Kuro sat typing methodically on a dull grey keyboard as he worked late into the night. He stared intently at the bright computer screen, which starkly contrasted the dimly lit office space. The office he sat in was much like any other. He’d seen many like it over the years and would likely see many more. Several desks were lined up in rows and personal decorations were variously scattered across them. Though there were many workspaces, Kuro was the only person still working that evening. The only sound was the steady tick-tick-tick of the keyboard as he typed, it was a lonely and quiet room.

Kuro unconsciously brushed his hair with his fingers, his unkempt dark brown hair was now haphazardly pushed to one side. Most people would have considered him a good-looking man if it wasn’t for the perpetually tired look in his eyes. Those eyes made him appear more intense than he really was. His light blue button up dress shirt was wrinkled but in good condition. He didn’t usually put much emphasis on his appearance. Just being presentable enough to keep others from commenting was enough. Although he didn’t care for fashion, he was still clean and somewhat organized.

The office lights suddenly began to click on as one of the office doors swung open. Kuro was surprised anyone was there other than himself. He looked away from his screen for the first time in several hours to see the office’s head manager.

“Hey there, Mr. I.T. guy!” a kind faced balding man said as he noticed Kuro.

“Oh, um, good evening Mr. …” Kuro responded slowly as he tried to remember the man’s name. I think it starts with a T…

“Don’t worry about it, everyone just calls me Manager. More importantly, you should be home for the night. I came back for some papers and didn’t expect to see anyone.”

“I’m about finished sir, if I can get this done tonight your company’s systems will be at 100% for tomorrow morning.”

The manager scratched his head and shrugged, “Well don’t make anyone at home worry. The trains will stop running if you wait too long. Your I.T. company said this project would take a few days so you don’t need to rush. Although I appreciate you and your company’s hard work.”

Kuro began to say something, but the manager waved away any reply he may have had.

“I’m sure you know your business, so I won’t press the issue. Just be safe and have a good night, Mr. I.T. guy.”

The manager made his way to the exit and Kuro wished him a good evening. He turned back to his computer screen and stared at it for a moment, lost in thought. It’s nice of him to worry but it’s not like there’s anyone at home to wait up for me. Besides, if I can get this done now, I won’t have to come back tomorrow, and I can accept another job. He looked around the empty office and wondered how long he could keep this up. “I suppose not everyone is destined for a great life.” He muttered to himself. Kuro began typing again, resuming the solitary tick-tick-tick in the otherwise silent office.

A few hours later Kuro breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at the clock. I guess manager dude called it, the trains have stopped running by now. Kuro stood up and stretched, a good feeling after sitting for so long. He slid on his dark brown jacket and checked his phone. It’s still Friday for another few minutes, so I suppose I kept my promise to the boss by not working Saturday. He put his phone in his pocket and made his way outside. The night air was still warm despite it being early fall. The city streets were lit by streetlights along the sidewalk. I’m glad I only live a few miles from here, didn’t really want to spend the night. Kuro shuffled along at a slow pace as he headed towards his apartment.

As Kuro walked along the sparsely populated streets he watched as people passed him by. There weren’t many people, but it was still Friday night. He occasionally passed a group of people laughing or couples likely on their way home after a night out. Most people didn’t seem to notice him but he noted that the ones that did seemed to avoid looking at him entirely. I must look miserable, the last few people looked like they were terrified of me. Kuro dismissively sighed. I suppose it is pretty late, and it’s smart to be cautious in this part of town. Kuro shrugged it off and continued his late-night stroll.

Kuro was used to walking home in the dark since he usually worked long hours. He worked for an I.T. company that sent him to other businesses to maintain and fix their computer systems. He thought he was fairly good at it too. Well, I’ve been doing it for 12 years at this point, I better be. Most jobs were quoted to take a few days, but Kuro always worked well past normal hours to finish as quickly as he could. This occasionally earned him some negative attention from his boss and coworkers but since he could take on new jobs more often it worked out in his favor, at least as he saw it. He had moved jobs a few times but he thought his current one was probably the best so far.

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Kuro’s evening walks back to his small apartment usually led to his thoughts wandering. He’d start to think about what he was doing with his life. Was any of it really worth the time? Kuro ended up thinking about what the manager said about not worrying anyone at home. Since there’s no one for me to worry I should at least try to be useful while I’m here. If my fate is to work myself to death, I may as well lean into it. He accepted his thought as a matter of fact, not seeing it as a bad thing just as a normal part of life. At 35 years old, he decided things weren’t likely to change now.

Not everyone gets to be happy. I can at least spend my life doing something useful, even if it is just making work easier for others. Kuro nodded to himself as another couple walked past him, also avoiding eye contact. I know people aren’t generally excited to see a worn out guy like me walking past them in the middle of the night, but everyone seems particularly unfriendly this evening. He felt a little bad for scaring people, so he began to pick up his pace. I should at least be able to… Kuro’s thoughts trailed off as he glanced into the nearby alley.

Kuro met the eyes of a young woman with tears running down her face. She was held against a wall at knifepoint by a large man in a torn jacket. The man had a scar across his broad face and the knife he held was large enough to pierce through someone’s whole midsection. The scarred man immediately noticed Kuro.

“This ain’t your problem. Keep walking.” The scarred man said gruffly.

Kuro froze, looking at the young woman. Her neck was tightly gripped by the scarred man, her clothes and skin cut in random places, and her purse laying on the ground next to her. Her eyes filled with tears seemed to be pleading for help. Before he had even realized it Kuro started moving and took a step towards the scarred man. “Let her go.” Kuro demanded in a cold voice.

“Are you serious?” the scarred man laughed as he roughly tossed the woman further into the alley. She landed hard, coughing as she rasped for air.

Might as well be useful. Kuro took up a fighting stance he’d learned when he took martial arts classes more than a decade ago. It’s been years but I can probably manage long enough for her to run. Kuro took another step forward. The scarred man lunged at Kuro, knife point first. It seemed like everything was moving in slow motion. He was surprised at how calm he felt as the knife rushed towards him. Kuro sidestepped the attack and narrowly avoided being stabbed in the chest. The scarred man lunged a second time, enraged at missing the first. Kuro’s body had a mind of its own as he stepped into the attack. Kuro struck the man’s elbow and seized his wrist. Kuro twisted the wrist in a direction it was not meant to go and did so as hard as he could. The knife fell, clanging to the ground. The scarred man’s momentum carried him forward and he fell face first into the pavement.

Kuro couldn’t believe it. The disarming move he had practiced a thousand times worked, even after so many years. He kicked the knife away and faced the scarred man again, relieved the knife was out of the fight. Kuro’s relief was short lived as the now bloody faced man reached into his jacket to reveal a pistol. Kuro leapt at the man without thinking. The calm he felt earlier had shattered. The two of them struggled on the ground as Kuro frantically attempted to wrest the gun away. BANG! The gun went off while they fought. He missed. After that, Kuro thought his luck was bound to run out and fought with everything he had. BANG!

The scarred man suddenly fell limp. Kuro was breathing hard, exhausted after the struggle. “You must’ve shot yourself because you wouldn’t let go of the damn gun.” Kuro said to the motionless man. He turned to the young woman who hadn’t run, but instead watched the whole event in apparent shock.

“Are you all right?” Kuro asked.

She gave a sudden start as she came back to the present. “I-I’m ok, but...” she said in a hoarse voice.

Kuro stood up and felt a sudden flash of dizziness. He looked down and realized the first shot hadn’t missed. His once blue shirt was stained red with blood. “That’s probably not healthy…” Kuro said weakly. His knees gave out and he fell, slumped against the wall.

The young woman hurried to Kuro’s side. “It’s going to be all right!” She said in a panicked voice.

Kuro could see that she was still talking but he couldn’t make out the rest of the words. This isn’t quite what I was expecting to happen. The woman set her phone down and started pressing her hand against his chest. He could feel the pressure and was made extremely aware of the pain. Better me than her. His thoughts came slowly and felt drawn out. She probably has someone who’d miss her... There are worse ways to go, besides… I’m not leaving anything important behind... The young woman was desperately trying to keep Kuro alive, doing her best to get the bleeding under control. She looks scared… I should… let her know its ok… Kuro struggled to think clearly. He looked up and tried to say something, but wasn’t sure if anything actually came out. The only sound he could hear was a loud ringing in his ears, fading in and out.

Kuro was having a difficult time breathing, it felt like he was drowning. He coughed as he tried to pull air into his lungs. Why... was I here again? He couldn’t manage to keep his thoughts straight. Was there any reason? He noticed there was a young woman next him. “She’s definitely pretty…” He tried to look up at the young woman but for some reason he was having trouble moving. He was wondering why his chest didn’t really hurt anymore. He wasn’t sure why it hurt so much to begin with. He shivered and slowly closed his eyes. “It sure gets cold out at night…”