Initially, I thought it was my imagination, protecting me from the sheer terror of what was about to occur. It wasn't. A hero descended from the rooftops, landing just in time between me and my assailants. They fought with their fists, moving quickly and difficult to follow. The two men were fast, but my defender was smaller and faster. He struck at the men as he dodged their advances without trouble.

One henchmen pulled out a knife and attempted to stab at the mystery man. He dodged, and in one fluid motion, nearly invisible to my eyes, his elbow slammed down on the henchman's arm with a loud crack. In continuation with his previous movement, the agile man twisted the broken arm so that the knife was thrust into the chest of the approaching henchman, still fastened in the hand of the first. Both men grunted in pain, but it was not over.

They continued with their attempts to land a blow. The second henchman pulled the protruding knife out of his chest and threw it at my protector. He caught it with ease, and put the knife into its owner's neck. The force must have been great enough to sever the spine. I gasped in horror as the man's head fell from his body. The body collapsed on the pavement in front of my eyes. His associate paused, unsure if he should continue the attack.

He hesitated too long. My ally, or who I hoped was my ally, landed a blow square on the chest of the remaining man, crashing him into the street and leaving a small crater in his wake. By some miracle, the henchman was alive, but disoriented.

"Tell your boss I'm back," snarled my savior.

The conclusion in his voice brought me back to reality. The fight was over, I was alive. I finally struggled to my feet. The man diverted his attention to me.

"Are you hurt?"

He was not the same ruthless man who had just chopped the head off someone and put another in a crater. His deep eyes appeared to be full of genuine concern and his eyebrows wrinkled his forehead. He was just boy; not much older than me.

As he took a step towards me, I screamed a warning, too late for him to have reacted. The henchman sprung up and stabbed the boy in the back. A wooden stake ripped through the front of his chest. He screamed.