Rain hammered down on the streets causing everything to become slick. The humidity was heavy causing an already warm evening to feel unbearable. No wind blew so the air hung heavy and thick only cut by the water falling from the sky. Almost everyone had decided to seek shelter in their homes or stores along the street. With night falling people didn't want to be caught out in the storm that seemed to be moving in. Besides even with all the clean up that had gone on around New York people still didn't want to be caught out after dark.
There were whispers that the Purple Dragons were looking for new members, and it didn't really matter if they wanted to join or not. The police had issued statements assuring the citizens that there was nothing to worry about. No matter what was said the fact remained people were going missing. Fear was taking its hold on the minds and harts of the New Yorkers. Still some clung to the adage of “We have nothing to fear but fear its self,” and those unlucky few that survived the muggings and rapes found themselves in the local hospitals.
Not everyone was afraid. There were those who sought out the gang members, tried to expose what was going on. She really wished she wasn't one of them right now. Her breath was coming heavy as she ran through the alleyways jumping fences as they appeared in front of her. The pictures in her camera were worth it though. She just had to loose the group of thugs following her. That shouldn't be to hard. She knew the streets and back alleys. It was one of the perks from having lived on them for a while.
Coming around a corner she stepped right into an ankle deep pothole. The water had pooled in it drenching her foot, yet that was the least of her worries. As she was moving her foot caught twisting the ankle and bringing her to the ground. If that wasn't bad enough her glasses, already steamed from the weather and her running, fell from her face and vanished into the trash that was strewn about. She could hear the pursuers shouting. They where a lot closer then she had at first thought.
“A fine mess you got your self in now Irma,” she said to her self as she searched for her glasses still on her knees, “Can't see where you're going now but can't afford to stay to long.” Her mind wondered to what had brought her out here on a night like this. After all she had had plenty of homework to take care of for her classes, she should have stayed in her dorm taking care of that. How could she resist though when she overheard another student on campus talking about how they were going to be initiated into the Purple Dragons tonight?
Borrowing her roommates digital point and shoot camera she slipped it into the front pocket of her blue hoody. She was dressed for moving quickly if she had to, which she hoped she wouldn't. It never hurt to be prepared for any circumstance so she scribbled a note and set it in front of April's computer. She knew that April would find it whenever she got back from the party she was going to. Armed with the camera and leaving a note on what she was doing and who she was following Irma had slipped into the crowd of student's milling about the campus.
Clouds had been forming in the sky all day but now they looked like they would open up at any minute. She tried not focus on the weather at the moment. If it could just hold off tell they got where they were going she would be happy. She wanted clear shots. It didn't take long for the guy who she had overheard to get where he was going. Just some old warehouse with the letters T.C.R.I. On the side. Hiding behind a dumpster she listened to what was going on.
“Took ya long enough Charles. Thought you wanted this,” a tall blond man said. He wore a black tank top and some camouflage pants. Irma smirked to her self as she saw he had combat boots and an ammo belt on also. Typical want to be tough guy. Leaning out she tried to get a shot of him real quick.
“Ya,” this one a short and stubby black man, “It ain't everyday we let smucks like you join the gang.” She couldn't believe what he had on. Did he not realize the eighties had come and gone? His red jean vest was over a stained tshirt of some band, what was left of his black jeans were torn and tattered, but the piece de restonce was the purple mowhak. There was no way these guys could really be Purple Dragons. Never the less she leaned out again and snapped a picture of him too. It would be her luck, the flash went off and drew their attention. As she stood to run the rain began to poor.
So here she was on hand and knee trying to find her glasses. When she heard one of the other thugs shout, “She's over here! She's on the ground.” She knew the time for trying to find her glasses was up. She stood up and feel right back down. The pain in her ankle was to much.
“A fine mess you got your self into this time girl,” she chided her self, “Suck it up and just go.” Forcing her self to her feet she tried to move as fast as she could. With the hurt ankle and not being able to see it wasn't fast enough. The gang members where on her in seconds. One of them garbed her by the drawstrings of her hoody.
“You think you're pretty smart don't you girl,” it was the big blond one, “Well it wasn't very smart of you to come out alone. Not smart at all.” He shoved her backwards into the arms of someone behind her. “See if we had just caught you spying on us we might have just roughed you up a bit. But pictures?” He shoved his hand into her pocket and pulled the camera out, “We got to destroy this now and make sure you've learned your lesson.”
“Ya know Rock,” the voice came from right by her ear. So it was the short reject from the eighties who had her, “We could do all kind of things with the camera. Might be worth taken some pictures of our own.” She could feel one of his hands start to move over her body. As it did she heard a shattering sound, the area around where they were went dark. “Hey what happened?” So he wasn't the brightest either it seemed.
“Spread out,” Rock shouted, “Something just took out the lights. I want to know who or what did.” By his tone she could tell he was in charge.
“Let me go. People know where I'm at. If I don't come back they'll come looking for me,” she struggled against her captor.
“Let them look darling. All's they're going to find is your cold, wet, nak...” Rock didn't finish his sentence, instead she could have sworn she heard him exhale like he had been hit in the gut. Then the fingers that had been digging into her loosened and where gone. She could hear scuffling going on around her. There was a bright flash as a gun went off, she could make shapes out. It looked like a fight was going on. What she wouldn't give for her glasses. Then she felt a wet spot on her sweater, it was warmer then the rain.
Reaching down she touched it. It was sticky. Her head started feeling faint and she began to waver back and forth. There was a voice, it was soft and child like, “Hey dudes this girls been hit. We got to get her help.”
“Don't worry Mikey before we started I called the cops. They'll be here soon,” another said.
“Then best we be leaving,” this one had an edge of authority to it. But as she was trying to see where all these voice were coming from she felt her self falling. She hit the ground hard. The last thing she heard before the darkness took her was the sound of sirens.
