His hand runs over my body lustily, the other smothering my screams, slowly creeping up my shirt despite my best efforts to push him away. His hot breath brushes over my neck, sending shivers up my body. I kick out, catching him in the shin, but he does little other than smirk at my attempts to get free.

"Just relax sweetheart, it'll be over soon. I promise." He whispers. Suddenly, he freezes, his body stiffening in shock. Blood seeps out of his mouth and he coughs, dropping me to the ground. I spring to my feet and dart around him, barely seeing the knife protruding from his back before I'm out of the dark alleyway, sprinting home and screaming for help.

~

That was my first experience with murder. I was only thirteen. The police were called, and I gave my best description of what happened. I was suspected of stabbing him in the back but was soon written off as innocent. There was no way I would be able to steal his kidneys with the state I was in. Oh yes, once I had run, someone had opened the dead man's body with a precision scalpel and taken his kidneys. It shocked the town I was living in, and was plastered all over the news. My second experience with murder was six years later, when I moved out of my parent's house into a larger town and joined a new school. This had happened just recently, and I was currently giving my report to the police.

"I-I've been bullied by her and her friends for a while, and she had- had punched me that day. They left me on the ground, and about an hour later I found her d-dead behind the school." I stutter, still in shock. I had a blanket draped over my shoulders, the edges of it clenched in my white-knuckled hands. The policeman nods, writing down what I said.

"I'm sure it must have scared you a lot. We'll get this sorted out, okay? I think it's best if everyone goes home for the day." He says, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. I nod, standing and walking to my car, unlocking the door.

"Um, excuse me, are you sure you're okay to drive? I heard what happened." A voice suddenly asks. I turn around, trembling, and come face to face with a young man in a bright yellow hoodie. His skin was pale, almost grey, and brown hair frames his face. He was wearing dark blue jeans and had hiking boots on.

"I-I-I should be f-fine." I mutter, "Thank you for the offer though."

"I suggest you take him up on his offer (Y/N), I don't think you should be driving around just yet." The policeman from earlier says, though not unkindly. He seemed to be worried about me. I hesitate for a moment but give in, slowly nodding and handing the keys to the young man.

"What's your name, young man?" The policeman asks.

"It's Ho- sorry, it's Brian. My friends call me Hoodie." Brian says, rubbing the back of his neck. The policeman quirks an eyebrow but nods, then turns to me once more.

"Stay safe kiddo. This will all be sorted out soon enough, so don't worry about it. Just take care of yourself for now." He says, giving me a reassuring smile. I force a small smile back, climbing into the passenger seat of my car. Brian takes the driver seat and asks me for my address. I give it to him and he starts the engine, rolling out of the parking lot. He drives in silence for the most part, only occasionally glancing over at me. I stare out the window at the houses as they roll past, still clutching the blanket around my shoulders. After a few minutes we pull into my driveway and Brian shuts off the engine, handing the keys back to me. I thank him quietly, then a thought suddenly occurs.

"H-how will you get home?" I ask, worried that I had dragged him out here with no way to get to his home. He lets out a quiet, warm chuckle.

"Don't worry, I can just ask my roommate to pick me up. Take care of yourself (Y/N)." He says, smiling over at me. I feel colour rise to my cheeks and quickly thank him again, leaving the car and walking briskly to my front door. I realise what he said and turn around, about to ask him how he knows my name, but he was already walking down the street with his phone pressed to his ear. I guess he just heard the policeman say my name. Unlocking the front door, I'm greeted by my husky jumping up on her back paws to press her front paws against my chest, howling in joy that I'm home. A small smile graces my face and I kneel on the ground to pat her, almost getting knocked over in the process. I laugh as she licks my face, pushing her off me so I can stand up again.

"Hello, old lady. How are you today?" I ask, despite her only being four years old. She awoo's in response, pressing her body against my legs. I laugh again and reach down to rub her fur, drumming a small beat on her stomach. She whirls around, extending her two front paws in front of her, signalling she wants to play. I close the door behind me and drop my bag, dropping into a crouch. She runs off, presumably to grab her favourite toy, and I take the opportunity to lock the door and run my bag to my room. She trots in, searching for me, and quickly runs off again. I chase after her, vaulting over various pieces of furniture I have laying around, until I can snatch the toy from her mouth. She barks in protest, jumping up to try and take it back, making me laugh. A loud crash suddenly fills the house and we both pause, looking towards the door.

"MOTHERFU- GOD DAMN SON OF A BITCH MOTHERFUCKING PIECE OF SHIT-" Someone shouts loudly from the living room. I drop my dog's toy and quickly scoop her up in my arms, running to my room as quietly as possible and closing the door, placing whatever I can move as a barricade against it. I could still hear the person – a man, it seemed – shouting profanities from across the house. After a while, the shouting quietens down, replaced by the sound of the man searching the house. He was still muttering, and as he gets closer to my room, I could hear snatches of what he was saying.

"The next time that fucker Jeff asks me to scout something, I'll stick his knife up his... Falling out of a TV still hurts like a bitch... Isn't there supposed to be a girl living here?"

The muttering stops at my door as he jiggles the handle. When it doesn't budge, he pushes with more force, pushing back some of the barricades I placed in the way. My dog barks a warning, scaring the shit out of me, and I quickly shush her. The damage had been done, however, and the door stops moving momentarily before it's suddenly blasted open, the barricades tumbling away as the door slams against the opposite wall. I lunge for my model dagger that I had bought at a convention, raising it in front of me, my arms trembling in fear. The man in the door seemed to be in cosplay as Link from the Legend Of Zelda franchise, but his eyes were red instead of blue. My dog goes crazy, barking non-stop, her hackles raised as far as they could go.

"Woah, calm down! I'm not here to hurt you!" The man says, raising his hands and taking a few steps back. I release the dagger with one hand, reaching down to grab my dog's harness, pulling her back towards the window. I glance behind me and raise the dagger, bashing the glass with its sharp pommel. The glass shatters and I waste no time in pulling both myself and my dog through the opening.

"Hey! Wait!" The cosplaying man shouts, rushing to the window, but we were already running away, cutting through the neighbours yards. I could hear the man shouting for us to come back, that he could explain, but I don't stop until I stumble over an exposed root, sending myself sprawling on the soft grass and fallen leaves. My dog comes back and licks my face, urging me to get up, and I push myself to my feet. I'm about to take off once more when the man's hand clamps around my arm, pulling me back.

"Wait a moment! I can explain!" He says, avoiding my dog awkwardly as she lunges at him, "Call your dog off!"

I take advantage of his distraction to reverse my blade, plunging it into his stomach. He bends over in shock, my dagger still lodged in his stomach, as I take off running again. I scream for help, running onto the street. Nobody was out, so I had no idea if anyone had heard me, so I keep screaming until I crash into someone from behind, sending us both tumbling. The person I crashed into groans, trying to shove me off him so he can get up. He succeeds, standing up and extending a hand to help me up. I glance up at his face and we both stare at eachother in surprise.

"(Y/N)? Are you okay?" Brian asks as I take his hand. I quickly explain what had happened in a tumble of words, stuttering and using excessive hand gestures. He reaches forwards and grabs my upper arms, forcing me to still myself.

"Calm down, my roommate will be here soon and he can get us to safety. Don't worry, nothing bad will happen to you." He says soothingly, forcing me to look at him. I nod nervously, my heart still thumping wildly in fear. My dog nudges my leg in concern, whining and staring up at me. Brian releases me and I crouch down to pat her, drawing her towards me and wrapping my arms around her, burying my face in her fur.

"You've had a real rough day, haven't you?" Brian asks kindly, crouching beside me and gently petting my dog. I just nod in response, hearing a car pull up beside us. Brian stands up and walks to the driver's window, explaining the situation.

"Hey Masky. Be- A man broke into her house and chased her out here. We need to take her with us for now." Brian says. The man driving the car glances over at me, where I had raised my head to look back at him. He had short brown hair and an unremarkable face, wearing an oversized black hoodie, dark blue jeans and running shoes.

"Sure thing. I'm guessing you'll be calling the police?" 'Masky' says, turning back to Brian. He nods, glancing back at me.

"I should also mention she stabbed the guy while running away. He's most likely bleeding out somewhere."

"What?! She stabbed B-"

"Dude, shut it! She's had a rough day!" Brian interrupts quickly, then turns back to me, "Sorry about that, we're good to go. Hop in."

Brian takes the passenger seat while I sit in the back, holding my dog close. The car ride is silent but for Brian talking into his phone to the police, describing what happened and where we were going so they could meet us there. I stare out the window the whole time, watching the landscape pass by. Masky pulls into an underground parking lot, stopping the car and getting out. I follow him and Brian as they walk up a flight of stairs and unlock door 2B on the second floor, opening it to reveal a rather messy apartment. Magazines were spread across the table and random bowls and plates lay around, some of them with food still on them. Masky heads straight for the mess, tidying it up as best he could, his expression carefully blank despite obviously being slightly embarrassed at the mess. Brian walks into another room, still on the phone with the police, leaving me standing awkwardly at the entrance, not knowing what to do with myself.

"Y-You can come sit down and watch TV if you want?" Masky offers hesitantly, noticing me still looking around at the room. I walk over to the couch he had just recently made enough room to sit on and he hands me a beat-up remote. I doubted most of the buttons even worked anymore. Regardless, I tuck my legs up to my chest and turn on the TV, trying to focus on the show that started playing. Brian finally walks back out of the room he was in, his phone dangling from his hand.

"They'll be here soon. How are you doing, (Y/N)?" He asks. Masky disappears somewhere, closing the door behind him.

"I'm... Not great, to be honest." I murmur, absently stroking the fur of my canine companion as she rests her head against me. He nods in understanding and clears a space beside me, watching the show in quiet thought. I found his presence rather comforting, despite only knowing him for less than an hour. After a while, a loud knock comes from the door, and Brian stands up to go open it. He welcomes a police officer inside and I move to turn off the TV, but Masky re-enters the room and stops me, placing a hand over mine.

"You just relax. Leave it to us." He says, walking over to the officer. Despite his words, I still turn the TV down so I can listen to what they were saying. Most of it was just retelling what I told Brian. When Brian and Masky were finished, the policeman asked them a few questions, then turned to me.

"Miss, do you remember where you left this man? It's important we find him as quickly as possible." He says. I think for a few seconds, then speak up.

"It was a few blocks away from my house. Towards Elden Street." I say. He nods and thanks us for our time, then asks me to come with him to the police station.

"Why would she have to come with you?" Masky asks immediately, shifting slightly so he's between me and the officer.

"For further questioning, and for protection. If you're telling the truth, she's had a very rough day, and would be safer at the station than anywhere else." The officer reasons, trying to placate Masky.

"I-I'd rather stay here, sir." I say meekly. Thankfully, both the boys jump on my words.

"See? She doesn't want to go either." Brian says, glancing back at me. The officer sighs but allows it, handing both Brian and Masky his phone number "in case anything happens". After he leaves, Brian walks off to fetch a spare mattress for me to use, and Masky sits beside me, draping his arms over the back of the couch.

"Um... Masky..." I start, catching his attention. He turns his head towards me.

"Hm?" He asks.

"What's your name? I know that Brian is called Hoodie by his friends, and..." I trail off, not sure what else to say. He laughs quietly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"D-Don't worry about it, I prefer being called Masky anyway."

"So would anyone else named Timothy!" Brian suddenly shouts, dragging a large mattress through the door, along with assorted sheets to go with it. I let out a surprised laugh as Masky's face turns red and he swivels away, crossing his arms. Brian laughs too and drops the mattress, making a loud whumpf sound as it hits the floor. He dumps the sheets on top of it and joins us on the couch, crossing his legs and leaning back as he watches the show. My dog jumps off my lap and wanders away, sniffing at this new place she was in. Brian watches her for a moment before turning to me.

"How old is she?" He asks.

"She's four years old, turning five in a couple months." I say, wrapping my arms around the legs that I still had pulled up to my chest and resting my chin on my knees.

"And she's a husky?"

"Yep. Pure bread." I smile, procuring a stale bread slice I always carried with me in a large pocket in case this ever happened and slapping the bread onto Brian's face. Masky bursts out laughing, holding his stomach as the bread slice pitifully falls off Brian's face and onto the couch. I snicker at his blank face as he looks down at me, then at the bread, then back at me.

"What was- wait. Pure bread." He says, his eyes lighting up as he laughs. Masky was in hysterics, bent over at the waist, wheezing for breath. I laugh as well.

"Nice job (Y/N)!" Masky says once he can breathe again, holding his hand up for a high-five. I deliver the high-five and turn back to the TV, a smile still on my face. Brian rolls his eyes and stands up, tossing the bread back onto my lap. I poke my tongue out at him, despite how childish it was. He laughs again and leaves the room.

After an hour of watching cartoons, Masky announces that he was hungry. I didn't notice until he said anything but my stomach was also beginning to rumble, so we stand and he leads the way to the kitchen. Surprisingly enough, Brian was already inside, serving up a meal for us.

"Nice timing guys. Here you go." He says, handing us our plates. The meal was an oven-baked fish, with salad and a choice of fruit beside it.

"Thanks Hoods." Masky says, quickly turning a 180 and walking back to the couch. I take mine and thank him as well, using his real name instead of his nickname.

"No problem. And, (Y/N), you can call me Hoodie if you want." He says, smiling gently. I feel heat rising to my cheeks again and quickly look away, laughing nervously.

"Uh, sure, Br- Hoodie." I say. He laughs again and walks with me back to the couch. Somehow, Masky was already finished with his food, the empty plate sitting in front of him.

"Dude, you couldn't have waited?" Hoodie asks, rolling his eyes.

"I was hungry! I wasn't gonna wait for you two to finish having a moment together!" Masky protests, crossing his arms and pouting. Hoodie laughs and I just start eating. Living alone and not being a good cook had meant I didn't have quality food very often (mostly just takeout and the like), so Hoodie's cooking was like heaven for me. I understood suddenly how Masky had eaten so fast, as I had basically shovelled the entire meal straight down to my stomach. I place the empty plate on the table in front of me and pull my legs up again, becoming absorbed in the show once more. My dog appears again and stares at Hoodie's fish, as he hadn't eaten it yet.

"Oh, damn. I forgot to make some for you, little girl." He says regretfully, reaching out and rubbing her head. She inches closer, her eyes locked onto Hoodie's plate. He gives in, slicing the fish in half and holding it out for her. She jumps up and snatches it, almost chomping on his hand in the process, her eyes glittering in victory as she darts away from him with her prize. He laughs, quickly finishing his meal before she can come back for more. I chuckle tiredly, my eyelids starting to droop. I subconsciously lean to the side, pressing myself closer to Masky. He glances over at me, his face a light red colour, but I was already fast asleep.