A thunderstorm drenched the city as if the sky were vomiting the same rage Megan felt. In this narrow alley, reeking of trash and mold, Megan knelt on the rough asphalt, ignoring her scraped knees and her mud-stained skirt. Her hands shook violently as she pressed down hard on the stomach of a helpless man lying there. Thick, crimson blood continued to seep out, warm against her fingers which were beginning to turn blue from the cold."Hey! Don't you die on me yet, you bastard! Not now, please!" Megan screamed, her voice hoarse from hours of crying. The man beneath her only groaned, his eyes half-closed, staring blankly at the dark ceiling of the alleyway.
"Listen to me! You have to stay awake! Do you hear me?! Damn it, the blood won't stop!" Megan panicked even more. She looked left and right, hoping someone would pass by, but there was no one. There was only the sound of roaring thunder and the heavy rain slamming against old tin roofs."It hurts... agh..." The man groaned, his body twitching slightly.
"I know it hurts! Just endure it! Don't go soft on me now!" Megan began fumbling at her neck, forcibly pulling off the cream-colored wool scarf wrapped there. The scarf was soaking wet, but it was the only thing she had. "This is the last scarf I own, you know?! A scarf from that prick James, who just ran off this afternoon with all my money! I should be burning this thing, not using it to plug up your guts like this! My life is absolutely cursed today!" Megan wrapped the scarf around the man's waist with rough but steady movements. She pressed down on the wound with all her body weight.
"Why... are you... helping... me?" the man’s voice sounded thin, nearly swallowed by the sound of the rain.
"I don't even know, damn it! Maybe because I feel like we're both about to die anyway! I came here to slit my own wrists, you know?! Instead, I find you already dying from a gunshot. Isn't God hilarious?!" Megan laughed hysterically, her tears mixing with the rain flowing down her cheeks. "I don't want to be alone. If you die, I’ll feel like this world really is useless.”The man tried to move his hand, but his strength was gone. "Go... they... will come back..."
"Who are 'they'?! The people who shot you?! I don't care! I have nothing left to lose! My house was seized, my savings were wiped out by Maya and James—now all I have is this worthless life! Let them come, let's just die together here!" Megan kept talking, as if by speaking she could keep the man from slipping into unconsciousness.
"You're... crazy..." The man winced, a slight glint appearing in his fading eyes.
"I am! I really have gone crazy! And you're crazy too—why are you in an alley like this in the middle of the night wearing an expensive suit but with a hole in your stomach?! Are you a drug dealer? Or some sugar baby who got caught by a jealous husband?!" Megan kept pressing the wound. "Don't close your eyes! I said don't close your eyes!"
"My name... is Felix..."
"I didn't ask for your name! I asked why you haven't died yet when you've lost a bucket of blood?!" Megan screamed again, trying to drive away the fear creeping up her spine. "Hold on, Felix! Do you hear me? My name is Megan. And I’ve decided that tonight, you are not allowed to kick the bucket!"
Suddenly, the screech of tires braking abruptly echoed from the end of the alley. Bright spotlights cut through the darkness, blinding Megan. She squinted, trying to see what was happening.
"See! Someone's here! Is it your friends or your enemies?!" Megan trembled, but she didn't let go of her pressure on Felix's wound.
Several men in neat black suits climbed out of two large SUVs. They held firearms that looked incredibly lethal. Their heavy footsteps splashed through the puddles, creating a terrifying rhythm.
"Don't move! Put your hands up, you damn girl!" shouted one of the large men, pointing a pistol directly at Megan's forehead.
"Whoa, whoa! Take it easy! I'm not doing anything! I'm just helping him! Please don't shoot me!" Megan raised one hand, while the other remained pressed against the scarf on Felix's stomach. "This guy is about to die; you'd better help get him to a hospital instead of pointing guns at me! It's terrifying, you know!"
"Mr. Felix!" another man shouted upon seeing the figure lying beneath Megan. They immediately surrounded the two of them.
"Move! Get away from our Master!" The large man shoved Megan's shoulder until she tumbled onto the hard asphalt."Ouch! You're so damn rough! I worked so hard to keep him from bleeding out, and you just throw me aside?!" Megan tried to get up, but the cold muzzle of a pistol was pressed against her temple.
"Who are you really?! Are you a spy from the Luciano family?!" the man barked, his face only inches from Megan's.
"Luciano my ass! I'm Megan! I'm just a civilian having a bad day who found your boss in the trash! Look at my hands—they're covered in blood! Do you think I'd bother taking a blood bath if I intended to kill him?!" Megan snapped back with a courage born of desperation. "You'd better take care of your boss; he's as pale as a living corpse!"
"Shut up! Stop talking!"
In the middle of the chaos, Felix, who had been motionless, suddenly reached out his blood-stained hand. With a burst of strength from God-knows-where, he gripped Megan's wrist. His grip was incredibly strong, as if he feared she would vanish if he let go."Master... Mr. Felix, you're conscious?!" His subordinates immediately knelt on the other side.
"Bring... her... with... us..." Felix whispered in a heavy voice, his eyes opening slightly, staring intensely at Megan."But Master, this woman is suspicious. We should finish her here so there are no witnesses," said the large man holding Megan at gunpoint.
"I said... bring her..." Felix repeated with an emphasis that made his men immediately bow in obedience. Shortly after, Felix lost consciousness, his head lolling back, but his hand still locked onto Megan's wrist in a death grip.
"You heard him, right? Your boss wants me to come! So get that gun out of my face before I actually have a heart attack!" Megan tried to pull her hand away, but Felix's grip was like iron handcuffs. "Hey, let go of my hand first! Felix! Let go! I can't move!"
"Stop acting up. Get in the car now!" The large man grabbed Megan's collar, forcing her to stand.
"Take it easy, you prick! I can walk!" Megan struggled. "And what about this? He won't let go! Am I supposed to drag him along or what?!"
"Lift them both! Hurry! Before the police or enemies arrive!" the team leader ordered.
Megan was forced into the large black car. Her body was shoved roughly into the back seat, right next to the unconscious Felix, who was still clutching her hand. The metallic smell of blood filled the luxurious but cold cabin.
"Hey, where are you taking me?! I have an appointment to look for a new job tomorrow!" Megan screamed as the car door was slammed shut and locked from the outside.