it had all happened so fast.

walking home from work like every other day, enjoying the calm of the bright streets and the many people passing by you without another thought in their head..

like always, you walked into the darker alleyway that led to your small apartment, the only affordable thing in such a city with a minimum wage job.. not the life anyone would dream off, but better than being homeless in the end.

you walked faster as you heard footsteps, started to feel watched. you ran as fast as possible until a man grabbed you by the collar of your coat and slammed you into the wall, holding you there and not letting you move at all as the men around him laughed.

he appeared so fast, almost in the blink of an eye.

you only registered the snap of his fingers, before the men all fell to the ground, seemingly unconscious -- or perhaps dead.

his gaze moved from the man towards you, a faint smirk on his face.