woman was walking, unaware of anything, with her headphones and music, walking in the middle of the streets brightened by the light poles, wearing a grey hoodie much bigger than her size and matching sweatpants.
She did not seem to be scared nor afraid of what the night and dark alleys may hold for her as if she knew this road as good as the palm of her hand.
But her cold and sharp eyes were still focused on her surroundings, showing slightly with her face mostly covered by her big cap.
Her footsteps led her to the supermarket between the apartments she was most familiar with. Just around was a parking lot, where a few young men, seemingly around her age, were enjoying their time.
They were four, smoking and laughing wildly.
"DUDE~ I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU!" Said guy 1 as he was showing another something on his phone. "I MEAN LOOK, MAN! THAT'S ALL MINE! THAT'S MY NEW GIRL!"
"BOY AIN'T NO WAY! Guy 2 was trying to get away, laughing with the others as if they were teasing the first.
"COME ON GUYS FUCK! BELIEVE ME!" Cried out guy 1 annoyed.
"Yeah yeah," spoke guy 3, who was the only one seated down, swaying his hand with a cigarette as if he was already tired of them talking about this subject.
The young woman only looked at them once when she first noticed their presence and didn't look since while passing by them.
The guy seated down noticed her first as she was in his line of sight.
The other two watched as his attention was caught by her, and looked at each other as if they wanted to tease him but couldn't bring themselves to do something like that, he was by far not the bullied friend of the group.
Guy 4 remained quiet, chuckling from time to time, he noticed too but remained quiet.
His eyes didn't leave her until she entered the supermarket.
And only then did one of the guys say, "You like her?"
He remained silent for a second, taking a puff before speaking, "I feel like I have seen her somewhere."
Guy 2 who asked chuckled, "You probably hit and were too drunk to remember."
"No," Guy 3 grew quiet as if he was trying to remember, "From somewhere else, I can't tell with the cap..."
The other guys exchanged glances and tried to forget about it, switching to talk about something else.
The young woman made her way to the snacks and food aisles, looking for something that would quench her thirst for sweets tonight.
It didn't take her long as her snacks were lined up and she knew their placement by heart as this was one of her favorite stops coming from the university.
She got everything in a bag and walked by the automatic door, leaving again from the parking area.
The young woman raised her eyes to look around and it seemed like they were not there anymore.
She didn't seem happy or anything about it, but was rather nonchalant.
Taking a few steps between the cars a hand suddenly fell on her shoulder. "Lea, right?" A deep voice but still sounded like that of a young man.
She turned her eyes slightly to look at him, he was the man seated among his friends. Guy 3.
Lea calmly raised her arm and pushed his away gently, "You know me from somewhere?" She took off her headphones.
"I am a friend of Aiden, he talks about you a lot," he didn't seem to care that she took his hand away and met her with a smile.
The three other guys got out of the car next to him and laid on it, watching.
Lea didn't turn her head, only her sharp eyes caught sight of them for a second before going back to the guy that was closest to her. "Then you must be a friend. You don't look from around here."
"I am Dominik, also an overseas student who came with him," he raised his hand to greet her.
"Oh, alright then. I will see you around?" said Lea greeting him back.
"You are being quite rude."
Lea tilted her head in confusion. "Hm?"
He squeezed her hand and pulled her closer. "Now I can see why Aiden's in love with you. Can't help it with this fat ass."
She kept calm, pushing him away. "Excuse me?"
"Say," he turned to face her again with a vein on his forehead but keeping his smile, "have you heard of the Azakis?"
"What about them?"
Dominik was a bit taken aback by her not reacting at all despite knowing he was talking about one of the two mafias of the city. He shook it off and rolled up his sleeves, showcasing his red tiger tattoo to her. "I am a part of them."
Lea remained quiet, staring at his forearm.
He thought he had finally gotten her, so his smirk widened.
"And?" She said, again.
His eyes widened.
He couldn't keep it in anymore. "Aiden doesn't deserve you. You need a bad boy. One who could give you a good fuck right. Aiden's too soft."
He approached her a bit but was met with her knuckles pressing on his chest as her expression suddenly turned cold, "Give me two feet," she said, pushing him slightly.
"HAHAHA!" He started laughing. "What, your cute little personal space?"
"I will knock you out," she said in a calmer tone as her right foot discreetly took half a step back.
The boys looked at each other weirdly. Their friend had not been in his right mind the whole day, now it seemed like he wanted to start something with this girl. Guy 1 walked up, "Hey chill man, you lost it the fuck! What are you tryna do?"
"Man shut the fuck up!" He answered them. "Damn, Fuck Aiden, I will just fucking have this bitch for myself!"
"EY MAN!" Jumped Guy 2.
But Dominik had already reached out and held her wrist with his left hand as if he wanted to bring her to him.
But.
*THUD! THUD! *
A cold, clean hit rang in their ears, followed by his body hitting the ground.
Lea just knocked him out with her right elbow directly to the jaw when he held her.
Dominik was laid out cold on the ground as soon as his friends had just gone over to stop him.
Guys 1 and 2 jumped from their places to reach him while one of them tried to reach Lea angrily, which was a bad mistake to do so alone.
He was no fighter, but he tried to wrestle her directly to the ground, jumping on her waist. He opened his arms to catch her as he inclined his back a bit, but he was met with the bag of snacks blocking his vision for a brief moment, one during which, he found himself running straight to her knee with his face.
The second one fell with eyes widened and a misplaced nose, broken, screaming on the floor.
Lea picked up her bag as if nothing happened and looked at them quietly with her cap still on, shadowing her face. Guy 1 was struck by her cold and sharp eyes, not caring about her big hoodie and pants with a pair of sneakers that she picked out randomly to go out and was too lazy to look good.
This entire time the fourth guy was staring at his phone. His eyebrows twitched.
"So..." She calmly spoke.
Guy 1 wanted to jump at her too by her comment but was stopped by the fourth. "Stop," he growled and turned his head slightly to her, "No more. I am very sorry about these guys here. I just got to meet them today. I am sorry for their actions..."
They met eyes for a while. Something was off about this fourth one. It was obvious to her since the beginning he did not fit in.
Lea shrugged her shoulders and walked away, picking out a pack of chips from the bag after putting back her headphones, and snacking on the way.
She left the street, turning her head back once, meeting eyes with the fourth guy who wanted to help her before she disappeared.
The young woman, nor the guys knew, that above the apartments around them right now appeared the shadows of three people, two slim figures of women and one too bulky to be an average man, each on a building watching this scene quietly.
"We are here," one of them spoke on his earpiece.
"Get down here and take care of this trash for me." It was a familiar voice who answered them.
Back down…
"Hey, what are you doing? Come help me," said Guy 1 as he was trying to wake up his friends.
The fourth man was smoking a cigarette, not caring.
He turned around, stared with the side of his eye disgustingly and walked away.
"Hey. HEY!" Guy 1 screamed, not noticing the three shadows that appeared behind him.