Confined

Chapter Two - Being Careful

With the table cleaned and the mugs washed, I resumed my spot at the front of the diner. Less than half an hour before Nina, my replacement, comes in. I busied myself with some last minute tasks, like emptying the trash.

Opening the back door, I tossed the bags into the alley before propping the door open with my makeshift doorstop, a scrap block of wood. The alley opened on one end to the street that runs by the diner and was closed on the other end where the metal trash bins were. I grabbed the bags off the ground and walked towards the bin. The alley was still dark with only the streetlamps illuminating the area. I opened the lid to one of the bins when I heard the creaking of a door. Spinning around, I groaned as I caught the sight of the door closing, effectively locking me out. Great, now I have to walk all the way around the building to get back in. I tossed the remaining bags in the bin and started my trek back.

Suddenly, a figure ran into the alley and pressed his back against the brick wall, his chest rising and falling. I spotted a gash on his forehead and blood pouring down the side of his face.

"Are you alright?" I called out to him, approaching cautiously as if I might frighten him like an injured animal. He turned and noticed me for the first time. Eyes wild, he rushed towards me. I managed to take several steps back, but I didn't make it far. He grabbed me roughly by the shoulder and pulled me back against his chest. Panic flared through my veins, settling in my stomach as I struggled against his hold. He spun us toward the mouth of the alley just as another person rounded the corner.

The man holding me snaked an arm around my chest and something cold and sharp pressed against my neck. A knife, my breath caught in my throat. "Stay back!" The man shouted, tightening his hold on me. 

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to bring a knife to a gunfight?" A familiar voice greeted my ears and the man in front of us took a step closer. You have got to be kidding me. My eyes met a pair of raging gray ones and yet he had a cruel smile on his face. His leather jacket was torn in several places, and his jeans were stained with dirt and blood.

The man pressed his knife threateningly against my throat and I felt a small trickle of blood run down my neck. Yep, this uniform is definitely ruined. Shut up, I scolded myself. Now was not the time.

"I'll slit her throat if you come any closer." The man's voice cracked in fright.

"Go ahead. Do you really think I care about one innocent life, Ivan?"

I could feel the fear rolling off the man, Ivan, in droves. His hold across my chest tensed, making it harder for me to breathe. A knot formed in my chest. I watched the man in front of us as he stalked towards us like a predator closing in on his prey. I saw the gun in his hand when it caught the light from a streetlamp. His eyes made contact with my own for a brief second before flashing to the knife at my neck and then back to Ivan.

Ivan and the man stood off against one another, waging a silent battle. I'd bet the hundred-dollar bill in my apron pocket that Ivan won't be walking out of this alley tonight. Neither will you, a voice in my head taunted. Again, I told myself to shut up.