I stood there, eyes wide open, and my earphones dangling in my pocket. Shock couldn't even begin to describe what I was feeling. The silence that enveloped us only made the situation worse, if that was even possible. My mind swirled with thoughts and questions that I was too afraid to voice.

I considered running but knew it was a cowardly move. Perhaps if I just backed away slowly...

Gulping, I took a hesitant step back. The two men instantly let the body fall to the ground and began to advance towards me. I caught the murderous look in their eyes and yelped.

"Hey, you guys like astronomy?" I blurted nervously. "How about space? Personal space?"

They completely ignored me, the space between us decreasing quickly.

"Guess not, " I muttered as my back hit the brick wall behind us, making me jump. My eyes wandered throughout the alley for help, but there was no one in sight.

I was on my own.

I took a deep breath and tried to remind myself of everything I learned in my martial arts classes. As soon as I opened my eyes, the two men were prepared to pounce on me but I quickly ducked, pushing their legs in the process. They fell to their knees and I took the chance to kick their backs downward before moving away.

One of them, most likely the more intelligent out of the two, grabbed my ankle. I glared down at him and twisted my foot until I was forcefully stepping on his arm. Before he could change his position, I stomped on his arm. A loud crack, along with an agonizing scream, followed. Once he released my ankle, I turned to the other man who had been watching me in utter disbelief.

He glanced at River for assistance; I forced myself not to look at him just yet. I then crouched down in front of the man, tilting my head to see him clearly.

"So, are you going to fight me or shall I make this easier for you?"

The man answered by lifting his fist and swinging it in my direction. But I blocked the punch before pulling his hair from the roots, causing him to groan quietly.

"Wrong answer, " I growled and smashed his face into the concrete. Just hard enough to knock him out. As I looked at the two unconscious men, I realized they were River's friends from school. I turned and came face to face with their victim. Was this man the reason they were in a heated discussion earlier?

I gulped as I inhaled sharply. Standing up, my eyes locked with River's for a split second when a black van drove up behind him. Six other men climbed out and ran towards me.

I let out a frustrated groan. "You have got to be kidding me. This is six to one! It was already unfair before with two to one, but that was an exception. Now, six? I think I'll leave that to the Avengers, thank you very much."

Despite my rambling, they grabbed my arms roughly and threw me into the van.

"Hey! Watch it!" I huffed, crossing my arms angrily.

"We've got a sassy one!" a blonde boy beside me snickered; I glared at him. I began pounding on the car window and glanced down for the car door handle but I was met with a key hole instead.

"No! Let me out!" I shouted, but to no avail.

The blonde boy sighed. "No one can hear you, you know. The car is completely sealed with sound blockers. Unfortunately, only we can hear your screaming."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, but I think you've mistaken me for someone who cares, Blondie."

"Why are you so mad?" he laughed as if this was a joke.

"Where should I start?" I scoffed. "First, I see a dead body in real life and the murderers try to attack me. Keyword: try because they failed miserably. And a van suddenly pops up out of nowhere to abduct me? What is this? LMN?"

"LMN?"

"The fact that you don't know what that is makes me even angrier, " I muttered as I turned to look out the window. Except I couldn't because it was tinted on both sides. What kind of car was this?

"Just calm down. You won't feel angry when you meet—" he paused and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Meet who?"

He smirked. "You'll find out soon enough."