The cool air rushed over him as he plunged into the darkness. This was Jake's favorite time to run. The darkness heightened all of his senses and he felt like he was floating. As he glided through the side streets on his way to the waterfront, he could hear the traffic and people on the main street. To his surprise, he also heard a woman's voice call out from one of the dark side alleys. He decided to angle over to investigate.
As he rounded a corner, he saw three teenagers surrounding a woman. One held her wrist and was laughing as she struggled to get free. The other two seemed to be enjoying the spectacle but were standing apart.
"Go ahead and yell. No one'll hear you back here."
Jake stepped forward close enough that they could see them. Before they could react, he pulled something from his pocket and tapped on it. As they stared at him, he strode forward. Although he was much bigger, there were three of them.
"What the fuck are you doing man? You should just be moving on. You didn't see anything."
Jake stopped just short of the group. "Look, I just sent a help message on my 911 App on my phone. The police will be along any minute. They already have a lock on the location with the GPS. You three should just get out of here."
The thug holding the woman reached into his pocket. There was a gentle "snick" as the blade extended on the knife he pulled out with his free hand. "Listen ya stupid fuck, you're pushing your luck. Get the fuck out of here."
Before anyone could think, including himself, Jake sprang forward and grabbed the hand with the knife. He used his momentum and all the strength he could muster to slam it into a telephone pole. He repeated the motion and was rewarded by hearing the knife clatter to the ground. The woman pivoted and drove her toe deep into her captors groin. With a surprised grunt, he dropped to the ground.
A siren sounded in the distance. The two thugs still standing looked at one another, turned, and bolted out of there. Jake grabbed the woman's arm. "Let's get out here." As he pulled her through the alley toward the main road she tried to hold back.
"The police will be here any second. Why are we leaving? What about your 911 call on your App?"
"I never run with a phone. Those two are going to realize that no one is coming and will be back for their friend shortly. We need to get to the main road."
They hurried along the alleys and side streets until they reached the main road. Jake breathed a sigh of relief as the bright lights shone around them. He turned and got his first good look at the woman. His heart jumped as he realized how attractive she was.
"Hey, my name is Jake. I'm sorry about how that went down back there. Hopefully they didn't get any of your things before I came along."
She turned to him and smiled, "Well 'Jake', I have never been so happy to see anyone in my life. My 'things' are all still intact because of you. Brandy..." She held out her hand. Jake shook it and wondered what was next.
"How did those guys get you? What were you doing back there?"
"I'm visiting some friends. They had to go out of town for a couple of days, so I went for a walk. I thought I could take a shortcut through the side roads."
"Usually those roads are safe, but I think you should stick to well-lit streets from now on. Where is your place? Do you want me to walk you home?"
"Not far from here. Please. I am a bit shaken right now."
She took his hand and started walking. Her hand felt so soft and smooth. As they walked along, Jake felt a bit weak in his knees. He decided it must be the run-in that had him agitated. Still, there was something about this woman.
They reached the front of the house that Brandy was staying in. She turned to him and grabbed his other hand. "Jake, I'm still pretty shook up. Would you mind coming in for a bit? My friends aren't here and I don't want to be alone. I'll make you the best cup of tea you've ever had...."