The Thief and Silhouette

What the hell was that!? They killed Jimmy, over some locket. My car splashed water everywhere as I made my escape. The rain poured and I could barely see the road ahead of me. Two cars, their flashing lights distorted in the storm, pursued me. I took a right down an alleyway to cut through the Daikon District. Swerving to the left on my exit I saw a busy street two blocks down. I could blend into the crowd and lose them. One block away, in my rear-view mirror, I see the two cars skid to continue the chase. Then two cars speed out from alleyways ahead of me in an attempt to ram me. They block my path and I turn the car down the right alley. I could feel my heart beating like it was trying to jump out of my chest. Dammit! Dead end. I kicked my door open and headed to the fence and began to climb. On the other side, I looked back a second. Lights flashing and headlights on high I only saw the silhouette. I couldn’t see the face, but I could feel it staring at me. The cold rain hit them and seemed to bellow fog or smoke off their shoulders.

I was near one of the perimeter walls of the district. If I cut through the Ravaged I could make it to my home in the Mappin district on the other side. Authorities never went into the Ravaged. Too afraid of getting infected. I would slip in and out before any of the inhabitants knew I was there.

I found a rusted hatch and pushed through trying to silence a creak. The other side had debris and blankets to camouflage the hatch. I turned and closed the door slowly and put one of the blankets on the hinge trying to muffle its creak. I surveyed my surroundings and the street was deserted. Two deep breaths. I pulled the locket from my pocket. It was silver or at least silver looking, with scratches and dented on one side. There was a dark smudge. I couldn’t tell if it was dried blood or just dirt. Why did Jimmy want this and why is it so important that they sent an entire prefecture after me. I should have thrown it away but I was too curious. I put the locket back in my pocket and moved on.

The rainfall muffled my footsteps as I began my five-block trek to the other side. I crossed an abandoned playground at the end of the second block when I spotted the first survivor of the plague that nearly wiped us all out. Wraiths, so-called because they are shadows of their former selves and violent like vengeful ghosts. It sat on a bench, drenched. I stood still for a moment to gauge if it could see me. The wraith turned its head, a tattered hood shifted as its yellow eyes met mine. The skin was greyed and didn’t shiver in the storm. Blue lips marked a grin as it rose slowly, a blunt object in its right hand. Maybe he had a roof to patch up from the storm I hoped. I wasn’t going to wait for the mass of soaked tattered clothes to move toward me. I sprinted towards the other end. Can’t look back, just run I thought as I leapt a fence into a yard. I kicked open the rear door of the connected home and rushed towards the entrance. Someone or maybe more than just one woke up. Footsteps from the second floor thundered toward me. Out the front door, wraiths were in the streets. They turned in my direction as I continued my dash. I ducked into another home across the street. I was moving through the kitchen when I heard an explosion from behind.

I checked the window and the silhouette from before was standing on the roof of the house I had pushed through. Wraith bodies laid in the street with others looking upward at their attacker. The silhouette raised his right hand and fired from a launcher sending wraiths into the air. The shape jumped down and began moving toward my location. Three wraiths swarmed him, swinging weapons wildly. The shape moved quickly, disarming one that held a club and then beating the other two with it. Closer now I could see the face of a man staring at me. I felt a chill rush over my entire body and pushed on. I’d seen wraiths rip people apart and this psycho dispatched them like a minor inconvenience. I tossed the locket into the street as I dipped in between two buildings. I could hear the howls of wraiths cutting through thunder and wind. I looked back a moment and saw the man rising up to what I assumed was him holding the locket. I rounded the corner a block from the next hatch. A wraith rushed me swinging its fists forcing me to slide and duck. Another grabbed me from behind. I pulled a blade from my belt and plunged it into the creature's side. It cried out and released me. The first wraith kept up the chase. I moved through tiny passageways to the hatch. At the other end was the door. I saw the pile of clothes that hid the bar needed to open the hatch. I could hear the wraith only a few steps behind. I raised the rod and swung. The wraith hit the ground, its head wounded. It began to rise again so I hit it once more. I turned the hatch with the rod and then yanked it out to take with me. I wasn’t going to risk any wraiths or that lunatic being able to follow me through.

On the other side, I could hear the faint sound of the train so I rushed toward the platform. I kept looking at the stairs from the car until the doors closed. Water dripping from my clothes I must have looked insane to the other passengers. The bell went off indicating departure and I saw him. He was running up the stairs and moved toward the train car. The doors closed when he still had half the distance to go. I exhaled and a calm washed over me. I moved towards the front car so I would be close to the exit when I reached my stop. I sat down. They had the locket and didn’t know where I was headed. I was safe. The comms announced Cherry ave and Sundry cross. I exited the train and walked home. I checked over my shoulder a few times but no one seemed to be following me. Still, I merged into a busy street to blend into a crowd. I bought an umbrella and a short jacket from a store as I passed. I ditched my wet coat and finished my journey, umbrella in hand.

When I crossed the threshold of my apartment I checked for my pistol hidden in the red book on the shelf. Still there, still loaded. I cleared the kitchen, living room and lavatory. I pushed through the doorway of my bedroom slowly. The window was cracked open with some water splashing in. Maybe I had left it open but I cleared the room anyway. Nothing in the closet. I scanned the room. My nightstand was on the other side of the room and resting on top in a small puddle was the heart-shaped locket. I felt the pressure of tears filling my eyes as I swung the pistol quickly to scan the room. No one was there as I backed toward the door. I called out, “where the hell are you!?” I heard the voice behind me just over my shoulder, “Here.” I turned to fire but he pushed the weapon up as I fired. He knocked me to the ground while disarming me. Coughing, I pleaded.” I gave it back, I gave it back he stood there and devoid of emotion said, “I know.’ He raised the pistol and I closed my eyes. He fired. My ears rang from the shot. I didn’t open my eyes until the ringing stopped. Looking to my left and there was a smoking hole in the chair next to me. I scanned upward and he was gone. My pistol was on the floor, the locket was gone. I sat in the corner of my room the rest of the night, pistol in hand, sobbing and sweating.