The rain started softly.
At first it was only a gentle drizzle, the kind that painted the streets in silver and filled the air with the scent of wet asphalt. Students hurried out of the school gates, opening umbrellas and pulling jackets closer to their bodies.
Among them was a girl walking quietly along the sidewalk.
Her name was Liora.
She adjusted the strap of her bag and looked up at the darkening sky. The clouds were thick and heavy, swallowing the last traces of sunlight.
"Looks like it's going to rain all night," her friend Sofia had said earlier that afternoon.
And she had been right.
After a long day at school, Liora had followed Sofia to her house. They had spent hours talking about trivial things—homework, teachers, and the endless gossip that traveled through the school hallways.
Time had passed too quickly.
When Liora finally checked the clock, the sky outside the window was already dark.
"I should go home," she said, standing up reluctantly.
Sofia frowned. "Now? But it's raining."
"It's okay," Liora replied with a small smile. "I brought an umbrella."
Sofia walked her to the door.
The rain had grown heavier by then. It fell steadily from the sky, turning the streetlights into hazy golden halos.
"Text me when you get home," Sofia said.
"I will."
With that, Liora stepped out into the night.
The streets of Nemor were quiet.
Most people had already gone home, escaping the rain and the cold wind that swept through the narrow alleys.
Liora opened her small black umbrella.
The soft tapping of raindrops against the fabric followed her as she walked.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
It was strangely peaceful.
The city looked different at night—darker, quieter, almost mysterious.
Water gathered along the sides of the street, reflecting the dim glow of the lamps above. Her shoes splashed softly against the shallow puddles as she walked.
Normally, she would take the main road home.
But tonight she chose the shortcut.
A narrow alley that cut between two old buildings.
It was faster.
And she had walked through it many times before.
Still…
Something about the night felt different.
Maybe it was the rain.
Maybe it was the silence.
Or maybe it was the strange feeling creeping slowly into her chest.
Liora tightened her grip on the umbrella and stepped into the alley.
The alley was darker than the street.
Tall brick walls rose on both sides, trapping the sound of the rain inside like an echoing chamber.
Water dripped from broken pipes.
The ground was uneven, scattered with small puddles that shimmered under the faint light from a distant lamp.
Liora walked carefully.
Her footsteps were the only sound besides the rain.
Then—
She froze.
Someone was there.
At the far end of the alley.
A figure sitting against the wall.
Her heart skipped.
For a moment she considered turning around.
But curiosity kept her rooted in place.
The figure didn't move.
Slowly, cautiously, Liora stepped closer.
And then she saw him.
A man.
Tall. Broad-shouldered.
He was leaning against the wall as if his body had finally given up.
His leather jacket was completely soaked by the rain, clinging to his muscular frame.
But that wasn't what made her breath catch.
It was the blood.
Dark red stains spread across his sleeve.
A slow stream of blood dripped from his arm to the ground, mixing with the rainwater.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Liora's eyes widened.
He had been shot.
Her mind screamed at her to run.
This was dangerous.
This was the kind of situation people avoided.
Yet…
She couldn't move.
The man slowly lifted his head.
And their eyes met.
Cold.
Sharp.
Piercing.
His gaze was unlike anything she had ever seen before.
Not just pain.
Not just anger.
It was the look of someone who had lived through violence for a very long time.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The rain continued to fall between them.
The man's breathing was rough, uneven.
But despite the wound, there was something terrifyingly controlled about him.
Like a predator resting in the dark.
Liora swallowed.
Her fingers tightened around the umbrella.
"You're… bleeding," she said quietly.
The man didn't answer.
His eyes studied her carefully.
As if he was deciding something.
Finally, his voice broke the silence.
Low.
Rough.
"Go home."
Just two words.
A warning.
But Liora didn't move.
Her gaze drifted back to the blood on his arm.
"If you stay here," she said softly, "you might die."
A faint shadow crossed the man's face.
For the first time, something almost like amusement flickered in his eyes.
"You should be more afraid," he murmured.
The rain fell harder.
Wind swept through the alley, rattling a loose metal sign somewhere above.
Still, Liora stood there.
And somehow, that surprised him.
Most people would have run away by now.
But this girl…
She simply looked at him with worried eyes.
"Can you stand?" she asked.
Silence.
Then he let out a quiet breath.
"You're a strange girl," he said.
Maybe she was.
Because instead of leaving…
Liora took a step closer to the wounded man in the rain.
And neither of them knew yet—
That this moment…
In this dark alley…
Would change both of their lives forever.