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This story may contain sexually explicit parts involving sex between two males or even between a male and a female. Do not read the contents if it will offend you. If accessing this story causes you to break local laws (village, town, city, county, province, state, or country, planet etc.), please leave now.

Chapter 1

If I was a pirate

Although I did not know it at the time, the next step I took would change my life. If I had carried on my way as any sensible person would in the early hours of the morning, with no one around I could have called the police on my mobile and carried on my mundane life to become an insurance salesman, a doctor or an accountant, or maybe even a rocket scientist. Something normal.

But I didn't

It was about 1:30 in the morning and I was dead tired and more than a bit drunk, making my way home after a hectic night at a club. It was raining slightly making the walls reflect the light from the street lights and the street lights themselves seemed to sparkle. Everything was slightly out of focus and blurry. My glasses did not help, wet as they were. What I saw when I looked down that alleyway in the middle of nowhere was a kid, an older teenager perhaps, stood with his back against the wall. Three youths in hoodies surrounded him ominously. The odd thing was it almost looked like the kid was lit up by a spotlight; he seemed to glow in the night. Instinctively I was drawn to the kid. I wanted to help. I know I should have carried on walking; going down the alleyway to help was madness. I should have called the police or yelled the place down, but instead I turned and I started to walk toward the kid and my world changed forever.

#

As soon as I took my first step someone dressed as dark as the shadows sprang out from hiding behind wheelie bins and a pile of rubbish. He moved so quickly that before I could defend myself he had grabbed me from behind with an arm round my neck in an iron grip almost lifting me from the ground. His other arm with weird tattoos on the wrist appeared on my right holding a knife. A hunting knife with a steel blade that glinted in the street lights.

"Don't make a sound pretty boy, or it'll be the last sound you make" He growled.

His deep voice seemed to want me to give him an excuse. He started walking me toward the kid against the wall and the three youths. I struggled to stay upright and tried to pull on the arm round my neck.

"Quieten down queer" he whispered in my ear and pulled his neck lock even tighter. "Struggling will just make me mad and you really don't want that".

"I have another one for you" he called to his friends as we approached.

All eyes were on me. The tallest thug pulled his hood down. He was smiling. The kid against the wall seemed sad and looked down.

"Get his money and phone, and his watch if it's any good" He shouted as he turned his attention back to the kid against the wall, and pulled his hood back over his head.

He must have been the leader because the nearest youth came over and started getting the watch off my wrist. He realized it was cheap and threw it to one side

"Fucking rubbish" he said disappointed.

The guy holding me put away the knife, but retained his grip round my neck, keeping me slightly off balance and unable to do anything except try to remain upright. He felt in the back pocket of my jeans and took my iPhone. He handed it to his mate who was still trying to look through my pockets. His mate took it with a gleeful smile and turned back to his gang

"Yes!" he said "Now I have one too".

The guy holding me felt across my chest to my inside pocket and took my wallet. I presume he put it in his own pocket. Then the hand came back to search for more. Disappointed he grabbed my face and pulled my head round as far as it would go

"Is that all you fucking pervert" He spat out at me "Do you have anything else".

I put my hand in my jeans pocket and got some change out which I handed over. His hand holding my face prevented me from saying anything coherent.

"Put him with the other queer and get back on watch" Said the leader. "I don't want the police appearing while we are having fun with them".

What I found really odd was the way he pronounced police. He said "po-lice". I had never heard that before. I was marched over to the wall, again losing my balance and stumbling. My captor then pushed me back against the wall, and punched me in the gut. He ran back to the alleyway entrance, and disappeared into the shadows, as I doubled up in pain.

I looked forward towards the three thugs facing me, still trying not to be sick from the blow. Their faces were hard and mean, hooded again. It looked like they were all in black with just there faces and hands standing out white, almost skeletal. They reminded me of the Ring Wraiths in Lord of the Rings. Iron bars seemed to appear in their hands from nowhere, and the glint of a knife blade. They started to move forward. A feeling of desperation came over me. There was nowhere to run and nothing to use to defend myself.

"This shouldn't hurt a bit" the lead thug said as he approached, "but unfortunately it always does".

His face transformed into a leer, and he lewdly felt himself between his legs.

"You better not scream when I fuck you or the others will want a go too" He laughed and swung the iron bar he was holding into the ground with a crash.

"Stop" said the kid next to me, taking a couple of steps forward, stopping between me and the leader. "Let us go. You have our money and our phones. Let us go. You don't need to do this."

He looked strangely relaxed. He was dressed all in light grey- trousers, shirt, and jacket. It gave him a sort of angelic appearance in the dimness of the alley. For someone about to be beaten to a pulp and probably raped or even gang-banged he seemed remarkably unconcerned. His words clearly carried across the dark alleyway as if he was talking in a play. It was surreal. I felt I could walk off without a care and I almost did. Two of the dark hooded figures in front on us took a step backwards.

"Fuck off queer" said the leader apparently unaffected. "I'm gonna have fun with the both of you"

"Please don't do this" Said the kid with more authority in his voice.

The other two figures backed off another step, but the leader moved forward until he was about two feet from the kid.

"I'm gonna gut you" He said with a sneer "and then I'm gonna finish YOU off with this".

He fished underneath his jacket and pulled out a huge black and very sinister looking gun. I think that is the point at which I lost all control and started peeing myself. I could feel the warmth run across my groin and down my left leg.

Then the strangest thing of all happened. The kid turned in front of me and looked into my eyes. He looked me up and down. He saw where I had peed myself in fright. He saw the fear in my eyes. He seemed to come to a decision. His eyes glowed red under the street lights, and his hand appeared in front of my face.

"Sleep" he said quietly.

Darkness closed in as I heard a gunshot shattering the silence of the night. Then nothing

#

I awoke in bed, with bright morning sunlight shining in through a window down one side of the bed. As my eyes adjusted I realized it was a hospital. My brother Matt sat close by on my bed, and a nurse was doing something in the corner. Electrical equipment hummed and clicked. I tried to sit up.

"Lie back Tyler, Everything is OK. But be careful you have a drip. Don't pull it out" Said Matt

I looked at Matt, and then at my arm. I saw the plasters, and a small red stain and the tube snaking away above my head. Nothing hurt. Not even my arm. I realized I was naked except for some very uncomfortable underwear and a paper gown that seemed to have disintegrated. The nurse came over

"You're OK" She said "There seems to be no injuries. Just a few small bruises on your neck. We are keeping you in for observation. You are a lucky boy. We thought at first you were dead".

"Where are my clothes?" I asked

"The police kept them for forensics. We'll give you some later to get you home, Or Matt will get some" She looked at Matt and smiled.

She fussed over the equipment by my bed, and looked at my arm where the drip went in.

"The police want to talk to you but not yet, they'll wait. Maybe this evening. Get some more sleep. Your brother has been here all night. He's looking after you". She said

I looked at Matt and smiled gratefully.

"Thanks" I said

Matt and the nurse exchanged glances, and smiled. Damn I thought. I nearly died and he is trying to pull the nurse. I fell back into a deep sleep.

#

I woke again hours later and this time there were no bright lights, just the last rays of sunlight as the sun went down. Matt was still sat on the bed putting down a book. He looked as tired as I felt with dark rings round his eyes. And the nurse was doing something in the corner again. I could smell coffee and looked round to see four paper cups of steaming coffee on the bedside table. I looked at Matt and smiled. He smiled back

"Yours is black with sugar" He said. I smiled gratefully it was part of a long running joke.

There were two other people in the room, a man and a woman. Police I guessed.

The man said "I'm DI Collins and this is DC Spencer".

He indicated toward the woman. They both flashed their cards so quickly it seemed like a well-rehearsed card trick.

"Can we talk to you?" Said Collins

"Do you need me?" said the nurse, standing up straight.

"Not necessarily unless you need to watch the boy" Said Collins.

"Ok, No" said the nurse She turned to me "Call if you need anything, the red button on your left"

Then she left us. The door swung shut with a distinct clunk and all eyes turned to Collins. Collins was short and plump, calling him fat would be unkind. He had a sour expression, and his face seemed too red. High blood pressure probably.

"Can you tell us what happened?" He said.

Spencer had a notebook in her hand and started taking notes. She was tall for a lady, early thirties perhaps with a nice face but a bit plain. She could be mistaken for a lesbian quite easily especially in uniform.

I explained what had happened, but I left out all the stuff about the glowing kid with red eyes and the superhuman speed of my captor. That was all in my imagination. I also left out the bit about the kid protecting me. Who would believe me anyway?

"The gang approached and I blacked out. I think I heard a gunshot or something as I was passing out. I don't know anything else. I woke up here." I finished.

"Can you describe any of them?" said Collins. "What colour were they for a start?"

"White I think. I'm not sure" I said. "I don't remember much. It was dark and it all happened so fast. They all seemed to be dressed in black in hoodies. The lead thug seems a bit taller than the rest that's all I remember".

I thought about it for a couple of seconds

"And the guy who grabbed me had tattoos on his arm".

"What kind of tattoos?" said Spencer looking up from her notes.

"I didn't see them well" I said. "I just remember thinking he had tattoos - rings round his wrist, maybe more. I only got a glance. I like tattoos".

"What about the kid against the wall" Said Collins. "What do you remember about him?"

"He was dressed differently. He was dressed in grey. He was about my height, dark hair, and very thin...Cute" I said.

I regretted it even before the word left my mouth.

Both Collins and Spencer looked at me oddly, then at each other. Matt sniggered...

Collins said "I assume you are gay, Tyler"

"Yes" I said

"Do you think that's why you were targeted" Said Collins

"Yes" I said. "They called me queer and pretty boy and other things"

Matt sniggered again and Spencer looked at him. As the saying goes "if looks could kill". She carried on taking notes without a word, but obviously suppressing her rage.

"Is there anything else about this other boy you remember? Or the fourth thug?" asked Collins.

"No. Not really. It's all a blur" I said.

"You see all we found at the scene was three dead bodies" Spencer said "There was no trace of a fourth thug, and no trace of the other boy".

"Well they were there" I said "The nurse says I have some bruising from where he held me. That proves he was there doesn't it".

"Hmm" Said Collins unimpressed.

"The Ambulance crew thought you were dead at first. There could find no vital signs" Spencer went on. "By the time you arrived at hospital you were breathing normally. Apparently asleep. The doctors are mystified. Can you account for that? Drugs?"

"No," I said "and I don't do drugs, well not illegal ones anyway, not recently".

Collins raised an eyebrow and said "We know you didn't do it. You were covered in their blood, but unmarked except for the bruising round your neck. The three bodies were hacked apart. If you did it there would be more than just faint bruises on you, your hands would be shredded they aren't. Nothing at all. Can you explain that?"

"No" I replied. "I passed out. The last thing I heard was the gunshot"

Collins said "How many gunshots did you hear?"

"I only remember one" I said

Collins went on "There were 2 gunshots apparently a few seconds apart, but we found no trace of the rounds on any of the corpses, or the walls, or ground. An assailant who we assume is the other boy, hacked apart three fit armed thugs before calmly calling the police to come and get you. It makes no sense at all. We know he was there because of the footprints. Definitely not you - not your shoe size"

Spencer added "There is no trace at all of a fourth thug, except for the bruises, and we haven't found your wallet. We think he's still at large".

Collins said "We have plenty of DNA of the three thugs but no match yet. Until we can match their DNA and find out who they were, we have little chance of finding the fourth guy".

Collins and Spencer questioned me for a while longer, but I could not answer their questions. Eventually they left, leaving Matt and I alone.

"Cute?" Matt said grinning at me and poking me in the ribs.

"Yeah it slipped out" I said and smiled back. We both giggled and we drank the now cold coffee.

"He was cute though. Shaggy black hair and grey cloths, and he was ever so skinny. He was sex on a stick. I think that's what made me go down the alley in the first place".

"I don't believe it. My shy little bro tries to make out with a guy while he's being beaten to a pulp" Said Matt.

"And my not so shy big bro tries to make out with the nurse looking after me while I recover" I reply.

"TRY. I did more than TRY. She is called Delilah and I have her phone number and we have a date" Matt said with a shit-eating grin.

"Well good for you" I said and we exchanged a high-five.

"I wasn't so lucky. I thought I saw an angel but it turns out he's some kind of maniac killer. Anyway, he was shot twice saving me and now he's probably dead or dying in the gutter somewhere. Oh and there's another maniac out there probably trying to eliminate the witnesses - which of course is ME"

My eyes glazed over. I turned onto my side and started crying silently into the pillow. Matt came and lay beside me with an arm protectively round my shoulder. I fell asleep listening to my brother breathing softly in my ear.

This is a fantasy, entirely fictional. No animals or other entities living, dead or undead were harmed in its making. The only things that suffered are good taste and the English language.

The inspiration for the story was a dream I had after a night drinking absinth, together was a song by the Plain White Ts

Basically it is a love story, but we will see how it goes from there. These things seem to have a life of their own.

And it's semi-auto-biographical. I like my coffee black with sugar. Hehe

I would appreciate any constructive criticism, complements, or suggestions my readers may have to share with me. You may write to me via: liveintheshadowsdieinthelight@gmail.com

I would like to thank you for reading my tale. It is my first attempt at getting a story on nifty, and indeed at writing fiction. I would like your opinion on the story, though it's composition, how it reads, do you believe in the characters, do they come alive for you. It is more important to get that right if I am to carry on writing. I will try to reply to people where applicable.