"I... I saw something," she stuttered. "I was walking toward the downtown district late last night when I heard a scuffle in an alley way. I picked up my pace to escape whatever was happening down there, but then I saw a man, all... all bloody come stumbling out. He looked up at me scared and then... Then these two men came out from the alley; one of them had a knife of some sort. I..."\n\nShe started sobbing.\n\n"I took off running," she finally got out between the sobs. "I took off running and I didn't stop till I thought I was far enough away from them. I think they're following me, oh God they are following me. Please, can't you help me with this? I've gone to the police but they don't believe me. They think I just want some personal bodyguards or something -and maybe I do..."\n\nI agreed with the [[cops|Leave]], this is just how things are now. But, having her stay away from the streets for a few days could keep her safe. [[Possibly.|Stay]]

I told her I agreed with the cops. She was just being paranoid.\n\n"No, I'm not!" she cried. "Honestly I'm not! Please, can't you help me?!"\n\nI walked over to the door smoking my cigar and told her to get out. It took her a few times, but eventually she left, beaten.\n\nI felt bad, but what can a man like me really do? I'm no hero, and I'm not a saint to go risking my life for someone else.\n\n[[I couldn't survive the world out there.|Fin]]

She shakily made her way to the chair I offered her, but she did not take me up on it.\n\nI thought about asking her to sit down [[again|Woman Leaves]], but then decided it wasn't worth it. She could [[stand|Woman's Plea]] if she wanted.

Her hair blew out from over her eyes as the warm air in my office forced its way out into the colder temperatures outside.\n\nI looked into her face and saw only [[panic|Woman's Description 2]] in her deep, beautiful, chestnut eyes.

I yanked my gun from its holster and shot the woman's attacker three times. I saw his body crash against the dumpster as a fourth shot rang out.\n\nI looked down to see blood soaking the lower half of my suit coat. I struggled to turn around to see who shot me, but a fifth shot severed that thought clean from my head.\n\n[[That's just how life goes during these hard times.|Fin]]

As I told her to sit again, she shook her head and started mumbling something.\n\n"No!"\n\nAnd then she was gone, out into the dark world outside.\n\nI thought about following her, since she could be my only chance at some [[money|Pursuit]], but decided she wasn't worth [[it|Fin]].

I paused as I heard the sound of another man approaching from behind.\n\nI turned to see a tall slender man with a gun round the corner.\n\nBefore he could have a chance to react, I pulled my gun from its holster and shot him twice, knocking him to the ground.\n\nI turned around to fire on the other man. Three shots echoed down the alley as his body slumped to the ground mere feet from where I stood.\n\nI looked at the woman and saw a large gash across her chest. Her white dress was quickly turned a glistening red by the blood pouring from her heart.\n\nShe attempted to stand, gasping for air, before her body slumped against the alley wall.\n\nI stood there in the middle of it all, not really feeling anything.\n\n[[This is just how things are now.|Fin]]

I approached the gentleman. He smelled clean which was odd enough, but then his accent was what really made me question the man.\n\n"My, my! Good sir!" she said with a chortle. "Do you perchance have the directions to a little pub called 'The Jumping Badger?' I most definately knew that it was in this..." He searched for a word that would describe this dark, dank city. "Charming. Yes, charming city?"\n\nI stared at the happy man, not answering his question. I had work to do, and I didn't have [[time|Downtown]] to waste with foreigners.

I approached the big bouncer, even though I already knew he probably wouldn't be much help. It was his job, after all, to talk little and punch much.\n\n"Do you have a reservation?" was his blunt reply to my question.\n\nYes... A waste of [[time|Downtown]] indeed.

She was a crying mess, and there wasn't really anything I could do to trully help her. I decided that she could stay the night, or possibly a few days, before I had to turn her away. I told her as much.\n\n"Oh, thank you!" she cried joyously. "I really have no where else to go, and I'm afraid to lead them back to my apartment. Thank you so much!"\n\nI nod my head slowly and continue smoking my cigar. I know that in a couple days when she leaves she'll still have to deal with those murderers. I know that she'll end up dead in an alley somewhere, sometime.\n\n[[I feel pity for her and all those outside.|Fin]]

<<silently>>\n<<set $woman_dead = "yes">>\n<<endsilently>>\nI headed downtown to see if anyone had seen a flustered woman with chestnut eyes. I thought about questioning a taller [[gentleman|Gentleman]] in a top hat, a scantily clad [[woman|Hooker]] on the corner, and a larger [[bouncer|Bouncer]] outside the door of a rundown casino.\n\nI decided to go [[back|Pursuit 2]].

It was a cold, wet, and windy night outside my window; I could tell by the people two stories below me who were rushing to and fro to get to their little insignificant destinations. I watched them for a while and lit up a nice Chesterfield to pass the time.\n\nBusiness had been slow the past couple of months, and the bills were starting to pile up. It didn't matter. This is just the way things are now.\n\nThat's when my life changed, and [[she|Woman's Description]] walked in.

She just stood there in the doorway, as if she were having second thoughts about coming to me for help.\n\nThat's how they always are.\n\nI took a big puff on my cigar and savoured the flavor. I eyed the woman still standing there, and slowly breathed out.\n\nThe smoke curled through the air as I asked her to [[sit|Woman's Decision]].

First Person Shooter

I climbed down the two flights of stairs that seperate my haven from the rough world outside left through the narrow door that let to the dirty streets below. I looked to my [[right|Downtown]] and my [[left|Dirty Alley]] to try and find where she could have gone.

Cloudiest Nights

I approached the hooker and asked about the woman.\n\n"I ain't seen anyone like that recently; I've only been with a couple women in my life. I'm not picky; I just go with whoever has the right amount of cash."\n\nI realized that this isn't going anywhere.\n\n"Hey, how much money do you have? We could-"\n\nI turned away and ignoreed her. This was a waste of [[time.|Downtown]]

Fin

I decided to let her do what she wished. She just stood there, looking between the world outside my window and the darkness creeping in from the door behind her.\n\nI cocked an eyebrow at her and took another [[puff|Woman's Plea 2]] of the Chesterfield.

<<if $woman_dead eq "yes">>\nI decided to head back to the start of my search out in front of my office. I take a left this time into a dirty alley and am shocked to find the woman with a slit throat lying beside an overflowing dumpster.\n\nShe's dead, and now I have no leads, no place to start looking.\n\n[[I guess it all just worked itself out in the end.|Fin]]\n<<else>>\nI found the woman, and she looked like she was in trouble. She was cornered inbetween the wall of the narrow dirty alley and a equally dirty trash bin. A large man with a bald head was slowly approaching the girl with a large knife drawn. I knew something was about the go down, so I started to draw my [[gun|Ending 1]] but I [[hesitated|Ending 2]].\n<<endif>>

I got up from my chair with a sigh before sluggishly putting out my cigar. I breathed in the smell of smoke that was quickly dispersing out the open door and [[followed|Pursuit 2]] it after the girl.