Encounter in a Back Alley

First, there was the darkness. Occasionally, a bright light drove it away, only to be enveloped in a void of colours yet again. Voices, vaguely familiar and totally unfamiliar, rang in ears as if they were shouting, but after a while they calmed down and became more pragmatic towards the one, who found the peace in the dream world. Alas, there were no sweet dreams nor nightmares like a bottom of the deepest parts of an ocean, the head was absent of any thoughts.

For Eugene, it felt like he was sleeping for a bit more than an eternity, as if centuries have passed, yet no one was able to wake the man up. He did so himself.

As Eugene opened his eyes, a bright light made his head ache, but through the pain not only in the eyes, but also abdomen and legs, he got up. Slowly, he crawled into the kitchen and greedily gulped down a glass of tap water as if his life depended on it, which was not far-fetched from the truth. Next, he devoured a piece of bread which was left after what seemingly was breakfast. And finally, he took a glance over a calendar that stood near the fridge and giggled over his exaggerated opinion of his importance to the world. Just one day have passed since he fell unconscious from the revelation of his brother's situation.

Despite his body demanding resources to simply sustain his existence, his ears became red from embarrassment as he whispered, "And here I thought I will be able to help you…"

Despite his tenor being quieter than even the steps of a cat, he clearly heard his own voice, which made him notice one peculiar detail. He was home alone.

"Where the hell are everyone?"

In his mind there were engraved blurred frames of Vera, Christopher, even Douglas among with unfamiliar people, but he had no idea what had happened prior to his awakening. Who were these people? Perhaps doctors, that were fetched by Christopher. He could not tell.

After having a snack consisting of everything he was able to find in the kitchen, Eugene made a decision. He reached the front door, found a spare key in the cabinet where some cufflinks were stored, and came outside to ease the numbness in his legs. With every step taken down the stairs, his mind became more and more clear from the fog of the remnants of dream. He remembered the nasty situation his brother found himself and his lack of knowledge about it. Eugene bowed his head in sorrow, but after feeling the breeze and the smokey but moist smell of the big city, his spine became straight, and he walked down the street.

"I wonder where should I go first?" Eugene mumbled and glanced over a few bars in hope to find a familiar frame in display windows, but unfortunately neither Douglas nor Christopher were present anywhere.

His brother's car was not parked near the house, which led him to a conclusion that Christopher must be quite far away from home. Eugene's first place of interest in search of his family was Hotel de Ville, which was in proximity to the hospital where his brother used to work at. It could have been quite a time-consuming walk, if Eugene did not think of riding a tram. And as he was slowly but surely getting closer to the hotel, his head was filling with more thoughts, and quite nasty ones. To not further delve into panic, he focused more on the views of Paris outside the tram window.

The city was magnificent as the day he entered it, but like the next day, gloom was present in every alley due to the presence of dark clouds. The storm is forming rapidly. So rapidly, in fact, that he was not able to see the name of the stop properly and exited the tram much earlier than intended.

"Shit, how didn't I even notice!?" he exclaimed and at the same time grabbed his face. Eugene's head still felt light, but not as unreal as upon his awakening. This was annoying to him, but unfortunately there was no time for a cup of coffee. His gut told him to act immediately.

"I really hope I will not get lost at this rate." he mumbled and looked at the sky, "Especially in the upcoming rain."

And so he walked further and further through the unfamiliar street, but following the tramway, which became a lifeline for the man. Droplets of rain fell here and there, clearing streets up from dust and people. Soon, Eugene was the only person to walk in the closest proximity. Well, at least he thought so, until several voices were heard by him in a back alley.

Those rough but polite voices belonged to a few men, they were arguing over an unknown issue, but Eugene was not interested in their quarrel whatsoever. He increased the pace to not disturb unknown people, but then suddenly heard the soft and calm voice of a woman, she said, "Or you could as well simply leave me alone."

The boy stopped and pricked up his ears, through the rising rain. This voice was somehow familiar, though he could figure out to whom it belonged exactly. Judging by her tone, she was clearly annoyed with the persistence of these men, but he still sensed a faint trembling in her voice, which alerted Eugene. No people were present around due to the nasty weather surrounding Paris, spreading the nastiness into this situation as well.

Eugene wanted to intervene, but could not find the courage to enter the back alley enveloped by darkness and swarmed by pesky individuals. Though, his resolve grew further when one of the men snapped out of patience, and he threatened, "-you want to get injured!?"

He was not able to hear the first half of his words, but it was enough for Eugene to finally step in, though modestly, as if he was just passing by. His presence was still felt by everyone involved, the 3 men with strong build and formal suits, and a lady with a parasol and long, frilly dress. They all silently glared at him, intensifying Eugene's heartbeat. He slowly walked further, trying not to initiate an eye contact with any of the men. It seemed like he would just pass by until he had stopped right next to the woman.

Eugene could not see her expression due to her small height and parasol covering the whole face. Yet, he outreached his hand and clearly, even though with slight tremble, uttered, "Oh, so that's where you were, Cassandra! Let's go, parents are waiting for you."

In a split second, Eugene was able to made up the name and the whole line. It did not sound half bad in his head, but as soon as he said it out loud, his face turned bright red, which luckily was not seen due to the dim lighting of the area. Now he simply prayed that his heavy from long sleep head did not daydream the problem and that this woman would follow his lead.

Luckily for Eugene, he felt her slim palm in his own hand quite fast. It was covered in silk glove, but the boy still felt the warmth at the centre of the palm and coolness of her fingers. And so the two marched towards the light out of the back alley. Men surrounding them did not try to stop the two, and Eugene's nerve eased down with every step. Seems like his rescue plan was a great success!

At least so he thought until he heard the metal click from behind and a stern voice, "Do not move!"

Eugene obeyed the man's order and turned his head a little only to witness with his side gaze several muzzles of guns pointed directly at his head. This single moment was far more successful in clearing sleepiness away from his head than any cup of coffee ever could.