Ella didn't have time to think as she watched Alex's retreating back, his sadistic features flashing in her mind long after he turned the corner. Her nose burned with the acrid smell of burnt flesh, and she knew she was going to throw up long before she bent over behind a nearby dumpster. Tears welled up in her eyes as she used her hand to wipe her mouth. The brunette didn't know what had just hit her, but she knew that nothing was ever going to be the same.

She, Ella Haussler, had just witnessed the murder of another human. A horrible street rat that had tried to kill her, no less, but still. She was officially involved, and she knew that she couldn't tell anyone. Ever.

It took a few minutes for her body to catch up with her racing mind, but when it did, Ella had the common sense to walk away from the sight, her converse padding silently on the concrete as she turned corners and clutched her arms tightly. She needed a taxi. She needed Parker.

[i]Why didn't I just stay home and go watch movies with him or something? You fucking retard![/i]

A few minutes of waving and calling out into the now sinister night streets later, Ella was climbing into the back seat of one of the yellow cabs. It smelled like smoke and old food, which only served to remind her of the arcade.

"Where to, young la-?"

"Twenty-third, 2057 McCarthy."

The cab driver flashed a concerned glance through the rearview mirror before nodding and stepping on the gas pedal. That was when she remembered that she didn't have any money on her. The brunette decided not to bring it up. Not until she was at the destination. However, with every number the little red numbers on the dash went up, the more her eyelids fell. 

How the hell was she even close to being tired when she had just watched a normal, if rather asshole-ish guy murder a guy without hesitation. Though the adrenaline high was still there, Ella must have fallen asleep eventually, because she was soon being woken up to the ghost feeling of a knife on her neck and the faint sound of a final, deciding gunshot.

Thankfully, Parker's house was coming up around the corner. All she wanted to think about was being in his arms, on his couch, and watching a stupid, cheesy, family movie with Adam Sandler in it, or something.