Delilah limped down the half-lit street gasping every time she put her

foot down, on her right arm was a cut where one of the boys slit her, she
held her hand at the bruise on her shoulder as every time she moved it
it was as if there was a dagger digging into it. She looked up and saw a
group of boys smoking, which reminded her of what happened. She
shook her head trying to remove the thought from her head.

Earlier that day, Delilah was walking home from school grumbling about
the detention she got from Mr. Kreek about her ‘little act’ that she had
done in his class. ‘I didn’t even do anything that bad’ she thought but
then she had flipped him off after getting told that she couldn’t sit on
her desk. As she came upon the partway she decided to take the
alleyway since it was quicker even though her mum had told her many
times to stay away from it no matter what. While walking down the
passageway, she noticed shadows moving across the wall. They
stretched along the walls like elastic, moving closer to her. Delilah led
faster on, turning every corner to try and avoid the shadows but they
still kept on her tail until she was backed into a corner.

As her back hit the wall, she realised that the shadows weren’t monsters
but boys, boys who were a lot older than her. Boys who didn't care about
respecting a girl. Boys who looked like animals. She could feel her breath
hitch as one of them came close. She closed her eyes praying for all of
this to be a nightmare, but when she smelt his foul breath she realised it
was anything but a dream.

“Where you off to sweetheart?” his question sounded rhetorical but it

was as if he was demanding an answer.

He was so close she could smell his malodorous breath, it stank of

cigarettes and alcohol. Holding her breath, she didn't dare look at him,
fearing that doing so would petrify her more than she already was, if
that was possible. It grew quiet but she could still feel the warmness and
foulness of his breath on her face. Just as her breath started to get a
bit calmer, a cold finger wrapped around her hand, her eyes opened but
she regretted it as soon as they did, the sight in front of her was one
that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Coby’s face was like that of a
demented animal. He had a face only a mother could love, and even
then she wasn't so sure his mother loved it. His black greasy hair shined
under the sun, his black eyes stared into Delilah's soul, she felt panicked.

She tried to fight his grip on her hand but the more she moved the
tighter it got. She spat in his face out of anger and frustration but when
his hand made contact with her throat she immediately rued it. Her
breath caught in her throat. She tried to fight back but his grip was too
tight. As she was throwing punches at his face she saw one of the other
boys pull out a knife. She screamed as loud as she could, crying and
trying to think of a way out. The boy came closer to her as Coby’s hand
slid away from her throat. Delilah closed her eyes for a second and when
she owned them she saw that the knife had been pushed on her neck
threatening her to cut her. The boy gave her a sick grin which then
escalated into a chuckle. ‘ Look at you so young and yet she wanders
into places where she doesn't belong,’ he said, skimming her neck with
the edge of the knife leaving a trail of blood. ‘ I guess we are going to
have to teach you a lesson.’ Not letting Delilah respond to that he slit
open her arm ,missing the neck. Delilah screamed and then looked at
the wound. The boy himself looked shocked at what he had done but
didn’t say anything. Looking at her body, Delilah shrank to the ground
covered in blood and bruises. The boys just laughed and watched her
cry and

whimper. Before fleeing one of the boys had a bat and approached
her:smashing it hard against her shoulder leaving her in pain and
agony. The rest of the gang had left laughing at what happened leaving
Delilah all battered and bruised.

Hours later, Delilah had woken up from passing out earlier.She noticed
that it was getting really dark and wanted to get home before the other
boys came back.Delilah lifted her limp body from the ground yelling in
agony every time one of her bruises hit the wall. Dragging herself
through the night, she mumbled to herself 'I can't go home to mum she
will be furious’ so she decided to go to her brother’s house and it was
closer.

Finally reaching her brother’s street, Delilah started inspecting her

wounds and looked away since she couldn’t handle the way they were
covered in blood. Reaching her brother’s door she couldn't knock so she
used her good foot and banged on the door several times. After
minutes of knocking several times, she finally gave up and sat on her
brother's doorstep letting her tears drop one by one down onto the
ground.

An hour or two later, Delilah felt woke up in a familiar and different

environment. Rubbing her eyes she noticed that her bruises and cuts
had bandages on them and hurt less. She sat up and noticed she was in
a living room and to be exact her brother’s living room. Delilah jumped
off the sofa and ran into the kitchen looking for her brother. Laying eyes
on him she burst into tears and hugged him so tight. Feeling safe she
said to herself ‘ Maybe I can teach them boys a lesson one day ‘