1 Chapter 1- Seen

I lay motionlessly, knowing I must get up and start my day, but really not wanting too. I hate leaving my bed. Its a daily struggle.

I finally drag myself up from my thin mattress on the floor, and flip on the lamp that rest on the tacky blue carpet next to it. I rush myself into a shower, followed by dressing, then collecting everything I need for work. I have a few minutes before I have to leave my apartment, so I endulge in one of my most favorite activities; people watching.

My living room, like everything else here, is small and poorly furnished. All the walls in the apartment are an odd green, cool and uninviting. It's not much, but it's everything I've worked for and earned. It's my own, and I love every inch of it.

The floor to ceiling window in the living room looks straight out at the brick of a neighboring building, but if I sit in the very corner I can see a narrow glance of the beautiful city I call home.

I sit with my coffee mug in hand, and the warmth eminating from the cup helps bring life to my fridged skin. I watch on as the variety of people bustling about, all with differing destinations. And when the clock strikes 7:30, I leave to join them.

===***===

Late at night I return home, exhausted from the long tedious hours of my days. I cut myself an apple, then open my laptop to begin my nightly college courses. The silence of this little apartment is something I've always loved, and the atmosphere of contentment and rest always makes it easy to do my work.

I've worked my way through a few chapters when I begin to hear voices outside my living room window. I pause my course and head to window to investigate. Being on the second floor of the complex, I overlook the ally below. I've never seen anybody down there- until tonight.

A shaky old man on a cane stands off against three others, their silhouette's strong and young. The elderly man holds a gun steady at the three others, who all appear unarmed. My breathing runs ragged in my chest, my hysteria starting up. I fear deeply for the men, and for myself. What if I'm about to watch a murder? I stand frozen, millions of questions stirring in my head, lost with out a single answer to be found.

Then the second heart attack of the night grips me. The glinting, metal weapon the elderly man once held is taken with unnatural skill by one of the three. He's the larges of the men, his stance announcing unmatched power. I strain to make out any of their features, but the shadow of the night is a guardian angel to their identities.

A second later the trigger is pulled, a life is ended, and it's almost silent. The gun was undoubtedly equip with a silencer, and the sound of a mans death could have easily been mistaken as a rock hitting an AC vent. Horror grips my body, and I beg my legs to move but they won't. I'm screaming and shouting but I'm not making a single noise.

I stand watching, remaining absolutely futile to the situation. The man with the gun paces forward, looming over the motionless corpse. A black pool seeps around the elderly mans head, his cane strewn uselessly at his side. Moonlight cuts down the ally now at an ideal angle, and I can make out some of the man. Dark leather hugs his body, elegantly showcasing the broadness of his shoulders and stature of his stance. I can see his hair is very dark, brown or black.

He runs his hand through his hair, seemingly displeased with the morbid turn of events. He tilts his head back, and his face is caught in the silver moonlight. I watch desperately as his hand freezes in his hair, his dark eyes widen, and both of us come to a pivotal stand still.

One. Two. Three. Critical seconds tick away and then I'm moving, stumbling away from the glass, tripping away from the dangerous men. My heartbeat shakes my frail body, my blood roars through my veins in tidal waves. I'm completely flustered, at a lost for what step to take or even what direction to take it in. My brain feels corrupted by static in the form of panic, rendering me thoughtless.

My instincts finally swoop in to help me, just as I hear three sets of heavy footsteps pounding up the stairwell. I make a dash to my closet, hitting my foot on the side of the wall of course, because nothing can ever just go right for me. I close the door behind me, then do my best to hide my body behind hanging cloths. The immediate issue with this is the fact that the lower half of my body is exposed, so lets just hope they don't look downward. I try my very hardest to control and soften my breathing, as I have often hyperventilated.

Three knocks on the apartment door. A beat of silence. A crash. My heart rate sky rockets into a frenzy. What if they hear my heartbeat? I place my hand over my chest to try and muffle it. Is the sound of my thundering heart just in my ears, or is it actually audible?

I stand and wait. There's nothing more to do. I can't call anyone, in my haste I abandoned my phone on the bar next to my laptop.

Footsteps, softly padding across my bedroom floor. My bathroom door is opened, and then closed. My head swims a little, and I fear I may faint and cause a thud when I fall. I watch in chilling terror as the light beaming in under the closet door lessens, shadows of feet blocking the light.

The slow intrusion of light is matched with the groaning of hinges as the door is opened. A chuckle lingers in the air, and I know I've been spotted. The cloths concealing me are flung back, and I know I'm in trouble.