Somebody Please Help Us!

It was silent as we traveled through the woods, except for when I whimpered. Now that my adrenaline was gone, every jostle hurt my back and my dangling leg. The others were worried about it dangling like that but we didn't know what to do about it. They were going as fast as they could to the city without hurting me further.

Jessica was walking next to John in the middle of our group because they were smaller than Jeffery and Joshua and had a slower pace.  Jeffery was leading the way while Joshua and I were in the back so he could keep an eye on Jess and John. Soon enough I could hear Jeffery sigh in relief as he said, "I can see lights in the distance. That means only a little further to go until we reach the city."

Around us the trees started to disappear as we entered the slums of the city. "Hey," John said. "We should shift so it doesn't look awkward that a pack of dogs are traveling around. That way you can also ask for directions to a doctor." Jeffery shifted first and took me from Joshua so he could shift. John and Jessica took a bit to shift but were human again within a few minutes.

We were wandering around the streets looking for anyone who could tell us where we were and how to find the closest doctor. But it was weird, there wasn't anybody on the streets. It was only about 10 o'clock from what I could tell because of how tired I was. It didn't feel right to me; even in my small town, there were people walking around at this time of night. Maybe it was later than I thought but my pain was just keeping me more alert than usual at this time.

We had just been passing the mouth of an alley when we heard footsteps from down it. Jeffery turned and looked, then smiled when he saw three men walking towards us. "Oh thank god! Can you please tell me where we are and where we can find the nearest doctor? We've been wandering around and haven't found anyone so that would be great if you can."

There was a malicious glint in their eyes as they looked at us. "You're in Gotham, kids." They started to come towards us and I was terrified. I had heard of this place before, from the news. "RUN, GUYS WE HAVE TO RUN!" I scream.

Joshua grabs John and Jessica by the wrist and spirits away, Jeffery and I not far behind. The jostling hurts a lot but that's not my biggest problem at the moment. The men are following us and not too far away. We have to loose them! We're going to die or worse if we don't! I see a small alleyway up ahead and hope it's not a dead end. "Left," I called. Inside was another alley, this one a little bigger. "Right."

When we stopped I started to cry. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" We had come face to face with a dead end. Jessica was crying too, realizing what this meant. We had both been watching the news when we learned of this place and what happens in it.

I was so distressed, I didn't realize I was vibrating. Jeffery gasped and quickly handed me to John. "She's going to shift. Take the girls and hide in the corner. Make sure you lay Sam down for when she shifts. Go, we're going to protect you." He picked up two plastic pipes and handed one to Joshua just as the men came into the alley.

"Now, now, kids. That wasn't smart. This is our city, we know these streets like the back of our hands. We're going to have to punish you for running away," one said with a sadistic smirk. By now, John had gotten us to the corner and laid me down just in time for me to shift. All three of us were shaking in fear but only Jess and I were crying. John was standing protectively in front of us with a chunk of rough pavement in his hand in case the men got past Jeff and Josh.

Peeking around John, I watched as the men rushed at Josh and Jeff with knives. They were doing well for two against three, but it was obvious they were being overpowered. Suddenly, the man Joshua was fighting slammed the hilt of the knife onto his temple, knocking him to his knees where he kicked him in the chest, flinging him onto his back with the wind knocked out of him. "Joshua!" Jessica yelled. Jeffery whipped around at the sound and one of the men grabbed him and slammed his head into the wall, dazing him, and dropped him onto the ground. "Jeffery!" All three of us yelled.

With Jeff and Josh out of the way, the men turned to us. John brandished his rock and Jessica darted a foot away to also grab a rock. As they got closer, Jessica threw her rock at the man in the lead and hit him in the knee. "Stay back!" John shouted. They continue to advance on us and I try to curl into a ball but yell when I move my leg. "Hey look, little girl there's already hurt. That's gonna be some fun." John charged at him in anger. "You stay away from her! Leave us alone!"

John started to hit him with the rough pavement and got a nice cut across the man's face, before one of the other men grabbed him and held him still. John was struggling to get out of the hold when the man he beat up punched him in the gut, making him slouch in pain and violently cough.

"No," I whisper brokenly. Jessica and I were huddled together, hugging in the corner. We were shaking and crying, watching as two of them approached us. One grabbed Jessica by the arm and dragged her out of my arms. She started screaming, kicking and hitting the man but he back handed her across the face. "Shut up, brat!"

The other man grabbed me by my broken leg and dragged me out of the corner. I scream in terror and pain, sobbing for them to let me and my family go. With a cruel smile, he lifted me into the air using my leg. I let out such a painful screech that half way through I felt my vocal chords rip.

All three men were laughing while the others were screaming for me. Through my tears, I could see an upside down view of Joshua struggling to get up off the ground and stumble towards me. Jeffery tried to get up but fell back to the ground. Jessica and John were still struggling to get out of the hold of our captors but were being held in death grips. I just hung there, limp and crying, hoping to pass out so I could escape the pain.

Joshua tripped, getting his hands out just in time to prevent him face planting but the man holding John noticed. He stalked over to Joshua and smashed his foot into his back to keep him down. He looked to the man holding Jessica and started to say, "Go get the van, I'm sure the brats' screaming drew attention. We gotta get out of here before-"

He was cut off by a dark voice saying, "Too late." We all look up to see five figures silhouetted against the dark, cloudy sky. Before anyone could react, the figures jump down into the alley and throw things at all three men. The man holding me yells in pain and drops me. If I could I would scream as I brace for my head to be smashed, but I see a streak of blue and I'm not falling anymore.

I look up and see I'm being held bridal style by one of the figures. He had a blue symbol on his chest and a weird mask thing covering his eyes. "It's ok, I gotcha," he says in a gentle voice. I hear grunting and turn my head to see one of the figures fighting the man that was holding me up. This one was wearing a red shirt with a black and yellow hooded cape. A figure in black and grey was fighting the man that was holding Jessica while another with a red symbol on his chest and a brown coat was fighting the man that was holding John and Joshua. The last figure was helping Jeffery up and making sure he was ok. He was wearing a red shirt and black cape but had two yellow belt looking things cris-crossing over his chest.

Soon enough, the men were unconscious. The ones who fought the men were tying them up while John, Jessica and Joshua watched from the side in a daze. Jeffery was sat leaning against the wall with his head in his hands. The one that helped him was radioing for the police and medical help.

"Hey, you're ok, you're safe now," said the one holding me. I look up at him and realize I'm crying still. Thinking about what had almost just happened I cling to him and sob silently because of my voice. Everything that happened today was catching up to me and I started hyperventilating. "Hey, hey. None of that now. You need to breathe, honey. Breathe."

It wasn't working. He was trying to show me how he wanted me to breathe but I couldn't do it. Everything was starting to get fuzzy. I thought I heard someone call my name but I wasn't sure. Black spots were clouding my vision and I was thankful that my body was numb which meant I couldn't feel pain. Someone called my name again and I tried to figure out who it was but the darkness swallowed me.