3. Its Your World, But Its My Street (1/2)

cool midnight

eezes caressed the beaten flesh on the side of my face. surprisingly it didn't swell, just merged in to a light chameleonic blue. once the 'freedom high' had worn i became apprehensive. this wasn't exactly the best neighborhood to be caught walking in at midnight. this was the center of the multiple gangs and crime mobs in gotham. out in the distance sirens squealed and in the black nights sky a

ight bat symbol made itself present to all of gotham's inhabitants. the uneasiness subsided knowing the dark knight was out tonight.

a couple blocks down with no sure destination i pondered where i'd go, what i would do. i

oke off the thought as a half illuminated alleyway came into view. i felt like either sprinting as fast as possible by it or finding another way around. i had passed over a dozen alleys at this point but this one, i had a bad feeling about it. everything was quiet, even the never ending sirens that chimed day-in-day-out in gotham were silenced. i took a

eathe and moved forward.

the corner where the alleyway turned in came closer until i stood adjacent to it. slowly i crooked my head and neck to where i could peer down the alley without being noticed. there was nothing but darkness. the rats that ate from the trash made no noise and loose papers that blew into the alley did not crumple or twist in the

eeze that just picked up. i swallowed the lump in my throat and began to walk across. every nerve in my body told me to run, to get away, to do something other than continue on this path, but it all came seconds too late.

a guy, not too much older than me, stepped out from a secluded step of a shop front ahead of me. i took a step of surprise back bumping into another mans chest. they had me trapped.

"little late, dontcha think?" he stepped towards me.

the man behind me held a shoulder in each hand, restricting my movement. the other drew closer looking me over, i scowled as he came in near. he then smirked and nodded to the man behind me and in one move turned and led me into the darkened alley i had just

aved. we walked deeper and deeper into the alley until we came to a back street. the man had such a tight grip i couldn't even manage to squirm beneath him.

finally we stopped. the streetlights were

ighter here and illuminated every face that was present. mine, the two men who had

ought me here and their five or six other friends who awaited our arrival. the men all turned from their conversations. they drew closer. every part of me shook at the fear of what they could and were probably going to do to me. then something came to me, the bat symbol that lit up the sky earlier. confidence struck me and nearly all the pent fear subsided.