Alessia's POV

Raindrops tapped gently on the bookstore's windows, creating a smoothing rhythm that echoed through the cozy aisles and the distant rumble of thunder creating an eerie ambiance as I closed up the quaint bookstore.

It was an ordinary night, much like any other. I had spent my day sorting through new books and helping the few customers that frequently visited the bookstore to pick out new books and replace old ones.

It was pretty much the usual daily routine, except that the white furry cat that usually came around to keep me company didn't show up, which is very unusual, at least not since I started feeding it.

I grabbed the paperbag that contained my leftover lunch which I had kept specifically for the cat. I stepped outside and gazed out at the city of Verona.

Nothing much happens around here except for the usual tourist dramas. I pulled my coat tightly around me and stepped into the rain. I had forgotten my umbrella at home, so I would have to walk home like that. After all, it wasn't raining heavily, it was just drizzling.

Walking down the road, just when I was about to turn in the opposite direction that would lead to the house I shared with my uncle, I heard a loud noise from the alley on my right. I smiled, it had to be the cat foraging for food. She didn't show up today, so she must be very hungry.

I turned around and walked down the alley, my eyes scanning the trash bags propped up against the wall, but I couldn't see the cat anywhere. The alley was dark but I could make out objects, clearly enough for me to walk through. The crashing sound came again, more loudly, this time accompanied by a voice.

On impulse, I ducked behind the recycle bin and looked out. I could see a man right in front of me holding a gun in front of someone that was sprawled out on the floor. My heart began to beat rapidly as I tried to wrap my head around the situation I had just walked into.

"You sick son of a b****!" The man with the gun cursed. I got a good look at his face because of the tall street light just behind the wall, although it was broken, it kept flickering.

"No! No! Please.... I would be...." The man sprawled out on the floor stammered as he tried to scurry away. From my hiding spot, I couldn't see the face of the man on the floor but I could see his long legs. Three men stood against the wall to the right-hand side of the man that held the gun.

The man with the gun quickly stepped on the leg of the man who was trying to get away from him. I heard the poor fellow hissing in pain. The lights flickered again just in time as the man with the gun pulled the trigger and the noise resounded down the whole area.

"Get rid of the body." He bellowed and tossed the gun at the corpse on the floor. The men nodded and sprang into action.

I felt my legs go numb under me. My heart began to pound so loudly in my chest that I felt it would rip right out of my chest. I gripped my chest in pain as goosebumps popped up across my body and every hair on my skin stood at attention.

"Meow!" I jumped around in shock, it felt like my heart got ripped out for a second. I knocked over an empty can and it rolled down to the men at the end of the alley.

"Damn it!" I said under my breath as my eyes landed on the cat. "There you are, I was looking all over for you."

"What is that?" I heard one of the men ask as they began to walk towards the recycling bin. The sound of their shoes on the floor felt like a death sentence. I gasped for air as my eyes scanned the area. How on Earth can I get out of this predicament just in time?

Before the men could get close enough, the cat jumped out, landing on the first man and began scratching his legs.

"Ugh!!! It's a cat! I hate cats!" He said with a scowl as he kicked the cat to the wall. "It's just a cat, let's go before I throw up." He said to the other men and they turned around and walked away. I breathed a sigh of relief. That was very close.

I waited for a few minutes to be sure they had gone before I stepped out from behind the bin. The cat just sat there on the floor, licking its legs. I saw the cut on her leg. She must have acquired that cut when that man kicked her to the wall.

I bent down and patted her head gently, "You just saved my life, thank you." I whispered. I emptied the contents of the paper bag on the floor. I looked up and my heart skipped a beat as I saw the legs of the man that had just been killed. I thought they had taken the body?

I tumbled backwards in fear. I scurried to my feet and ran, as if the whole world was after me. I ran straight home without looking back until I had gotten to the entrance of the house. The lights were on, which only meant my Uncle was back home. He always arrived from the factory where he worked before me.

I turned the door knob and pushed the door open. The house felt really warm as I stepped inside.

"Ally! Is that you!" I heard my uncle call out from the living room. He had taken me in after I lost my parents in a car accident that I had mysteriously survived when I was five. Ever since then, he has treated me like his own and I couldn't wish for anything more.

"Yes Dad, it's me." I started calling him Dad a few years back. After sacrificing his whole life and career as a wrestler to look after me, it was the least I could do to make him feel like it was worth it. "Had dinner yet?" I asked as I took off my coat and walked into the living room.

He was sitting on the couch and I placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, "How was your day?" He asked, his eyes glued on me.

"It was fine." I answered absentmindedly.

"You don't look fine Ally." He said, "Your face is all flushed, drained of its colour and you looked like you just saw a ghost and did you really have to walk in the rain? You are dripping water all over the floor."

"I am fine Dad, I just need some rest." I insisted. I couldn't bring myself to tell him that I had just witnessed a murder in an alley and I had narrowly escaped being murdered too. He looked me over. I could tell he still had a lot to say, but he simply kept quiet.

I sighed in relief and headed upstairs to my room. I took a shower and went straight to bed. Under the comfort of my blanket, I couldn't stop thinking about what I had just witnessed. Why did he kill that man? Who is he?

Questions kept racing through my head and at the same time I wanted to forget about everything. To wake up tomorrow and not find a single trace of what had happened and to go on with my life like I had never seen anything.

I kept tossing around in bed the whole night, the images of the murder scene and the loud noise the gun had created kept replaying in my head. The cold stare of the murderer sent chills down my body.

Now that I thought about it, I had taken a good look at him, he exuded a commanding presence—tall and lean with piercing dark eyes that seemed to see right through people. His black hair is neatly styled, and a hint of stubble adds to his rugged allure.

I really can't explain why I had gone from being so scared about witnessing a murder to analysing what the murderer looked like, but not in the usual terrified manner, before I could get a grip on myself, I slept off.