I met this girl once upon a time. Completely hit it off with her on what pretty much amounted to chance. I mean, who could have predicted the situation through which we initially met. That situation led to one thing and then another and now I can barely keep up with her as she jumps through all of these hoops on her own dragging me with her. Some of them have even left me a little bit burnt. I guess it would be wise to start at the beginning before you get any more confused.
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The family decided to take a trip out to a major city. We lived in a fairly rural area and did not often have the chance to experience all the lights and action that goes on in any metropolis. So my parents took off work and we left on a trip. I had just graduated from high school and this amounted to, not only a vacation, but also a graduation trip as well considering I didn't have the chance to go with my class out of country when they went. I had been busy finishing off all my projects in the laboratories at the school. One of them specifically had to be monitored diligently if I expected to pass that class.
I had gotten involved in all the various experiments I could and was even allowed to set up a few of my own. The specific one that forced my hand was actually in the chemistry laboratory. I was attempting to run a natural decomposition of various articles of trash that one might find around the area. The litter wasn't a problem, but I was curious about the affects it might have on the soil considering all the other chemicals that could leach into it from the air and surrounding environment.
In any case, the experiment required minor adjustments that might have ruined the results had I left it untended or attended by a less experienced person. That would have forced the school to hold me back for my senior year. That was how significant the project was. Thankfully, it was successfully completed and I graduated at the top of my grade. I also managed to obtain some conclusive data from that experiment that warranted further research and awarded me a few scholarships to well ranked schools.
My parents planned a trip that was on par, if not better, than the trip my class went on without me. They took me up to the Big Apple. New York City. We went all over the place and saw all sorts of things. Saw a few shows on Broadway. Sat through a few operas in languages I hadn't learned in high school. Ate at a few high class restaurants. I even humored my parents through a Yankees game. Overall, the trip was proving to be phenomenal and relaxing. Sure there were a few boring things, like the Yankees game and one of the musicals on Broadway. The bad was encompassed by the good though.
At least that is what I thought until our eight day there. We had just left one of the larger malls and were walking past an alleyway when I saw something strange. It looked like a few guys hustling another back into a darker part of the alley. One that wasn't well lit in the evening light. I couldn't be sure and I felt the strong urge to check it out.
"Hey dad," I called out to him as I stopped in front of the alley. They had proceeded on a little bit further and had to stop and turn around before he could answer.
"What is it?"
"I'll meet y'all back at the hotel. I saw something for my next experiment that I want to check out."
My family knew that I wasn't going to be stopped in the face of something interesting. Especially not something that could be turned into an experiment even if it was boring to normal people.
"Are you sure you don't want any help?" he asked.
"Nope, I'll be quick about it. See you back at the hotel."
He shrugged and then turned to lead the family back to the hotel. I waited fifteen seconds for them to get lost in the crowd before I turned back to the alley. I couldn't see the group anymore. That wasn't a good thing. I sprinted in looking left and right for any sign of them. I passed by empty alcoves and a couple dumpsters acting as windbreaks for the homeless. Then I caught sight of another alley. I stopped and peered in looking for more signs. I saw a cell phone light up as someone answered a call towards the darker section in the alley.
"You bitch!" shouted a stumbling shadow.
"Leave me alone you bastards!" screamed a woman's voice.
"Now I want her even more," growled the shadow. It started to move back towards the wall and I knew I had to act.
"Excuse me," I called out. "Can one of y'all tell me how I can get to the police station? I kind of lost my way. First time being here and I get lost. Imagine that."
"Fuck," someone whispered, "too fucking loud you idiot."
"Just scare the guy so we can get back to busi - Ouch! Bitch!"
"Help me," the woman shouted, "they're trying to assault me."
A different shadow trudged towards me. I heard a click as a knife came out and locked into place.
"You had better move along bub before someone gets hurt."
I know I'm not in the best of shape. In fact, the athletic guys in my classes were always teasing me about it. 170 pounds of flesh and bone on a six foot three person is surprising in the least. I look like a walking toothpick. I managed to put on fifteen pounds of muscle since then, but I'm still fairly thin. The bad part is that I have no confidence in actually being able to take this guy. Especially since he has a knife.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," I said in my best ass-kicking hero voice. "Women shouldn't be left alone to the likes of you."
His steps sped up and then I heard the telltale slip of him leaning into to take a slice out of me and dodged left up against the wall. Considering the chances of him being right handed were high, this side presented less chance of him cutting me in a horizontal slash than the other side. He stumbled forward when he missed and tripped over something forcing him to the ground. I heard the knife squelch into something and kept my back to the wall.
"Hey Tommy, did you get rid of him?" asked the other guy from further down the alley.
"Hey Tommy, didn't ya hear me?"
I saw a shadow break away from the wall and start inching towards us. I heard another knife click out and into place as the guy continued forward. He grew closer and closer until he was almost in front of me. I swung my fist out and connected with his jaw. It hurt as if hell was bursting forth in torrents. How hard a jaw did this guy have?
"Bastard," he spat. Then I felt cold steel puncture the left side of my torso. It grazed through a tenth of an inch of my muscle as it careened hastily into the wall. I broke right and heard a thump followed by more cursing. I shifted back left and aimed three inches higher than I had last time. This time, it connected with a softer spot on the side of his head. I heard him collapse and immediately went over to the woman.
I could barely make out where she had slumped against the wall.
"Ma'am," I said as I tapped her shoulder. "Ma'am. Are you still with me?"