Riding Duo (Lee Minho FF)

[1] Saved or sacrificed?

The bell chimed as another customer walked in. Feeling absolutely tired you thought that this surely had to be the last customer before the end of your shift. It was only the fifth shift of your new part-time job. Although the weekdays weren't as busy as the weekends, you realised that living in a huge city like London meant that shifts were usually never boring.

"One latte please," said the customer.

You gave a friendly smile to the woman. "That'll be £4.30 please"

After putting the money in the till you proceeded to fill the machine with coffee beans and pressed start. It wasn't long before you added the milk, tightened the lid on the cup, and handed over the freshly made coffee to the customer. Being introverted, you surprisingly liked your job as a barista, maybe getting a coffee after your shift was absolutely worth it, especially when the coffees are free, and you have the freedom of putting as many pumps of syrup in as you want. That's a big bonus, I guess. Nevertheless, you still loved the warm ambience that coffee shops gave you. Cosy —that's how you'd describe it.

9:00pm. Taking off your apron you walk to the front door and flip the sign to 'Closed'. You rolled down the sleeves of your black turtleneck and retrieved your beige coat and bag from the cloakroom. You were exhausted, dreading to think what you'd be like when you start your first year of university in a few days. Stress beyond stress. After making your free coffee with 3 pumps of caramel syrup, you switched off the machines, locked up the shop, and made your way home.

Crossing your arms with your hands clinging onto the fabric of your coat, you tried to keep warm. You didn't realise how cold the walk home was going to be. It was going to be a rough walk back. You'd only just moved to London a few days ago with your parents and weren't used to the city life yet. Originally from a small little village in the Netherlands, you realised that coming here was a bit of a culture shock. You were becoming more uncomfortable as the cold hit your back. Impatience consumed you as you decided to take a shortcut.

As you turned into the small alleyway, the main streetlights faded away. It was impossible to see clearly so you turned your flashlight on your phone. Every step you took led you deeper into the darkness; sounds of chatter and the city fading away into silence. Your isolated footsteps grew louder, making you too anxious to take another step as you felt the world watch your every move. Unable to see clearly you started to pick up the pace. Sensations of breathing on the back of your neck started to appear. Panicking, you start to run down the alleyway, hearing footsteps behind you. Sheer panic. It was completely isolated; you knew you should have taken the usual route home. Your body gave way, and you came to a stop. You tried to catch your breath whilst the adrenaline was still pumping through your body.

"Where are you going?" A voice snarled.

Startled, you were unable to move. The continuous running had made you so tired that you couldn't even lift your feet to walk. You sharply turned around. A silhouette emerged from the pale fluorescent lamp light. There a ghastly figure stood, broad and muscular. One could not make out his facial features or clothes, but an unidentifiable sharp instrument was in his hand. Only the glimpse sound of motorbikes could be heard in the distance.

"Are you lost?" The figure started creeping towards you.

You tensed up inside. This was it, you thought to yourself. You closed your eyes shut. Your hands grabbing onto the bottom of your coat, bag hitched between your armpit. Your violent trembles didn't go unnoticed by the silhouetted man.

"Don't be scared darling. I only want to have a little bit of fun"

Your insides turned.

The faint rumbling of the engines became louder as a swarm of bright lights suddenly came bolting towards you. You were completely disoriented and couldn't see how many motorbikes had just pulled up next to the figure. Maybe six? Seven? At the front of the group, a tall slender shadow got off his motorbike and dragged the stalking figure by the arm. He pulled him close, throttling his neck as the stalker finally let go of the sharp instrument. They exchanged in violent whispers, arms waving about. It wasn't long before the threat climbed on the back of one of the motorbikes. The growl from the multiple engines tumulted your weak body as they sped past you, hair strands blowing into your face. The tall slender figure slowly made his way past, then came to a sudden stop in front of you. Still frozen to the spot, you quivered at the sight. You weren't sure if he had just saved your life or if he wanted you all to himself. You couldn't run or hide, it was useless. You had already accepted your fate.

Cowering over you, you came to the realisation that he was even taller than you had expected. He leaned towards you, his motorbike helmet almost touching your head. The scent of strong cologne filled your nostrils. You immediately stumbled back in fear. Covered in leather from head to toe the slender man lifted his arm. He pointed towards another alleyway with his gloved hands.

A husky voice emerged "That way".

Before you could even speak, he had revved his engine and sped away, leaving you alone once more. The silence was almost deafening. There you stood, vulnerable. A hair away from being someone's play toy, you remained unharmed. It hadn't really sunk in yet what happened. No tears. Just shock. A stranger might have just saved your life that night. You took his advice and followed his direction through the alleyway which led you back to the main street again. You tried to catch your breath and ended up running home.