FicWad

Pete walked down the damp alley with his shoulders slumped and head down. The only pale light came from a desolate streetlight midway down the cobbled alley. There were a lot of alleys like this one in District D, and District D isn't a very good place to be. Especially on a Saturday night.
Saturday. Night. It's funny how two words can cause panic. Blame the vampires for that. Which is exactly why District D is such a bad place to be on a Saturday night. Only the worst slime hangs around District D. But for Pete, taking the short cut through District D to get back home is worth it. Otherwise, he'd have to go through District E and all the police and crazy pro-vampire activists. That's one scene to avoid.
A little way up the alley, someone opened a door. Pete stopped dead in his tracks and squinted hard through the darkness, but the street lamp was still too far ahead to see much. Option number one: run like crazy through the alley and hope you don't step on someone, or something. Option number two: walk calmly up the alley, but be ready to run or defend yourself. Option number three: turn around and take the long way home. Option number four: stay where you are until sunrise, then go home and get in a lot of trouble for being out all night.
Not a very optimistic situation for Pete. Problem with option number one: it's a good way to attract attention and get killed. Problems with option number two: trying to stay calm is easier said than done, running has already been established as bad, and Pete is a whole lot smaller than most of the vampires that hang around District D. Problem with option number three: the really long way home goes deeper into District D, therefore increasing the chances of something really bad happening. Problems with option number four: it would make Pete an easy target and he's already in enough trouble for sneaking out to hang with Andy.
Someone was walking up the alley behind Pete. That rules out options three and four. /OK, play it calm, you can do this...you'll be just fine.../Pete took a deep breath and started up the alley. He forced himself to take steady steps and even breathes. The footsteps behind him were louder now. The streetlight was just a little further ahead.
"Pete?" someone whispered.
Pete stopped under the streetlight. Andy walked over to him, dressed in the usual black and hood up to cover his long red hair. The pale light reflected off of his glasses.
"You freaked me out," Pete sighed. "What are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you, there was a riot in District E. I wanted to warn you," Andy glanced uneasily over his shoulder.
"I never go home that way," Pete looked back over his shoulder. Is there something down the alley?
"I called Joe and told him to look for you too," Andy added.
Pete laughed. "Is he coming down the alley the other way? Did you ask to meet him somewhere?"
"Yeah, I told him to meet me, but not-" Andy dropped off in the middle of his sentence. "Pete!"
Pete jumped around and felt someone push him up against the wet alley wall. The next instant his neck seared with pain and warm blood flowed.