I woke with something pulling at my shoulder. Rolling slightly I saw a toothy grin smiling down at me, the smell of cheap alcohol thick in the air.

‘What’cha doin’ out here, little girl?’ He smiled more and I suppressed a shudder as his eyes raked over my body. ‘Pretty little thing like you shouldn’t be out this late’ He moved closer to me, hand tightening on my arm. ‘There’s all sorts of dangerous people around’

Without thinking, I shoved my shoulder towards him, elbow snapping out to hit his stomach and pushing him backwards. I scrambled to my feet, turning to run but his arm caught me and yanked me back towards him. His other arm wrapped around me, pinning my arms to my sides, pressing me against him. He leaned forward and his breath washed over my neck as he whispered, ‘Now, now, I wouldn’t be doing that if I were you.’

His tongue traced my ear as I started to struggle more, thrashing violently to get out of his grip. One my feet scraped across his shin and he threw me to the ground.

‘Bitch’ he snarled out, stalking towards me.

No time to stand up, I pushed myself backwards, feet and hands scrambling against the concrete, heels digging in to find enough purchase. My back hit a wall and he laughed, eyes lighting up as he realised I was trapped. He started taunting me and pulled my to my feet, hands pinning me to the wall. He reached up and along my face, finger tracing my jaw then down my throat, pushing into the tender flesh he found.

‘Someone get there before me, huh?’ He asked with a smile. My mind flashed back to Jack at the house. The helplessness as he pushed me up against the wall, the crack of my head against plaster, the pressure building as I struggled for air. It wasn’t going to happen again. I shook my head. This guy wasn’t Jack; this wasn’t something I deserved. Not this time. This wasn’t a nice guy and this time I would fight back.

Resolve flashing in my eyes, I smashed my head into his face. His hands flew up to his nose, blood already flowing freely from his nose. I ducked out of his reached and dashed towards my bag, a few yards away. Dropping down, I pulled the bag open and searched through it quickly, aware that he could recover at any time. My hand came across cold metal just as the crunch of his footsteps started towards me. I spun towards him, arm outstretched and eyes focused on his face. The total look of shock made me smile.

My eyes flickered between his face and the bag, using my left arm to stuff my things inside. My hands were starting to shake and I could see him thinking through his options as his hands re-checked his nose. His eyes stayed on my right hand, a pistol held tightly and pointed directly at him.

With the bag done, I backed slowly away, gun still aimed but checking over my shoulder for the first moment that I could turn and run. I got to the edge of the alley and lifted the bag onto my shoulder. As I turned he called out his final words. ‘Just wait girly, next time I’ll have my fun.’ He started to laugh but it was soon lost in the sound of my feet beating against the road.

Morning found my on a bench in the park at the edge of town, the gun held in front of me in shaky hands. Of course, it wasn’t actually a gun; it was David’s air pistol. It was a last minute grab as I packed, remembering the advice of the street kids I’d met in care. If you can find a weapon, use it. Anything to protect yourself. It was realistic enough, especially in the dark last night. Most people won’t have the sense to tell the difference once you pull it out.

I knew there were risks that night, some people would say it was stupid, but they would never understand the safety that it brought, the difference it made to see the fear in that man’s eyes. I had protection, I had a defence against the world and that’s all that mattered.

I tucked the pistol into the back of my jeans and crossed my arms over my chest. I had other things to worry about. It was time for a fresh start, a new beginning away from this place. All I needed was a way to escape.