Chapter 1: Ava's Night

The bright lights, the cars' loud honking in the middle of traffic, the loud street music, and the busy, noisy, and happy drunk cheers on a Friday evening echoed through the night.

People sure are delighted for another end-of-the-hell weekday here in East City...

But it feels cold... so cold. The wind tickles as it blows kisses to my neck. The small bumps on my arms feel a little rough on my fingertips and it feels weird.

"Hoorrayyyyy! Yeah!" Drunkards...

Tsk! It is so noisy! 

So annoying!

I guess happiness is just not for people like me...

The unlucky ones...

"Huckk! Cough! Cough!" Gruntt!

I saw my reflection in the broken window of an abandoned car, illuminated by a small portion of the light given by the brightest building in East City—the one with the butterfly. Was it that one? It always seemed so bright...

But, damn! I never thought I would see myself eye to eye in a situation like this!

My clothes are all torn up... pathetic! The sight of the little dark red wounds on my body, the littlest scrapes, sting! I look so pitiful right now that I would rather die than see myself like this for another second!

I turned my head away, bit my chapped dry lips, and kept myself quiet as much as possible, but...

"Huff! Haa...," My chest feels so heavy like a truck is on it! Breathing feels like the air excruciatingly stops in the middle of my throat.

It hurts!

My right hand automatically searched for a wall it could hold onto! I feel my body giving up! My free hand grabbed my stomach, applying pressure on my side! Shit! I can not just do nothing!

I gritted my teeth! I close my eyes and tightly wrap a cloth on my left upper thigh. I desperately hold my breath as the pain slowly increases along with the pressure on my thigh, forgetting the killing pain I am feeling in my chest.

I let out a heavy sigh and gathered strength on my right leg.

I have to keep moving...

I took a deep breath, and spit the unpleasant flavour in my mouth! The metallic taste of blood at the back of my tongue tastes horrid! "Uhck! Cough!" My nosebleed may have gone to my throat, and my stomach is turning! I feel nauseous! My punched and kicked stomach is zapping me inside... it is killing me!

Crap!

Those guys beat me up real bad this time! I am rapidly losing every ounce of strength that I have! My legs can not take it anymore! I... I can barely feel my legs and feet.

With all the huffing and breathing heavily... my head is spin- spinning!

Before I can explain, those guys did not think twice and made me into a punching bag! They are all convinced that I stole the ledger that no one ever dared to steal unless they wanted to die.

Shit!

I felt my back weakly lean, slowly sliding on the cold, cement wall. I sat on the damp, rough ground of this dark part of the alley. I gulped and shut my eyes. The cold feeling on my back tingles through my spine, I looked up at the night sky... It's a beautiful night to die.

I closed my eyes as I jolted quietly, suppressing my voice... suppressing the pain.

My wounds and bruises sting more and more, all that sweat is making it worse! I feel like multiple needles are piercing through my skin over and over.

"Hey! You guys search around and in that building over there! We will search over here! She's beaten up badly, she can not go that far!" Those loud, breathy, low, raspy, and desperate voices! Gladiolus gangsters, they sure are fast!

"Crap! Hahh... Huff... Haah..." I need to get out of here! But with those guys roaming around like searching dogs... I can't flee right now! This dark and empty alley might not be as helpful as I think it wou-

"Tsk! Found you, Ava!" A blonde bitchy overconfident girl dressed in slutty checkered miniskirt and plain t-shirt smirked and posed in front of me like a badass lady... Ashea is one of the teenage, curious, arrogant, girls that got their way in the gang by being friends or flirty with the Gladiolus men/gangsters.

A person like Ashea joined the Gladiolus Clan just because she wanted power and connection. Ashea is curious about what is happening in this kind of organization, gangs, and stuff. She is the type of person who prefers to be on this side of life instead of the weak side. She is not a threat, but from the looks of my condition, I might consider her one right now.

"Pfft, hahaha!" I laughed! I feel like shit!

"What are you laughing at?!" Ashea's voice squeaked! Her eyes are deadly glaring at me, but the tip of her lip... she's giving me an evil smirk.

I see her, but all I can hear is the sound of my breathing...

This scene feels so familiar! I can not do anything again... even when I know that I could die at this moment, I can not move nor even have the chance to run awa-

Pfft! Haha! What the hell am I even saying? Screw that!

I don't want to run away from this situation, anyway! I want to end everything once and for all! I am so tired...

The funny thing is, a useless piece of a crappy person like her will be the one putting an end to me!

"I'm going to kill you!" Woah, saying that while gritting her teeth that hard, she must really despise me.

I am two years older than Ashea, she is just sixteen.

Since I joined earlier in the clan, that makes Ashea my junior. I tried being easy on her about the tasks and punishments, but she is just so annoying! The more time she spent in the Gladiolus clan, the more she became of a bad person. Her nasty personality is a gift meant to drag her into all kinds of trouble if you ask me. Too bad she met me!

I pressed my teeth down on my trembling lips, suppressing the pain! Ignoring the cold! Crap I need to calm the heck down and get my shit together! Breathe... but it is so dang painful!

My eyes looked at hers. I gave her a smile. "R-Really? Good for you! G-Good for you since you've been wanting it so badly!" I can still manage to talk despite my deep rough breaths! My body... really... hurts!

"Heh~," She smirked! "It is really good for me! It is great actually!" The little devil's smile on her face is really annoyingly ugly! "Those moments when you purposely made me take every girl's punches because you hate me? That is bullshit!" 

Isn't she overconfident a lot though..., and mad? Like worse than normal? Just because Ashea found me first, she is acting like she is so especially skilled! I forgot that she's so pretentious too.

"Look at you now, you are like a trash loitered at this dirty and dark alley. All beaten up! Even if I end you now, no one will know!" 

This crazy- I already know that!

"Tsk! Laugh all you want, Ashea! As if you can end me. You are too busy talking! Now I remember you have always been a coward and the weak one! You can not hurt a single person without crying that night." You can't take me down! "You are so pathetic that you cannot hurt anyone! You are so scared that you tremble and stutter! You-"

"SHUT UP!"

She is so easy to provoke! Her brown glaring eyes can not seem to leave staring at me! She is too nice to hurt- Ehhh! Where did that baseball bat come from?! Crap!

"Whackkkkkkk!"

What is with this silence with a long beeping sound? Did she actually... hit me?

... but it does not hurt at all!

Huh? Everything is blurry...

I gulped... trying to open my tired eyes.

I looked up.

Ashea is flustered... It's barely clear, but I can see her trembling lips mouthing something to the others. I can't hear anything... She is running- they are running away!

Pfft! Just as I thought, she is a coward! She is so weak that even killing me will hurt her even more than hurting me!

Nevermind her! I need to stay awake! My eyes... are shutting down on their own... I need to stay awake! Stay ha-awake...

A warm liquid... I feel a warm liquid rolling down my face...

G-Good thing I can still move my hands... My head! Eh? Is this red? It looks a lot like blood...

...

My vision...

Air...

It is getting harder to, huff, breathe...

It's hard to, "breathe."

Claannnkkk!

I think I heard a faint clanking sound, "H-Help... me!" God! My voice can not be any louder! My voice is trapped and can't get out!

Pffft! Hahahaha!

Who am I kidding?! No one comes in this alley, especially this late at night! Maybe it is just a stray cat walking around or something...

I am so, "sleepy..." and tired...