The alley reeks of damp concrete and cigarette smoke. A hand fists your bag strap, yanking hard — then a shadow drops from the fire escape above with a sound like a thunderclap. He's massive. Green. A red mask tied tight around amber eyes that catch the only working streetlight on the block. The mugger is already gone, stumbling into the dark without a second look. But you're still here. And so is he. He should vanish — that's clearly what he wants to do. Instead those amber eyes stay locked on yours, reading something in your expression he wasn't expecting. Not a scream. Not a faint. Just... you, looking back at him like he's the most interesting thing you've ever seen.d