Darkest City

Chapter 4.

Puppy.

I don't know how long I have been running for or even where I was running to. All I know is my lung are burning, my legs are aching and I lost my shoes! Also, there are six faster, stronger guys gaining on me quick. I had the element of surprise at my favour but not for much longer. The only reason they haven't caught me yet was because, I kept turning corners every chance I got. I had no clue where I was. I could no longer feel my feet, they had gone past the point of hurting. I just want to go home to bed.

I turned a sharp corner; my pace becoming slower as I saw figures up ahead. Four of them were standing around a man kneeling on the floor looking beaten and bruised. Two of the men were stood off to the side talking and smoking, while the other two continued to beat the man on the ground.

"If it wasn't you then who leaked the information then who was it?" It was one of the men smoking that spoke. I knew that voice!

"Silas?" I didn't mean to say his name out loud, but it slipped through my lips without permission. Before I knew it I once again found myself staring into cold steel eyes.

"What the hell!" The man beside him took a step towards me but Silas stopped him taking the step himself. I couldn't imagine what I looked like in that moment. A short red dress; bear bloody feet; I've probably sweated enough that my makeup was half way down my face.

"You..." I heard footsteps closing in fast behind me, and before he could say anything else I rushed forward and hid behind a dumpster close to him. Silas still had eyes on me as I motioned for him to keep hush.

The footsteps grew closer and Silas came forward making it impossible to see me unless they got passed him.

"What's the problem fellas?" The other man came a stood beside Silas. His blonde hair shone in the moonlight.

"N-no problem. We just lost something is all." I could hear Mikey was nervous.

"Well, what is it? Maybe we've seen it." I could now see that both Silas and the blond were dressed fancy, in dress shirts and suit jackets.

"A....  dog. We lost my dog. We could've sworn the bitch ran this way!" I could see Silas' hand clench into a fist.

"A dog?" The blond chuckled, and Silas stayed silent. "Well, we've not seen any dog come this way. So you gentlemen can be on your way. We're kind of in the middle of something right now."

They didn't need telling twice. I could hear footsteps starting to move away. I released the breath I didn't know I had been holding during the whole exchange.

"Wait!" Silas spoke to them for the first time. My heart stopped! Was he going to turn me in? Tell them I had been hiding this entire time? "If she had run through here, that would mean she is in my territory. Anything in my territory belongs to me! She is no longer yours. Do you understand? She's mine now."

Maybe I had actually passed out at some point and was dreaming. Did I really just hear him say what I think he said? Real or not my heart was beating fast at his words.

"Do you understand?" There was more force behind his words this time. I could imagine the scared look on Mikey's face as he replied.

"Y-yes sir." Waiting for no push this time they ran away from Silas and his men.

Silas waited a few moments before coming to stand in front of me. He offered out a hand to help me up and I took it with trembling fingers. Whether I was shaking because of the cold; fear; sheer exhaustion or maybe a combination of all three, I just wanted to go home. I couldn't look him in the eye, so I kept my gaze down, feeling so ashamed of myself!