"And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me"
I can't help this awful energy
God damn right, you should be scared of me
Who is in control?"

-Halsey

"What do you mean, they never showed?"

Sarah could feel the impatience dripping from the woman's voice over the phone. Groaning, she rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to prevent the oncoming migraine. Tonight had gone horribly. She had almost gotten caught by the police, or whatever it was that showed up in the unnecessary metal suit. She hadn't even met who she was trying to meet, and the only good that came from tonight was the necklace she had managed to run off with.

"Like I was trying to say," the redhead snapped, now more annoyed with the situation than she had been before, and with the fact Karai had interrupted her. "Some guy showed up in a bulky metal suit and- attacked me, or something. The four brothers you're sending me after obviously aren't the only vigilantes in Manhattan and I don't feel like sticking around to get caught or arrested. Sorry."

The sorry was covered in sarcasm, because she felt no need to hide her displeasure with this job. It was way too risky, and completely out of her usual line of work. Sure, the money was good, but not good enough to risk her freedom. Ten thousand dollars wouldn't do her much good if she was sitting in a jail cell for the rest of her life. 

Suddenly, Karai's tone shifted drastically. Now she went from annoyed, to absolutely infuriated. 

"You'll finish the job you agreed to do, unless you want your name scattered across every police station in the country." 

Sarah felt her body ignite with a burning fury at the threat, but she was being driven in a corner. She had managed to keep her real name out of police systems, and if they found out Viper's true identity? She would be on the top wanted list quicker than she could leave the country. Sighing, she swallowed the boiling anger, trying her best to keep from telling the woman off. 

"Fine," she growled through the phone. "But I'm doing this my way." 

With that, she snapped the flip phone in half, making a mental note to grab one from a store next time she was out shopping around for things she might need. Tossing the destroyed electronic into the motel trash bin, Sarah then unzipped her duffel bag, yanking all the clothes out and throwing them onto the bed, realizing she needed to take a different approach. Being the criminal didn't work, and put her under the wrong radar. 

This time, she would be the victim. 

She wasn't one to wear skimpy clothes, so she had to improvise because she was in no mood to go clothes shopping. Deciding to work with a pair of skinny jeans and a black and white flannel. Stuffing the rest of the clothes back into the bag, she pushed it to the foot of the bed and went to work. Taking one of her sharper knives, she cut into the jeans, turning them into uncomfortably revealing shorts, already feeling too exposed just looking at them. Rolling her eyes, she pulled them on, and then the flannel. With her top, she left the buttons low to show her cleavage, then tied the bottom half of the shirt above her belly button. She finished the look off with a black beanie and a pair of knock off Vans, as well as a couple hidden blades in her bra for self defense, in case the plan didn't work out like she intended. 

She left the motel room, her heart pounding in her chest at what the night was to bring. It was only a couple of hours later, close to one in the morning, but there was no way she was going to sleep anytime soon so she figured now was as good as a time as ever. With her fingers holding onto her pockets lazily, her wavy red hair hanging loosely around her, she made her way down the semi-busy street, earning sideways looks due to the cool temperature outside. She ignored them however, feeling all too comfortable with being the freak in the room. 

Honestly, she was just ready for this entire thing to be over. She knew gaining whoever's trust was the most crucial part to the plan and that it would take a bit of time, which is what she dreaded the most. 

Sarah decided to head to a part of the city that seemed more dangerous than the rest. If it was as crime infested as it looked, this could possibly be where her vigilantes would be, but if the cops or that suited guy showed up again, she would be the victim, so she wouldn't go to jail or get in trouble. Glancing in a nearby diner, she saw a TV on showing the news, and what was on the screen caused her to come to a screeching halt. 

It was him. 

Without hesitating she stepped inside the empty diner, eyes fixated on the TV. 

"We have no idea if it's really him, the suit seems darker and a bit different this time, but if the Nightwatcher is really back, the police are going to have to step it up to get him into custody. Vigilantism makes him a criminal just as much as those he is catching. So, Nightwatcher or Nightwatcher copier, step down." 

"I couldn't agree more," she mumbled, shaking her head. So, he went by the name Nightwatcher? Lame. Turning, she left the diner, but ended up bumping into someone. Groaning, she glanced upwards, her eyes falling on a larger man, covered in tattoos and a menacing look across his visage. 

Perfect. 

Taking a small step back, she pulled the most innocent expression she could. "I'm sorry, sir," she began, trying to sound sincere, "I got lost, I'm new around here, and I'm trying to find 23rd South. Do you know where that is?" 

The stranger stared down at her with a scowl, until her words washed over him, his eyes glancing over her clothing, or lack there of, and the scowl was replaced with a wicked grin that made her skin crawl. "Sure," he said, his tone not sounding so sure. "I can show you the way- follow me."

Turning around, he smirked as she began to follow him. Little did he know, she could probably bring him to his knees in less than ten seconds, but that wasn't her goal here. Instead, she would let him think he was going to have a go at her, and hopefully her knights in shining armor would show up. Kicking a few stray pieces of cement as she strolled behind him, she folded her hands behind her back, getting impatient yet curious about where he was taking her. That's when he came to a stop just outside a dimly lit ally way, once again gesturing for her to follow. 

"Short cut," he said bluntly, which she knew was a lie. 

Do girls really fall for this?

Rolling her eyes, she followed him, but once she was actually down the alley way, her heart dropped. Not only was he not alone, but there was at least twenty or more 'friends' waiting for him. 

Oh, hell no. I'm out.

Spinning around, she didn't even get to take a step, because there were three men blocking the exit, sickening smirks on their faces. Suddenly, Sarah's blood turned to ice, and she realized that once again she got a lot more than she bargained for. Now, she wasn't sure if she would make it out of this ally way alive, because she would have them kill her before she let them take advantage of her. 

Taking a small step back, she shifted her position a bit to be on the defense, her brows furrowing as she tried to calculate just how she would get out of this one. She could hear multiple men from behind her chuckling, but she paid them no mind for the moment, her eyes locked on the middle of the three men in front of her. Gritting her teeth, she spit on the ground at their feet. 

"You have five seconds to move the hell out of my way," she threatened, her words laced with venom. She refused to show how nervous she was, but she was not going down without a fight. 

She was rewarded by a few laughs, which in turn only made her even more pissed off. Who the hell did they think they were? They had no right to mess with her, or any other female that they dared to trick. Even if she died, she was going to make sure they thought twice before they messed with another girl. 

The man reached for her, and every rational thought inside her snapped. For years, fight or flight had been engraved into her very being, and at the moment there was no where to run. The only option that left was fight, and fight she would. Ducking from his hands. she quickly pulled the two switch blades from her bra, flipping them open and jumping up under his arms, taking the sharp weapons and slashed them both across his throat, in a crossing motion. 

Blood immediately splattered her face, so she had to close her eyes for just a second. One down. Her green eyes then snapped back open, wild and looking for the closest man to her as the one who she just finished with fell to the ground at her feet. 

"So, who wants to dance?" 

She teased with a smirk and a tilt of her head, casually wiping the blades off on her shorts. None of them looked truly scared, just simply alarmed at what had happened. Sarah knew there was no way she could take them on all at one time, but she took one of them down, and she knew that would leave enough of an impression to keep them from messing with anyone else anytime soon. Now, it was time for her to have fun before she herself lost the battle. 

Sarah had struggled for years her love of killing. Every time she had, had been in self defense, but it didn't change the intoxicating rush that would flow through her veins each and every time it happened. As soon as the blood hit her skin, it was like a high she never wanted to come down from, and she became a completely different person. 

It was at that moment that the other two men charged her, furiously belting with rage. Grinning, she jumped up and grabbed the lower bar of the fire escape above her, flinging her legs forward, her feet smashing straight into the face of the closer man, sending him tumbling back into the other one with a painful groan. She flung herself forward onto his back, shoving her knives into each side of his neck, then yanking them back out, blood once again staining her pale skin, then the cement below. 

Just as she began to let out a disturbing cackle, she was yanked off of the man by large hands, then thrown to the ground a few feet away, hitting her shoulder and head full force. Crying out in agony, searing pain shot down her entire arm and back, and when she tried to move it she realized she couldn't. Turning her head to look around her with blurring vision, she watched as a couple dozen men started to surround her, their grins overwhelming her as she realized her fight might actually be it. 

She felt her vision starting to fade even more, a wave of nausea hitting her. Just as her eyes began to close, she heard what sounded like alarmed yelling, followed by what sounded like punching and groans. She tried to make out the sounds and images, but no longer could. The last thing she heard before she succumbed to the drowsiness, was a voice that seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't figure out why. 

"Leo, she's bleedin' and unconscious!"