A Piece of Your Heart

I hated conflicts of any kind. However, it was already getting late, and I wanted to go home, take a warm bath, and sleep in my bed. Besides, it wasn’t like I was gonna get involved in whatever brawl they were having.

Just as I opened the doors and entered the hall, security was already leading the people outside. Madison was standing there not too far away, so I quickly approached her.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Madison turned to me with a look of concern on her face. “Just some typical brawl, nothing to worry about,” she said.

“What exactly happened?”

“Well, those two groups were sitting at tables that were right next to each other,” Madison explained. “I had a bad feeling about those men from the start. They seemed up to no good.”

Despite myself, I was curious. “Why?”

“I’m not sure. I can’t explain it, but… they were five men, all looking like those hoodlums you see in the street,” Madison said. “One of them suddenly lost their wallet, so they started blaming the guy at the next table, claiming that he had been peeking at the wallet for some time.”

“That’s quite the assumption.”

“I know, right?” Madison shook her head. “The guy was with his girlfriend. The two of them were just enjoying their time here peacefully. Those men were probably just looking for a fight.”

“Probably. But did they find the wallet in the end?”

“They left contact information with security. We’ll inform them if we ever find the wallet around here. For now, they’re being escorted out because of the ruckus they made. The guy also left quickly with his girlfriend.”

“Fair enough. I feel bad for the guy, though.”

“Same. Though, I gotta admit, I felt pretty anxious back there,” Madison suddenly said. “Those men looked like they were up to no good. At one point I thought one of them had a gun.”

I stiffened. “Did they…?”

“No, no. It was just my imagination, I guess. They were just acting tough like all gangsters do.” Madison shrugged. “At least they’re not here anymore. Hey, you going home right now?”

I nodded. “It’s getting late, so I want to go as soon as possible.”

Madison looked a little worried. “Girl, maybe you should stay here for a while longer. Those men might still be nearby, and I don’t want you getting somehow involved in a big fight as a passerby. I’m telling you, I got a bad feeling about those guys.”

“Madison, I’ll be fine,” I tried to reassure her. “I’ll just run as fast as I can towards the bus stop. I’m sure they’ll just be brooding somewhere inside an alley or something. I can simply avoid those areas.”

Madison still looked unconvinced. “But, Julie… I don’t feel good about this. Maybe I should leave early or take a break and accompany you outside.”

“No, you don’t have to. Maddy, you know that Mr. Hanson doesn’t like us leaving early or slacking off. Besides,” I added, glancing towards the toppled-over tables and chairs, “I think you still need to deal with the mess that those guys left you with…”

“Oh! Mr. Hanson is going to kill me,” Madison lamented as she rushed over towards the mess. “Still, Julia!” she called out behind her. “Just be careful, okay?”

I waved at her with a smile. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

As I approached the exit doors, my heart started to race.

I lied to Madison. I didn’t believe that I’d be fine, and there was also a good chance that those guys were still out there nearby.

Not only that, but I got spooked when Madison mentioned one of them having a gun. It might’ve been her imagination due to the heat of the moment, but I couldn’t rule out the possibility, either.

However, if I waited for Madison to finish her shift, I would have to sit here for three more hours. She lived nearby in an apartment, so she didn’t need to go down the road and pass by any shady-looking alleys.

Plus, I was tired, and I really just wanted to lie down on my bed.

‘Maybe I’m just being too paranoid,’ I thought to myself as I exited the bar, feeling the chilly night breeze brush against my face.

As long as I quickened my steps, I would be fine.

That was what I had thought.

I pressed my coat tightly against my body, as though it would protect me from any harm. I walked quickly towards the direction of the bus stop, feeling even more paranoid at the lack of people passing by.

Even though I could still hear the noisy sounds of the bar at a distance, it didn’t reassure me as much. After all, the more I walked, the further away the sounds were, and the approaching silence was starting to creep me out.

I took a deep breath as I walked down the road, my eyes darting around the dark surroundings. In this part of the neighborhood, there were barely any stores that opened at this hour. The houses were located about a few blocks away from here, and the only signs of life I could see were the occasional stray dogs and cats either passing by or sleeping on the sidewalk.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

My only sources of illumination were the lampposts. Other than that, everything was dark, and nobody seemed to feel like exiting the bar at the moment, so I was all alone.

Or so I thought.

The moment I approached a nearby alley, my senses started to tingle. It was as though a feeling of foreboding crawled into my stomach, enveloping me with anxiety.

I couldn’t quite explain it; just that I felt like something bad was going to happen.

People always say to trust your gut instincts.

And they were right.

When I braced myself and approached the alley with quick steps, I suddenly heard something. It was the sound of people arguing, and the noise grew the more I got near. I froze in place, my heartbeat picking up. It couldn’t be.

There were angry shouts that followed after, and it was escalating in volume by the minute. Before I could make a run for it, I suddenly saw a man bolting out of the alley and running away, shouting something that I could hear at this distance.

“I’m sorry!” he yelled desperately. “You can have her!”

I froze in place when a woman’s scream pierced the air for a very brief moment before it was immediately cut off.

Like someone covered her mouth.

‘Oh no,’ I thought to myself in dread.

It couldn’t be…

“After him!” someone shouted, and then two men suddenly chased after the man who ran away just now.

Meanwhile, three men were dragging a woman towards a black van that was parked across the alley. The woman was struggling wildly, but the men were too strong for her.

One of them took out a knife from his pocket and started threatening her with it.

‘This can’t be happening!’