*To understand this novel completely, I ask you to read A study in scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle beforehand*

1.

The kick in her midsection woke her abruptly. She gasped for air as a cane came wining threw the air, hitting her over her back. She turned her head to see her attacker, only to get hit in the face with a fist.

Around her she could hear people talking, gasping and some were even cheering the attacker on. What was going on? She tried to stand up, only to get pushed back onto the ground by hands belonging to unidentified on cheerers.

She felt blood dripping from her nose and mouth.
"I'm going to die" she thought as another kick hit her ribs making them crack under the pressure.

Just then two men came walking by, one of the men stopped in horror at scene that was taking place in front of them. The other man, however, kept on walking not taking any note from the, soon to be, murder just a couple of meters away. His black foot long jacket swept over the cobbled stone street as he walked pass. The man who stopped tried to push the other persons aside to get to the girl. He was not going to stand this violent act.

The man who was beating her had stopped for a moment to catch his breath. But when he saw her rescuer he went between them and pushed him in the chest.

"And what do you think you're doing?" He asked with a harsh voice.

"Stopping you from becoming a murderer" the man answered bravely, trying to get passed to the injured woman.

But the attacking man would not hear such thing.

"She's working for me! I own her. Last night she took off, and this is the third time in a fortnight!"

"Maybe if you would treat her more nicely, she wouldn't run off." the other man spat.

He realised pretty quick that he wouldn't get to this man so he started to look for his friend. He saw him standing a few meters away from them, looking the other way.

"Holmes!" He cried and walked towards his companion. "Holmes, you got to do something. He's going to kill her."

The man named Holmes sighed.

"I can't see why that is any of my concern, we have someplace we need to be. Come along."

But when he noticed that his friend didn't follow he stopped and sighed again.

"You heartless man." Holmes friend spat out. "A woman is going to die, and you of all can save her, and you won't?"

Holmes sighed again. "Watson I am not going to have this argument with you."

"Then help her."

Holmes looked at her over the crowd. She had stopped moving. Blood in a pool around her. He exhaled quickly through his nose and pushed his way through the crowd and laid a hand on the attackers cane just in time to stop it hitting her senseless.

Holmes could see her faint breathing. Her eyes were swelling up and bruises became more visible every second through her blond hair. Watson ran towards, and kneeled beside her.

"I think she has gotten the point." Holmes said with a dry voice.

The man looked with shocked eyes on him.

"Yes, Mr Holmes, Sir." he said, lowering his cane.

"She's barley breathing." Watson said as he looked up at Holmes. "We need her to get to our apartment as soon as possible if we are going to save her."

"We?" Holmes asked surprisingly.

"I can do it Mr. 'Olmes" said a man with dirty clothes and a mouth full of missing teeth. He lifted her up in his arms and the three of them started to walk towards Holmes and Watsons quarters.

"Lay her on the sofa." Watson said and started to move away newspapers and tobacco leafs.

"No, she can have my bed." Holmes said.

Watson looked surprised at him waiting for an explanation that would never come. The man who had carried her started to walk towards Holmes bedroom and as he lay her down she opened her swollen and bruised eyes. They were blue, almost turquoise.

"Where am I." she whispered almost non audible.

"You're safe now, my dear." Watson laid a hand on hers. "I will take care of you, I am a doctor."