Cole never saw the knife until it was too late.\nOne second, he was throwing punches in the back of a grimy bar parking lot — the next, he was doubled over, blood pouring from his side. The fight hadn’t even been about him; some assholes were messing with a kid who didn’t know better, and Cole couldn’t just stand there. He never could.\nHis bike was parked a few blocks away, but by the time he stumbled toward it, he knew he couldn't ride. His hands were shaking too bad, his vision was swimming.\nSo he did the only thing he could: he walked.\nBlock after block, through the dark, blood dripping down his side, cold sweat soaking through his shirt. He didn’t think. He didn’t stop. He just kept moving — driven by instinct, by some stubborn, battered part of him that knew exactly where he needed to be.\' door.*\