Dark Route: My fear blinds me. (Cancelled)

(Author's note: I called this a dark route, but when I started writing I wasn't expecting it to get quite so dark. **** fics are usually not my cup of tea, so I don't really have much of a baseline when it comes to how dark these things typically get. That being said, if this is too much, let me know! I am more than happy to tone it down a notch or 5. Love and Kisses, H.B.)

Over and over again, the treacherous thought runs through my head. Just leave her, save yourself. Our eyes lock, and I stare into those deep brown pools. There is fear there, but also something more. My heart lurches at the sight. There is no animosity in her gaze, only a resigned acceptance. I run on autopilot, completely lost in those eyes. “It’s truly a miracle that I haven’t tripped.”

The thought finally breaks me out of my fugue, and I look up to see where I’m going. An alley stretches ahead of me, looking the same as any alley anywhere. Something is wrong, however. No Kitsune. A fresh wave of panic washes over me as I realise that my tentative ally is gone. Where did she go?!? I realise that until this point I had been following her lead through the twisting maze of alleys and backstreets. Right until I had my moment of cowardice, that is. Is that what happened? The Kitsune took a turn whilst I was too busy inside my own head to notice? It hardly mattered now.

I purge any thought of ditching the mouse girl from my mind. Without the aid of the Kitsune, I will need all the help I can get to get out of here. I tighten my grip on my passenger. Chancing a look over my shoulder, I realise with dread that the monstrous man is not far behind. “Look out!” the urgent voice of my passenger returns my focus to the path ahead, but by that point it's far too late.

I feel it hit my shins. There is a little give, but not nearly enough. My legs are stopped cold whilst my upper half retains its momentum. For the second time that day, I am sent sprawling, crashing into the ground at speed. My arms twitch in a doomed attempt to save myself, but my hands are full of terrified Mouse-kin. The end result is a face first flight towards the cobbles below with nothing to break my fall. There is a flash of brilliant white, then everything goes black.

Slowly, I return to my senses. The world throbs as my head aches, a ringing in my ears only making the pain worse. Everything is spinning around me, neither up nor down have any meaning. My stomach rebels and I lose what’s left of my lunch, throat burning as bile and half-digested food spill out of my mouth. The reeking and rapidly cooling puddle my face is pressed into suggest this is not the first time this has happened.

Then, I hear it, over the sound of the bells. Sobbing. Pleading. Mustering all my remaining strength, I clamber unsteadily to my feet. I’m in some sort of enclosed courtyard, washing lines criss-crossing the area, and in the centre sits a small well. My head clears further, and I realise the ringing isn’t just in my head. Somewhere off in one of the surrounding buildings, an alarm rings.

I hear another sob. With a heart full of dread, I turn to find the source. The monstrous man has the Mouse-kin girl cornered. The little thief has a knife out, pointed at the big man in shaking hands. He takes a step forward, and the girl lunges, stabbing up towards his stomach with all she’s worth. The man doesn’t even attempt to block. The knife drives towards the man's belly.Hope swells for a moment, but is instantly dashed as the blade skitters off a translucent barrier centimetres away from the man’s belly, before the stress on the blade causes the weapon to snap.

The mouse-kin girl looks numbly down at her shattered weapon, eyes despondent, all hope lost. Only the hilt and a tiny shard of metal remains of the knife, her grip loosens from the useless object, and it clatters to the floor. The man’s chuckle is deep, menacing. He slowly stalks forward, herding the poor girl, until her back presses against the courtyard corner. Nowhere left to run.

I take a step forward. No plan, no weapon, just a burning desire to save her.

Thwip.

From somewhere, a strange noise. Then I feel a stinging sensation in my neck, like I’ve been bitten by an insect. I reach up and feel something small dangling from the back of my neck. With trembling fingers, I pluck the object free, then bring it up to my face to examine it. A dart? I cast it aside and continue staggering forward.

A wave of weakness and numbness spreads throughout my body as I reach the well. I stumble, grabbing onto the waist-high wall for support. Dragging myself forward, I make it to the other side of the well; the side facing the monstrous man, before my legs give out fully. I slump down, back to the stone wall of the well. My body no longer seems to obey my commands, I try to move with all my might, but all I do is twitch.

Footsteps approach from behind. Someone here to help? I desperately try to turn my head, but the only movement I can muster is to move my eyes and to blink. The footsteps stop right next to me, I can tell that the person is looking down at me. Then they speak. “What did Marston bring for us today? My, you’re a pretty one.” The voice is deep, with a gravelly quality that in other circumstances could have been quite soothing. Instead, the voice sent shivers down my spine. The last spark of hope I held splutters, then dies. No one is coming to save me.

In a conversation tone, the man continues, “Can’t say I recognise you. Those clothes are far too nice for you to be from one of the gangs.” A calloused hand stokes my cheek. I whimper, trying everything I can to move away from the grip. Try as I might, there’s nothing I can do. The hand withdraws from my face, before dropping lower, squeezing my breast through my blouse.

Tears stream down my face as despair overwhelms me. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. This was supposed to be a grand adventure, where I explored the world, fought monsters, and wielded powerful magics. Instead, I was helpless, unable to move or defend myself as a stranger mercilessly gropes my body.

After what felt like hours, but in reality was a few moments, the man's hand withdraws. In a tone full of disappointment, the man says, “It’s such a shame that you’re not from a gang. Means I’m going to have to bring you to the boss. I would much prefer for those lips of yours to be wrapped around my cock. But Alas, rules are rules.” The man sighs dramatically, before gripping my head and guiding my view towards the pair in the corner.

“Now, your friend on the other hand, I can tell that’s she's one of Kerrigan’s little ones. I know for a fact that Kerrigan isn’t well liked in the parts. Know what that means? Means she’s fair game.” Over in the corner, the thief girl darts to one side, making one final, **** attempt at freedom. In a flash, the monstrous man reaches out, grabbing the panicking girl by the arm. She wiggles for all she is worth, but we both know that she won’t get free.

I clench my eyes shut, **** to shut out what we all know is coming next. *SLAP*. Pain blossoms across the left side of my face where the man struck me. Through the ringing in my ear, I hear, “Tut tut tut. Less of that. This’ll be an excellent lesson for you. You are incredibly lucky you know, you get a front-row seat to see what happens when you cross the Nightfangs. Keep your head down, follow our instructions, or I can personally guarantee that what’s about to happen will happen to you. Oh, and just so you know. If you try to close your eyes again for longer than a blink, I will hurt you. Understood?”