The nightmare I had wasn’t even close to the nightmare I woke up to. My thigh was unpleasantly caressed by the old man’s cold hand. Without even processing anything I pushed him in terror and tried to get out of the car, but it was locked. Looking around for an escape, I figured that we were not moving and that we were somewhere in the woods.

“Calm down you bitch! Let’s have some fun. Nobody needs to know.” The old man desirously demanded.

“LET ME OUT YOU PERVERT!” I continued trying to open the door when suddenly remembered that I had the knife with me. He reached for my thigh once again, making slow movements under my dress. I kept looking around for my knife and found it laying down on the car’s floor. Urgently, I reached for it and pointed it towards the old pervert. He backed up, having his hands in the air, fearing for his life.

“Do not touch me again! I suggest you, for your own safety, to drive me to the nearest town and to not make any sound!” I played tough while shaking from all the adrenaline consuming my body.

“Okay, pretty lady, calm down. I was just joking.” He turned back towards his steering wheel and started the engine. I didn’t let my guard down. I had the knife on the open enough for him to see it and close enough to use it if needed.

The street lights and colorful bar lightings blinded me as we arrived somewhere at the town. He stopped the car on the side of the road, placing his palm in front of me as if he was expecting something.

“I refused to go any further without getting paid.” I rolled my eyes and clicked my tongue as I was left in disbelief of what has had humanity turned into. He unlocked the door as I refused to pay him anything and got out of the car.

“See you around pretty lady.” He winked. I made a disgusted face and slammed the door. Left alone on the unknown street, on the rain made me think of my parents.

Would it be any different if I wasn’t given to them?

The shivers from the rain gave me strength to make the first step and enter the bar. I swallowed up and grabbed the door knob, but realized that having a knife in the bar would just make more trouble for me. I blindly decided to drop it somewhere in the pile of trash that’s near the entrance so I could find it later. My entrance caused the attached bells on the door to echo through the bar and the people closed to the doors silenced up. Few of them were giving me glances and suspicious stares, following every movement I made towards the sit. Once I turned my back to them, they continued with their chatter as if nothing happened.

“May I please see your ID?” The guy behind the bar asked while cleaning one of those big mugs. “Umm, I don’t have it on me right now, but I just turned 21.” I awkwardly giggled as I was trying to hide the trauma I just went through. He lifted his eyebrow and looked at me in suspicion.

“I don’t want to drink alcohol anyways. I’d like just a glass of water.” He chuckled at my innocent appearance and turned the tap on.

“Here you go young lady.” As I took the glass from him, my finger slightly brushed onto his hand, making him flinch and drop the glass down on the counter, spilling it everywhere.

“Oh I am so, so sorry. I probably didn’t grab it well. I’m sorry. I’m not feeling myself today.” He brushed it off with his hand while leaning over the counter, signing me to get closer. I instantly got chills running through my body, remembering HIM whispering in my ear and in fear I backed off from the counter. “Hey, listen, I mean no harm, I just want to ask you something.” After hesitating at first, I made my way closer to his face, having a slight of hope that he might be the good guy.

If he wanted to hurt me, he would by now, right? After all he doesn’t seem to be something like Oliver, he looks normal.

“Are you, I don’t know, an Angel perhaps?” I froze. At that moment my whole reality got crushed again.

“I-I don’t know? Why do you ask?” With a smirk on his face, he goes back to cleaning.

Why isn’t he saying anything? Does he know Oliver? Is he working for him? Is he going to hurt me like Oliver did? Should I run?

“Don’t panic.” His eyes roamed around the bar. “Listen, I don’t know who you are, or if you are aware of this, but your touch burnt my skin. It’s something only Angels are capable of. You shouldn’t even be here, you are surrounded with demons. If not me then some of them will most probably try to rip your head off if your smell gets to them.”

Again with the smell…

He gave me a serious expression and covered his nose with the cloth he used for the glass. “You should get going! Soon they will sense your true appearance and will start chasing you.” My eyes winded as I glanced at the rest of the bar. There were too many of them to count and for the fact I knew they won’t let me live as Oliver did.

“Can you just, please, explain to me, before I leave? What is the thing about the smell? I hear it too many times, but I don’t understand it. Do I really smell that bad?” He gave me a confused, yet understandable expression and proceeded to explain.

“Of course I can, but after that just run, okay! … Okay, well, when Angels are feeling like they are in danger their odor is way stronger then usual. Right now yours is spreading like a wildfire. You are really dangerously exposing yourself….Just, Go!”

An Angel...

I thought as I ran outside and frantically kneeled down to search for my blunt knife. After aggressive digging through trash and dirt, I still couldn’t find it.

“What is that smell?! Did you let a damn Angel here?!” As the door bell rang, I hid myself between the trash thinking it would cover up the scent. By dropping the whole weight onto the trash I felt something sharp dig into my skin. I urgently covered my mouth to stop myself for screaming in ache and sat in silence hoping that he won’t find me.

“Sir calm down, everything is fine. I’d never let an Angel come inside.” The huge guy glared at the barista for some time before clicking with his tongue and going back inside. After assuring it was safe enough, I got up and saw the knife stuck deep into my left thigh. I tried to walk somewhere as far as possible from the bar, but the pain was getting more and more unbearable as the adrenaline was wearing off.

Behind the bar was a thin, but seemingly long alleyway leading south away from it. It was dark and smelled awful. The further I got, the more I felt at ease and away from danger. The pain from the wound became stronger and each step sent a pulsating tremble of pain through my leg, making it harder for me to walk.

Not too far in front of me I heard a crackling of some metal cans on the ground. Alarming enough it gave me a rush of adrenalin, so I pulled the knife out of my thigh and prepared for whatever was coming my way, not caring for the burning sensation and blood that was streaming down my leg.

At the end of the street, in the pitch darkness, appeared some glowing yellow eyes. Out of fear I just stopped and waited for it to reveal itself on the only street light that was placed in this alley. The sudden rising pace of the approach has startled me, making me gasp. As I prepared for the worst, a black cat ran past me, brushing onto my leg.

Just a cat…

I sighed. The sadistic, comedic relief of the situation made me giggle as I was just purely glad it was nothing more that a cat. When I looked back up again, in hope that nothing else could surprise me anymore, I saw a pair of red looking dots staring at me.