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Then he walks into an alley.

“I’m not going in there,” I say and shake my head. I can’t see past the opening, it’s that dark in there. My hands start to shake and I just know that this isn’t going to go well.

Walk away Ava. Walk. Away.

Huffing, he steps forward and grips my arm, digging his fingers into the soft flesh and yanking me towards him. “You’ll get in there right fucking now, girlie!” he spits in my face and I hold my breath from the stench that he emits.

I stumble as he pulls me again and I’m frozen to the spot as the darkness consumes me.

One, two, three... Four, five, six...

My head starts to spin and my breaths come harder and faster the longer I stand here clutching the bag to my chest.

“You got it?” he sneers again, pulling the bag out of my hands, causing me to lose my balance slightly.

“It’s all there,” I whisper, the sound of the zipper echoing through the alley.

“Yeah?” He looks up at me and laughs. “I don’t trust you, you’re a sly little bitch.”

“What...” My heart starts to hammer in my chest as I see something move at the end of the alley. My fight or flight instincts kick in and I turn, about to run off when he grabs my arm again and yanks me against his body, effectively using me as a shield.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he whispers in my ear.

“I... I...”

He pushes me forward and I manage to catch myself before I hit the floor. I shake my head, not wanting to go any further and reach into my pocket for my cell.

“I’ll be having that.” His hand comes out of nowhere and snatches it, throwing it to the floor and stamping on it with the bottom of his boot.

I start to panic as I watch it break into so many pieces.

“What are you doing?” I shout, trying to scramble after it to save the pieces and put it back together but it’s no use, I’ll never be able to salvage it.

He pushes me down when I try to pick it up and I curl up into a ball, preparing for whatever he’s about to do next.

“Don’t!” a voice from the back of the alley thunders.

No... no, no, no.

“You don’t touch her.”

Goosebumps rise on my skin at the sound of his voice and I squeeze my eyes shut tighter. Maybe if I pretend he’s not here then he’ll disappear?

It’s not real. It’s not real.

“I was just trying to get her to you,” my dad says, all the bravado in his voice gone.

“Yeah?” I hear him step closer and I gasp. “I told you not to touch her.”

“I... I’m sorry,” he stutters and I open my eyes just in time to see him back away out of the alley, leaving me with him.

He steps towards me, his boots coming into my line of sight and my eyes trail up his legs, over his wide torso and arms and up to his almost black eyes.

“Miss me?” He chuckles, grabbing onto my arm and pulling me up.

I yelp at his touch and step away, my back hitting the wall and stopping any possible escape.

I stare into his eyes as the memories come back.