Aaron's heart pounded as he sprinted through the dimly lit alleyways, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The ground beneath him felt slippery, as though the pavement itself was alive and trying to swallow him whole. He had been running for what felt like hours, his eyes darting back and forth, searching for a way out. The demonic growls echoed behind him, each one sending a sharp chill down his spine. Sid's minion was relentless, and Aaron wasn't sure how much longer he could keep up this pace.

He had never been the best runner. That was always something he knew he would be a little bad at - his legs were long, which should've gave him an advantage, and yet his stamina wasn't much better than a mild jogger's. So, when he saw an opening between two buildings, he dashed through without thinking twice.

A sharp twist of his foot - something in the alley caught his heel - and suddenly, Aaron was no longer running. He was flying through the air, legs flailing helplessly. A startled gasp escaped him as he slammed into a figure - warm and solid.

The two of them crashed to the ground in an untidy heap, and Aaron's body collided painfully with the cool stone, his hands skidding against the rough surface. The impact rattled him, and for a moment, everything was blurry. He blinked rapidly, trying to focus, his vision swimming with both dizziness and the aftershocks of a sharp, sudden fear. He needed to get up - he needed to keep running - but for a brief second, his brain had no idea where he was.

"Ugh... sorry!" Aaron sputtered, quickly pushing himself up from the stranger he had knocked down. He was breathless, and for a second, his usual sharpness was clouded by the adrenaline coursing through him. He hadn't meant to land on anyone, but sometimes his body didn't cooperate, especially when demons were hunting him. The last thing he needed right now was a mix-up with a civilian.

As he pulled himself to his feet, Aaron cursed under his breath. The footsteps of the demon minion were growing louder.

"Great. Just great," he muttered to himself, frantically trying to steady his breathing. He should have known better than to get himself into this situation. Rushing through unknown alleys was never a good idea, and now he had just created an additional mess. He glanced over at the person he had just collided with.

The stranger was... unfazed? At least, more so than Aaron would've expected anyone to be after such a wild, ungraceful tumble. The man was sitting up, brushing dirt off his clothes with a puzzled look. There wasn't panic in his eyes. Maybe he hadn't realized just how dangerous things could get when the demons started showing up.