At this rate, I was going to be caught. I wasn't very athletic at all, and despite the adrenaline keeping my boots slapping the pavement, my lungs and muscles were screaming for mercy. It didn't help that the wounds from the LAW officers' light phasers were throbbing and making spots dance in my vision. I skidded around a corner, nearly colliding with a group of businessmen. The light bullets whizzing past my head were coming too close, and I instinctively ducked my head as I barreled on through the mass of people.

It was times like this that I cursed my mother for what I had become. I had a normal life. I was a college student. The only things I had to worry about were catching the bullet trains and making sure my assignments were completed on time. When I walked into my house after class and saw that puddle of blood on the floor of my living room, none of that mattered anymore. Not when I screamed over my sister's lifeless body. Not when my mom came in shortly after and accused me of taking a sibling squabble too far. None of it mattered when my mom pressed the emergency button and I took off running into the streets of Neo Chicago. All I had to worry about now was staying in the shadows and evading the LAW. 3 months later, It was working out fantastic.

The chase had led me to the west side of the city, and as I looked around, I noticed that upper-class civilians and familiar skyscrapers had dwindled. Scary-looking criminals in all black, half of them with the signature "RED-LISTED" lettering floating above their heads, peered at me from the sidewalks. They were probably pissed I brought the cops into their neighborhood. Just great, I thought. If I were lucky enough to escape the officers hot on my trail, I'd still need to worry about the criminals coming after me.

I rounded another corner, pumping my legs in hopes of giving me a headway from my pursuers so I could duck into an alley. And it worked. A look over my shoulder revealed only loiterers. I let out a short breathy ha! and faced forward. my glee didn't last for long.

Too quick to process, a hand grabbed the back of my shirt and yanked me into a dark alley. Before I could let out a scream, a hand slapped over my mouth and an arm went around my waist, pulling my back into a hard body. 

"Shh. Be quiet or they'll hear you." a male voice whispered in my ear. I felt a click and something sharp pierce into my neck. The alley was immediately swallowed by darkness, the red glow from my "RED-LISTED" sign disappearing. 

I couldn't move. The tight hand over my mouth prevented that. All I could do was listen to the blood rushing through my ears and my thoughts racing. I was going to be killed, or even worse. I was sure of that. One of the criminals I saw earlier had me in a tight hold, and I was too weak to fight back. 

"Stop struggling," the voice hissed in my ear again.

On one hand, I could stop struggling and let this unknown assailant drag me away and have his way with me. On the other, I could try to break free, only to run right into the LAW's hands. After weighing my options, I stopped struggling and relaxed into the guy's hold. I would let this guy keep me, but as soon as the officers were out of sight, I would break free and escape.

Multiple rapid footsteps echoed in from the street, paired with yelling and radio beeps. I watched in disbelief as the officers ran past the alley opening, their footsteps fading out. After a moment, a sigh of relief escaped my mouth, misting my assailant's hand. I managed to escape again, but how long would that last me?

"Be quiet. I'm going to see if they're gone." The hands never left my body, and I was dragged to the mouth of the alley. The assailant peered his head around the corner and looked down the street. From the minimal lighting, I could only see his side profile for a brief minute. A murmur of, "Good. They're gone," escaped his lips, and the tight hold on me was released.

I didn't even hesitate before attempting to book it down the alley. Savior be damned. I was only able to make it a few steps before two arms wrapped tightly around my middle, a cry of pain leaving my lips as he pressed into the wound on my hip.

"Will you shut the fuck up! I'm trying to help!" I struggled desperately, only stopping when his hold tightened. Tears pricked my eyes, and only the sound of the two of us panting could be heard bouncing off the brick walls.

"Don't run off." His warning made me shiver, and I was soon let go. I dropped, wincing when my knees collided with the hard concrete. "Jesus. You're insane, you know that?" A small light surrounded me, and I slowly brought my head up, only for my eyes to finally meet with my crouched assailant. 

From what I could see, he was fairly attractive. He was young, probably not much older than me, with medium-length, chestnut-brown fringe laying over his eyes. Plump lips sat in an annoyed scowl on his tanned face, glowing from the small light. He held a small, electro-lighter in his gloved fist, his cold sharp eyes narrowed at my figure.

"I was trying to get you from the cops and this is how you thank me? Running off and beating the shit out of me?" His voice was no longer in a whisper, but now an aggravated shout. I panted in response, unable to escape the tightness in my lungs and the pain from my injuries, which had now tripled.

"How was…I supposed to know…trying to help me?" This man had the audacity to call me insane when only moments ago, he had grabbed me like one of his kidnapping victims. How the hell were I supposed to react? The unknown man sighed and stood up, taking me aback at how tall he was. 

"What did you expect me to do? Walk out and be like 'Hey, come here! Let me rescue you!'? Be pissed at me all you want, but I saved your ass. If it wasn't for me, you would've been a bloody imprint on the road." I tried to push myself up but only managed to irritate my wounds further, making me collapse on my side.

The man quickly dropped down beside me, pulling my arms from my abdomen and spitting out a "Shit." All I could do was whimper pathetically, squeezing my eyelids shut when black spots danced in my vision. "Your wounds are severe. We need to get you help or you aren't going to make it." I cried out again when I felt arms slide under me and jerk me upwards, cradling me into his chest. As he took off down the alley, my vision went in and out of focus. I was only vaguely aware of the man's hushed whispers. "You're going to be fine. Don't fall asleep. Don't fall asleep." my eyes shut despite his pleas, the echo of his footsteps and words fading with my consciousness.