"Don't! Please!" I immediately got in the fetus position, protecting my head with my arms and hoped to be spared from dying at such young age. 

"Number 9, where are you?" 

She let go of me and didn't do anything further. No pulling, no hitting, no shooting...nothing.

I twitched in surprise and got frightened when I suddenly felt someone (I assumed her) tapping my shoulder. Keeping my posture, I felt her shaking me a moment later.
I didn't dare to look up, the fear made my body tense to the point it hurt, the fear of getting hurt made me shed tears...but the salty drops were the least thing that worried me at this moment.

"Please, I don't want to die! I'm too young to die!" Neither a response nor shaking. Did she leave me and got away with the money when she noticed I wouldn't move an inch? I listened to the groaning of fighting people that went more silent second by second and eventually I decided to get up and run for my life, without checking if she still stood next to me. I aimed to run towards the advertising stand because next to it was the gate to my freedom. The gate to the way that leads to the back exit if you go straight until there is the known green sign that showed you in what direction the exit was to escape the building when there was danger. I haven't even gone a third of that way I just described when I hit the wall on my left side. 

*BANG* 

"Ah!" I cried out. The blood dripped out and smudged the shiny, white tiles of smooth-polished porcelain. The girl who got the money was shot in the leg...just like my father. She clutched her leg and fell to the ground like him. It didn't look that serious, especially because she didn't scream in pain like he did. 
Even though only her eyes were visible, or more like her closed eyes, I could imagine her facial expression. Her clenched teeth, showing almost all 32 teeth, her furrowed nose and forehead, as well as her shut eyes. It probably didn't even show a small percentage of what she felt inside.

Not until then I saw the scene that happened behind me earlier. The majority of police officers were lying on the floor and each black masked people were fighting against two at the same time. A few out of many well-equipped police officers remained and it didn't look so good for them either. One after another fell in exhaustion.

The criminals obviously didn't care anymore about the innocent ones because little crowds of people, who were lying moments ago, build up in the corner, looking all distressed...feeling the same as me. Well, at least it was true what they have said. No one of them was hurt besides the people who actually attacked and tried to hurt the women who were beyond recognition. 

I backed up against the wall and watched the girl trying to stop the bleeding wound with her sleeve. I considered whether to help her or let the stranger struggle by herself.

I decided to be a good human being whith faith in the people who've done bad because she suddenly got up and limped back to the counter as she left a trace of blood.

"That's it for this month!" My attention swayed to the tall girl who smacked her hands together as if she wanted to get rid of dirt.

"...or maybe for this week...or today." My legs couldn't move, as well as my arms and hands that covered my mouth. I didn't expect to see someone being shot again...until now I forgot how it felt like...how I felt like in that moment when my dad got shot. But then I saw her and everything came back...

I wanted to do something but I couldn't move more than my eyeballs. The shock hit me more than it had been when my father was shot. Watching the girl crawling with that unbearable look in her eyes made me worry to be honest. I was the only one who knew she needed help and the only who could help her at that moment. The police officers back then were used to such a scenario and immediately helped him but I, on the other hand, didn't know how to act properly. 

Eventually, I picked myself up and moved towards her.

"Are you okay?" I asked. Seconds belonged to the past in which I didn't get an answer. I asked once again but she just waved with her hand, sending me away. 

"Why did I even ask? Of course, you are not okay. May I look at your wound? It has to be treated." She sat up as I approached her leg to roll up the end of her black leggings but soon I was interrupted by someone who looked for her the whole time.

"Get. The. . Away from her," another masked girl said, directing the gun towards me. Was this how my mom felt like?

"I- she- her leg-" 

"Do not touch her." Hot flames were to be seen in the girl's eyes. I knew when I didn't back up she would've definitely fired a bullet at me.

"I-" she took a step forward, making me back up in sync. It wasn't like I was afraid. My bravery hit the roof and made me rather think about her wellbeing instead of my future as a corpse.

"She needs help and you are just threa-" 

*BANG* my heart pounded faster than it has ever done. I looked to the left side and observed the hole that was shot a moment ago by someone else other than the scary girl in front of me. 

"Who do we have here? She talked back to you? That's not really nice..." Another black clothed girl showed up on the counter and directed her gun at me as well. Maybe it was just the perspective but she looked rather tall and darker comparing to the other ones.

"Can't we finally- oh my gosh! T- I mean 9!" 

"What are you doing? Go back and watch over the people before they do something stupid...and there they are doing something stupid." The tall girl held up her gun and poorly aimed for the wall on the other side. My eyes were fixed on the trigger as I covered my ears. When she pulled it nothing came out. 

"Oh, I have no bullets." The girl that threatened me earlier held her gun up as well and pulled the trigger just to realize hers was empty as well.

"Me neither."

"What are we going to do now?" The former asked.

"look at 9! There is a huge puddle of blood because of her leg! I have to treat her at home. Let's go home now." For a change a kind-sounding girl added our circle and approached '9', without paying attention to me. 

"Take her. We will go with the money we have. It's not as important as her." She looked up to her fellows and waited for their approval.

"Well, all right. We can just come back another day and get all the money." Our undivided attention was fixed at the 'victim' who tried to get up by herself and divided again when the other masked girl spoke up. 

"Not again..." The shortest girl didn't say anything but instead she waved her hand again, shaking her head in disapproval.

"Your leg is injured, stop it!" The kind-seeming one did an one-eighty and pushed her mate against the counter, making her fall as she shook her head as well. 

I just noticed how silent the girl actually was. I haven't heard a groan of pain or a word coming from . Hand and eye movements did handle everything for her so far but it seemed as if it didn't work so well. Was she mute? Or even deaf? Or mute and deaf? 

"Stop doing nothing and take her on your shoulder!" 

"She doesn't want to, see!" Once again, I watched the girl trying to get up by herself.

*eeeooeEEOOO~* 

"Again? How many do they actually have?" 

"Don't even think about fighting again." 

"No need to get rough." One of the standing girls said after the shorter one pushed her. 

"How can you be so ignorant? We got our money and our leader is injured..." Leader? That mute girl? What a joke...she couldn't possibly be the leader. 

"...you know how she is so please take her before they arrive again." 

"Do it." One of them ordered the tallest girl who weighed up her wishes to fight and her fellow's demands.

"Ugh, alright!" I slid back against the wall to make space for her and without any difficulties, moans or groans the bleeding girl was on her shoulder.

"Where is the back exit?" They suddenly asked me. 

I pointed in the direction where I actually planned to flee.

"If we get to hear you did a testimony on us, and sure we will, you are dead." Even though the girl mumbled due to her mask, I understood every word as clear as if she said it right into my ear.

"Let her be. This girl won't put us in danger, I mean look at her...all afraid and-"

*EEEOOEEO~*

"Let's go!" And before they escaped the criminal scene, their 'leader' had a one last eye contact with me. One last eye contact in which I felt her gratitude because I gathered my guts and approached someone I should've been afraid of. One last eye contact in which she told me 'thank you' without moving her lips.

My heart throbbed. It throbbed since everything had started.
Because everything in my mind went haywire, I forgot about it but to my luck, the throbbing lessened the more they distanced.
It went back to its normal rate once they left and the police arrived, dissolving the tensed