Some of the younger girls in the alley - skipped through the narrow gap to the side of the Venus man-traps. The empty one's tongue flicked out after them, narrowly missing the fast darting girls. But the crowd begins to pile up behind Lyra, gently pushing until there was no more room to  cram in. Then, suddenly every girl on the front line broke for it together in one large group as Lyra had been waiting for.<br/><br/>They shoved and pushed to get across as quickly as they could. The Man-Trap positively throbbed in its perch , salivating in anticipation of its incoming meal. It's tongue whipped out and passed by Lyra's ear to snag the girl running beside her. There was a short sharp cry as the raven-haired girl was yanked into the air. Its pink mouth decended and slathered her with drool as it ate her head. It didn't take long for her entire body to slide up into the plant's interior and dissapear.<br/><br/>Lyra made it to the other side safely... just as the muffled screaming began behind her, as yet another victim began her slow disintegration in the belly of a Venus-Mantrap.<br/><br/>Her arm felt significantly worse after the short run. Now it was throbbing painfully, and the bruising around the bite seemed to be spreading.<br/><br/>Beyond her lay restaurant alley, its sweet aromas taunting Lyra with the thought of rich foods.<br/>to the right of that was the turn off for the breeding enclave... and beyond that was the turn that led towards the Scout Barracks.<br/><br/>There were girls eating frozen brain sorbets from severed heads in the girl-sorbet store. Roasted hellhounds were being carted out to balconies filled with hungry patrons. A small sign off to the right marked with words<br/>"This way to the Slave Markets and the Screaming Virgin Tavern"<br/><br/>Of course, even in this ritzy part of the neighbourhood, there was muck on the road... And bones of the unfortunte girls who had run into one of the hidden dangers of these streets.