"Open the door, Evangeline!" The unknown man's voice boomed from outside.

I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. The banging on the door intensified for a beat only to halt abruptly.

Then there was silence. Dead silence.

For a moment my body refused to move. I was petrified, my entire body grew rigid with fear.  Whoever was on the other side of that door clearly did not have good intentions. I had to put my fear aside and start thinking of a way to escape.

The wheels in my head started spinning.

Leaving through the front door was too much of a risk. My eyes immediately fixed on the large window that opened to a small grilled balcony. I knew there was an attached ladder that lead down to the alleyway below.

As quietly as possible I made my way out the window and onto the ladder. Just as I was starting to make my way down the sound of a gunshot echoed making me nearly lose my balance in surprise.

I clutched the side rails of the ladder tighter in my hands. The sound of the second gunshot nearly had me crying out in fear.

My heart seemed to freeze in panic when I heard the loud bang of my apartment door slamming against the wall.

Whoever it was had shot my door open.

Who wanted to get to me so badly?

And why?

I swallowed my panic down forcing myself to think clearly.

Whoever is in your apartment right now clearly does not have good intentions. It would take them less than five minutes to figure out that I'm no longer in the apartment which will lead them to the only possible exit.

Which meant that I had under five minutes to climb down the ladder and escape through the alleyway and go somewhere that was a safe distance.

I gave a determined nod before I started climbing down the ladder again at a faster pace. When there were only five or so rungs left I just jumped the rest of the way down landing a little unsteadily but thankfully on my feet.

I wasted no time. I started to sprint down the alleyway. I kept running when I reached the footpath ahead.

I had no idea where I was going but I knew I had to get away from this place.

"Excuse me miss. Do you require some assistance?" A uniformed police officer suddenly came up to me, blocking my path. He was middle-aged with salt-pepper hair and a mustache.

"You can't trust them." The mystery man's warning rang loud and clear in my mind.

I wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

I schooled my expression to look neutral. "No officer. I'm fine. A late-night run usually helps me clear my head." I didn't wait for his response. I started sprinting in the other direction but before I could get far I heard the sound of footsteps chasing after me.

I turned my head to see that it was the same police officer who'd tried to stop me earlier. He reached for the walkie-talkie attached to his belt, his eyes were focused on me as he spoke. "I have the target in sight. I'm currently chasing her down Aubrey Avenue. Awaiting further instructions."

My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach as I quickened my pace. I made a quick turn into a busy street and then ducked into an alleyway hoping to throw him off my track.

The decision proved to be a grave mistake because not only did the man manage to follow me into the alley but the alleyway was a dead end. I came to a halt in front of the brick wall and turned to face the man on the other end.

We were both panting loudly.

"Looks like you have nowhere left to run." The police officer sneered. "Come with me now without resistance and I will assure you that we will show you lenience."

A shudder ran down my spine. It was unnerving, how monotonous his voice sounded. Unnatural.

I took a step back.

"Who exactly do you mean by 'we' ?" I questioned as my eyes darted around my surroundings.

"You will know soon enough, Evangeline Peters." He responded coldly. "There is nothing you can do to escape. Just come towards me slowly." He unclasped a pair of handcuffs from his belt and held them towards me. "I will put these on you and then I will take you to the place where all your questions will be answered."

I took a hesitant step towards him, then another. He looked pleased with himself.

When I was only a foot away from him I halted abruptly. "I don't think so," I smirked.

I spun around and kicked him square in the chest. The action caused him to stagger back a couple of steps. The handcuffs dropped to the ground with a loud clang.

I didn't give him a chance to recover. I sprinted towards the brick wall once more. I mounted my foot against the surface and using my momentum to my advantage I propelled myself upward. I managed to grab the top of the wall with my hands and pulled the rest of my body up.

"You bitch!" The man stared up at me furiously.

The next second he pulled out his gun and aimed it straight at me. I gasped in shock and jumped off the wall just as the gun fired.

I landed on my knees and groaned in pain at the contact. I staggered back to my feet. My body was swaying from exhaustion but I knew I had to keep going. The man was armed.

I took in my surroundings. There was another small alleyway on this side which led up to the road. There were tall buildings on either side so the opening which led to the road was the only possible exit.

Just as I started to make my way to the road three police cars screeched to a halt in front of me blocking my exit.

My heart started to sink. Dread and panic started to seep into my veins. I watched as men got out of the police cars one by one.

I counted a total of eight men. They formed a semicircle, surrounding me, completely blocking any chance of escape.

One man slowly stalked toward me. "Resistance is futile." He spoke coldly. I inhaled sharply as I recognized him. It was Rafael. The same man who'd pretended to be my boyfriend and tried to abduct me from the hospital earlier. He had a bandage taped over his nose from when I'd broken it earlier.

"You are coming with us, Evangeline Peters." He gave me a sinister smile. "For the trouble you have caused us, you will not be shown any mercy."

My blood turned to ice in my veins.

Rafael continued, "If you do not cooperate we will be forced to shoot you and I cannot guarantee that you will make it out alive."

"And going with you will guarantee my survival?" My voice was laced with disbelief.

Rafael seemed to contemplate for a moment. "No." He finally answered with a shrug. "But if you cooperate with us I can guarantee you a peaceful end. You never know, they might even find you interesting enough to keep alive for a while." His lips curled into a sadistic smirk, "Those are much better chances than bleeding out in a dirty ally and being gnawed on by rats I assure you."

My hands curled into fists. "I think I'll take my chances here in this alley."

Rafael's eyes flashed. He tilted his head towards the men in a silent motion. "Then you have chosen certain death I'm afraid."

One by one the men trained their guns at me.

I knew they were going to shoot me down any second now,

I knew I was going to die.

But in my heart, I also knew that if I gave in and just went with them I'd be choosing a fate far worse than death.

The funny thing was that it wasn't the dying part that upset me. It was the fact that I would be leaving this world without knowing who I really was.

I closed my eyes and waited for the sound of gunshots.

Instead, there was a loud thud and the sound of surprised gasps and muffled screams.

When I opened my eyes someone was standing in front of me, completely shielding my body. At least I assumed it was a person. Whoever it was, they wore some sort of metallic armor over their body.

"Sorry for eavesdropping." A masculine voice drawled. "But I'm afraid I agree with Miss Peters. She has much better chances in this alley."