The sun took its last glimpse over the towering buildings and disappeared into the horizon. As darkness descended upon the city, neon signs flashed up as quickly as the fireflies did. At night, the city was a hard and dangerous place to be, especially in the Red Light District. Prostitutes roamed the streets while drug dealers equally crowded the alleys. This was no place for anyone to be, not even the homeless she saw digging through the trashcans for a trace of anything edible. Today, the temperature reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit, she had hoped to seek relief in the darkness but the musty atmosphere of this morning lingered on throughout the night�Thailand was especially hot during this time of year.

She fanned her hand back and forth a couple of times to get some air in her dry lungs. Sweat trickled down her forehead as she waited patiently for her regular batch of customers. The wig she wore caused her to perspire immensely�a disguise she prided herself in---it made her look �innocent.� The time flashed 7:55 pm when she looked down at her watch---a pitiful thing she had ever since high school�a graduation gift from her parents. Before nostalgia had a chance her enter her thoughts, the customers filed in the dark, damp alley to get their regular �fix.�

Janie knew their names by now, they came to her every night at the same time�their eyes filled with hunger, a hunger that could only be subsided with what she had to offer them. She pitied these poor souls that came to her for the relief and comfort their broken homes could not provide them. A lot of them came from these backgrounds: parents ignoring them or expecting too much that they couldn�t take it anymore�living off the streets�stealing from the already �poor� to quench their thirst for something that would eventually kill them.

It wasn�t her place to judge them�she was no better off herself. Since having dropped out of college, she had been working the streets for a little more than a year. It wasn�t that she chose to do this�she HAD to do it. Janie stood pressed up against the alley wall clad in her old high school uniform---it juxtaposed all that she was doing and the line of work she was in. She had already risked everything that fateful day she decided to work for BOSS. He told her what she needed to do and she did it�no questions asked---not like she had a choice in the matter. Her life was affected by the idiotic actions of those around her�thrusting her into a fate she never dreamed was ever possible.

After having distributed her �goods� to the pathetic drones, Janie picked up her backpack and made her way out of the alley. It had been a long day; she just wanted to get back �home.� As she walked, someone approached her.

"Hey little lady, can I get some of that?� the stranger asked with a husky voice. He wore a giant overcoat along with an unshaven face and the lingering smell of what appeared to be a mix of vomit and alcohol. His hair was disheveled and poking out every which way from underneath his faded baseball cap.

Janie looked him up and down as she folded her arms across her chest. She waited a while before answering

"Why did the rabbit cross the river?�

The stranger coughed a bit and moved closer to Janie. He leaned in towards her and replied:

"No reason�I just wanna hold your hand.�

"Alrite,� Janie was satisfied, she swung her backpack around and held it in front of her. She�d dealt with a lot of people during her time, but this guy was just so disgusting she wanted to hurl and get the heck outta there as fast as she could.

"How much?� Janie and the stranger spoke in unison. She looked at him and repeated herself, this time without him chiming in.

"How much? I�m really tired today, I don�t want any trouble you hear?� Janie spoke, irritated by this guy. Why had she never seen him before? He wasn�t one of the regulars�but how did he know---

"300,000 bahts worth.� The stranger interrupted Janie�s thoughts as he reached inside his coat for a wallet.

"Alrite, let�s get this over with,� Janie spoke as she pulled a small plastic bag out of her backpack. At that instant, the stranger took hold of Janie�s arm and pulled her close to him and held a gun to her back as he said:

"You�re under arrest!�

Janie�s customers, after having heard this began to make a mad dash out of the alley. There was so much commotion going on as police sirens went off and the blue and red lights whirred through the streets.

"Shit!� Janie yelled as she realized why she had never seen this guy---he was a cop! Janie struggled to get her arm from him but he took hold of her other arm and was about to put handcuffs on her.

"Oh man! This isn�t happening!� Janie yelled while she struggled to get free, as a last resort, she spun around and aimed for his crotch. The man let out a cry as he stumbled to the ground, leaving Janie free to run for her life. Cops filed into the dark alley arresting people left and right. Janie managed to get out into the streets but a lot of the area was blocked off with police cars. Every which way she looked there was a cop standing guard�waiting to catch the fish, like her, that managed to wriggle through the net.

"There she is!� The stranger yelled out as he ran out of the alley and started sprinting towards her.

"Ahhh crap!� Janie started running with no direction whatsoever. Before she knew it, he was right behind her. �How did he get behind me so fast?� Janie took time out to wonder while she weaved through the narrow alleys trying to avoid him. Her lungs were giving in but she wasn�t about to give up. The cramps in her side told her otherwise, but she wasn�t going to get arrested. BOSS would be furious with her, yelling at her about why she wasn�t more careful. Either way, she was screwed.

Janie glimpsed back several times and saw that he was gaining on her. He was trying to reach for her arm and before she knew it, she tripped over a garbage can and was flying through air. He got a hold of her but went down with her after having tripped on the same garbage can. He landed on top of her and was pinning her down as she kicked and punched him.

"Get off of me you jerk!� Janie screamed at him, �You�re hurting me!�

He didn�t speak but was trying to get her under control. He grabbed hold of her wrists and was pinning her down on the wet cement.

"Let go!� Janie yelled at him. The stranger took out a pair of handcuffs from his back pocket and fastened one to her and the other to his own wrist. He then pulled up off the cement towards the direction of the other policemen. Janie struggled to get free but it was useless, she was bound to him; at one point she attempted to run but he pulled her back. Her wrist began to bleed from the friction of the handcuffs. He dragged her in the direction of the police cars and after having cuffed her own hands together, shoved her into the car that he would be going back in. In the backseat, Janie could not help but think what was going to happen to her. She banged on metal barrier that separated them:

"Let me go you idiot! Let me out! I didn�t do anything!�

"Didn�t you?� He responded as they drove off, �What makes you think that what you did and are doing isn�t against the law?�

Janie fell silent, he was right�but she didn�t have to admit that to him, she continued,

"It�s not my fault! If there weren�t stupid people in the world, there would be no need for people like me!�

He ignored her. �My god what is this girl thinking?� he thought as he drove through the crowded street. �How can it not be her fault? I caught her in the act for heaven�s sake!�

"Let me go you dirty bastard! You�re nothing but a perverted a$$hole who goes around picking on innocent people! LET ME OUT!!!� Janie screamed at him while kicking the back seat and banging on the metal barricade.

SSSSCCCCRRRREEEECCCHHH�

The car came to a sudden stop as he spontaneously slammed on the brakes. Janie�s head smacked against the metal.

"Ouch! You freakin� idiot! Why the heck---"

"Who do you think you are talking to me like this?� he cut her off as he put the car in park and turned around to face her, "More than anything you should be begging me to spare your life! It�s people like you that make my job more difficult! And I suggest you shut your mouth if you know what�s good for you because judging from your crime, you could end up in prison for life!� He was fuming, no one had ever talked this way to him before, not even the most filthy of the criminals he�d come across.

"Hmmph!� Janie wrinkled her forehead and refused to make eye contact with him.

"I hope you can hear me little miss, because I can keep driving like this and by the time we get to the station, that pretty little head of yours will be no more---even though it�s your mouth I want gone!�

He started the car again and drove off. Janie didn�t talk for the rest of the ride. She was deep in thought; if what he said was true�then she wouldn�t be able to---

She had to find a way out of this---someway, somehow, she had to get out of this mess�too many lives were in the palm of her hand.

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