â:Terry âTessâ Farina:âș
Tess was running out of time, fast. With the two goons hot on her heels, and only a few fleeting moments left where she was clear of their line of sight, she needed to make a decision. Transform and fight? Try to hide? Attempt to outrun them? None of those options sounded appealing, as all likely ended with her getting caught and revealing her identity in order to protect herself. Every moment she kept running, her options narrowed, and if she didnât do something, the decision would be made for her. Wrenching her eyes shut, Terry silently swore to herself, and dragged herself to the side, crouching down amongst some trashbags and garbage as she held her nose. Ew, ew. Hopefully those bozos would be dumb enough to just keep speeding past this mess â It wouldnât take too much effort for them to see her once they got past the trash pile, but hopefully they werenât that bright to realise there was nowhere else she could have gone.
The sound of the motorbikeâs rumbling engine reached the entrance to the alley as it pulled in, but contrary to Tessâ hopes, the engine seemed to slow as the motorbike crept along steadily. âNo way that broad got out to that street, sheâs gotta be hereâŠâ Ratty commented, Tess hearing footsteps as he climbed off the bike and strode a bit further down the alley, occasionally peering into a trashcan or kicking a cardboard box. âFreakinâ city needs to get its shit together, could do with some light in this alley to find herâŠâ He muttered, stopping just short of Terryâs hiding place as he turned back to Buck. âWhat are you standing there for ya dope? Help me look!â
âJim, letâs just get out of here. I got a bad feeling manâŠâ Buck pleaded, glancing back behind him for a moment. Ratty didnât seem to care, spouting off some nonsense about ambition, fighting back, cowardice⊠Whether it was working or not, Terry never got to see, as the two suddenly went silent as another sound filled the alleyway, that of another bike.
âIs that a...motorcycle?â Buck asked, glancing to his partner
âDonât know...I canât see shit.â Rat-face muttered, apparently still annoyed with his comrade.
âYou donât think she found her own bike?â Buck added, and was about to shield himself from the incoming slap to his head for his idiocy before a third voice spoke out, stopping the two mid-act.
âNah, thatâs probably not it.â
The next moments were a whirlwind of chaos. Screams and swears of pure, genuine terror filled the alley as Jim and Buck sounded scared out of their minds. A rattling sound and squeal of metal scraping metal was heard, and although Tess had been gearing herself up to peer out from her cover, she instead gave a soft yelp of fright as she ducked her head back down to avoid the twoâs motorbike sailing clean over her head, already splintering into pieces as it bounced and tumbled down the alley in a reckless spin. Staring back behind her to the broken mess for a few moments, the next few sounds sent shivers through her body.
*Crack* It was a visceral sensation hearing that sound, along with the agonised cries of her pursuers. That sound soon faded out to nothing as the pain was too much for them to bear, shifting the thugs into unconsciousness. Shortly after, two hard and heavy thuds hit the ground, Terry covering her mouth to silence her scream as the incapacitated bodies of Ratty and Baldy fell to the ground just in front of her. She could clearly see the look of fear still etched on their faces, as well as the awkward direction their lower limbs had bent. It was horrific, and she had to bring her free hand to try and hold her other to stop the trembling. J-Just who⊠Or what..?
She could still faintly make out the sounds slightly further down the alley, along with the soft noise of⊠Ringing? A phone? âI need police and ambulance to 12th and...uhhhâŠâ It was a male voice that spoke, the same as the one before, and likely the culprit behind her⊠Rescue? Or was it more of an assault on those two? Removing her glasses for a moment, Tess slowly positioned them to get a bit of a view in the reflection, and was surprised to see not some monster, but a young man. Sheâd personally been anticipating another terrifying Changer. Returning her glasses to her face, her mind began to race. Should she say something? He hadnât seemed to have noticed her, so she could just hide and slip off like nothing happened. And yetâŠ
Steeling herself, Tess waited to the last possible moment as the boy mounted his bicycle before standing up, clutching one of the second-hand books to her chest as if it would afford her some protection should he turn on her. âHey!â Terryâs voice was a bit louder than she intended, but it did seem he was about to take off. Maybe he still would. âI appreciate you helping me but⊠Isnât this a bit excessive? Arenât you a hero or something?â Tess normally wasnât the kind to speak like this, and maybe she shouldnât considering what those men had been trying to do but⊠There was no need for that brutality, and she wasnât about to just sit by and ignore it. Despite the strength of her conviction, he voice did quiver slightly, as did her legs tremble. After seeing what heâd done, she was scared, sure. But there were some values she held highly, and would never compromise on.