We stepped onto a narrow iron fire escape in the dark alley.

The metal steps were slick with ice.

My father gasped as his thin slippers touched the freezing metal.

“Hold on to me, Dad,” I said, wrapping my arm around his waist.

We began to descend the steps, our boots clanging against the iron.

The cold air lunged at us, biting through my thin jacket.

We reached the snow-covered asphalt of the alleyway.

The night was dark, illuminated only by a single flickering streetlamp at the far end.

“My car is parked just around the corner,” Charles said, pointing toward the street.

We took three steps forward into the falling snow.

Suddenly, a blinding beam of light cut through the darkness.

It caught us directly in the eyes, forcing us to shield our faces.

The sound of heavy boots crunched loudly on the gravel behind the light.

A group of tall, dark figures stepped out from the shadows of the brick wall.

In the center of the group stood a man in a long, black wool coat.

The light caught his face, revealing his cold, mocking eyes.