Chapter Three

Anna. 

Running out of my apartment and outside the building, I made my way to school. It was 6:00am now. It was still early but considering I had to be in school early enough to finish mine and Clary's project, the one she abandoned yesterday. I had to be as early as I could.

I stopped to grab my phone out of my bag to give her a call. I was still sleepy. I hadn't gotten enough sleep and my mind wandered to Noah for a while before I shook my head and tried to forget about him.

"Hey, where are you now?". I asked after Clary picked on the second ring. I heard some huffing and the harsh breathing before she answered.

"Uhm. Hey!". Came Clary's voice, the pitch was too high as I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"I'm already on my way out of the house, I just stopped to feed my Zoe"

Zoe was Clary's two year old kitten, an adorable little curious thing that loved peeping at the window always to watch the neighbor water his lawn. 

"You are supposed to be on your way to school now Clair, you know Mrs Williams would skin me alive considering I'm her best student" I smirked when Clary scoffed. There was a sound of plate breaking and then a meow from Zoe and then Clary shouting.

"I'll call you back An, Zoe is being stubborn. See you in a few". A dial tone sounded in my ears, before I sighed, shoving my phone in my pocket before continuing walking down the lonely road. My school was just a ten minutes walk from here.

It was a small town so the shops were still closed, no one was running late for work at the early hours so it was quiet. I reached into my bag to pull out my headphones to listen to some music when I heard the sound of someone's voice.

I stopped, why was I always the one hearing the voices on the lonely street? There was an alley just a few more steps. I walked softly towards it to hear a shaky voice.

"Please give me one more month. I'll pay you back" The voice sounded.

I got closer to peep, almost dropping my bag when I stumbled against a brick.

Go away Anna! My subconscious screamed, but I was just like Clary's cat, extremely curious and a little nosy. So with a fearful mind I glanced carefully at the alley and saw two men.

One who looked to be about in his late 40s was sitting on the floor, with a bloodied lip. His left arm appeared to be broken from the way he cradled it to his chest. He was wearing tattered a blue jeans and a faded black shirt. He had tears in his eyes and was looking up to the other man.

The other man was tall and probably around the same age as the one on the floor, and incredibly muscular. His dark hair was swept backwards, revealing fierce eyes from the side view because I couldn't see his face properly. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt and running down his arms were tattoos, but a familiar tattoo stood out. It was a snake, a green snake looked like a cobra. It looks like the snake was climbing up a ladder, it's body wrapped around it.

That's the tattoo symbol of the Snakes and Ladders!

I gasped, taking a step back.

That person was a member of the most notorious gang in the neighborhood!

Holding my palm to my mouth, my heart race increased and I turned to look again when the other man spoke. His voice was deep, cold and commanding. It made me shake a little.

"It's been two months since you said one more month. I think I've been lenient with you enough" He said before pulling out a gun from his back pocket. "You know what happens to people who owe me, I kill them or take what they love the most, but you have nothing worth taking"

He cocked the gun and the man on the floor scrambled backwards in fear as if to enter the wall. He raises his already broken arm to beg.

"Please one more chance Drew, please!"

"No more chances". A gunshot went off and I went numb after looking away. The man's body fell limp to the ground, blood oozing and spreading to the other man's feet.

I'd just experienced a murder!

I'd just seen someone get killed!

Oh my God! What do I do?!

Should I call the police?!

I shakenly reached for my phone in my pocket, but my hands were trembling so bad. I tried to unlock it but heard footsteps, I peeped to see the man coming out the alley.

He was putting the gun back in his pocket so he hadn't seen me yet. That's when I saw it. The chain tattoo on his face, just at his right cheekbones.

That chain tattoo on his face!

The Snakes and Ladders tattoo on his arm!

And if I vividly remember the dead man had addressed him as Drew!

Oh God!

Drew Goodman! The leader of the Snakes and Ladders!

Drew got into all kinds of deals, he owned one of the biggest strip clubs, and did drugs and sold them off. He was always hiding from the police and everytime there was a murder of one of the drug dealers he was always the suspect. His picture was all over the TV and I'm sure he had some inside people in the police because he was never caught.

He looked up and I turned sharply away, I had just seen a murder, no doubt he would kill me to keep it a secret.

I put my phone back in my pocket before scrambling back searching for where to hide so he wouldn't see me. No doubt if i start running he'll catch up to me immediately.

Let's join the running team. I remembered when Clary had told me. But instead I had picked the robotic club. Now it wasn't going to pay off.

I heard the footsteps coming closer and my heart skipped a beat.

Think fast Anna!

I looked around me to see if there was a place I could hide, and saw a huge trash can just at the back of the coffee shop so I ran towards it and ducked just as Drew came into view.

I almost let out a scream but slapped my hand against my mouth immediately, eyes widening in fear as he appeared taller standing in front of me.

I stopped breathing watching him as he looked around with icy blue eyes before taking a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket, lighting it and placing it between his lips. He drew in a deep breath before huffing it to the air then walked away.

I breathed a sigh of relief before coming out of my hiding spot and running back home as fast as I could, blaming Clary for letting me leave this early. This was the second time I was encountering someone dangerous. Noah and now Drew!

I got to my apartment, opening it before slamming the door shut and rested against it. My heart was pounding in my chest and if it were ready to jump out, with shaky fingers I brought out my phone to tell Clary I wasn't coming now but I couldn't, I dropped it to the table to breathe properly and stop shaking.

But I couldn't, the man who was shot, his dead body lying in the alley kept flashing in my mind. The blood, the snake tattoo, the chain tattoo and Drew's menacing face and dark eyes played like a movie in my mind in fast flashes.

It wasn't until I felt a hot liquid running down my shaking legs that I knew I had been holding my bladder.

But with the fear it all came trickling down before I fell to the floor blacking out.

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~Jane♥️