DAYWALKER | n.romanoff

TWO

CHAPTER TWO
'I JUST KICKED THAT
GUY'S ASS.'

The room smelt of stale smoke and blood, and it latched onto the Blade's coat from where she sat on the window sill and tracked a target below. She stretched one leg out and pressed her foot against the wall before her. With a deep inhale from the cigarette, her cheeks hollowed out and pulled away from the fabric and metal covering them. Slowly, she exhaled without removing the coiled paper, and the smoke drifted out of the open window beside her.

She picked up a pair of binoculars and spied on the party below. The German night was alight with laughs and chatter with the faint trace of music curling around it. A sigh left her, and a trail of smoke left her nose with it.

One of the shadows melted from the darkness, eyes forming before the long, pointed teeth. There are better things you should be doing with your time.

The Blade didn't remove the binoculars and ignored its dark and lifeless gaze.

This is the better thing. A hiss followed the other's words, a blob of darkness sprouting from beside the Blade and curling around her hand.

She's weak.

She's family.

When has anyone cared about that?

The shadow split into two. If Blade had cared about that, she would have-

"-Shut up."

The shadows turned to face the Blade as she lowered the binoculars, but she didn't look at them. She shifted to get better access to her pocket and pulled out a burner phone. It was cracked but worked as she flipped it open and stared at it. There was a moment of silence before she pressed it against her ear.

"You have... no new voicemails. Press one to listen to- Playing your recent voicemails."

A sigh filtered through the phone. "I... I don't know why I'm calling. I-" The voice cut itself off with a bitter laugh. "I don't even know if your phone even works or if you're still alive, for God's sake. I hate you still. I want you to know that. But... But I don't think you hate me. Not really. Not if you gave me this. I... I know the last time... the last time we spoke didn't... end the way we expected.

"But you're the only one I know who can help. And... deep down, I know you still care.

"I hope-"

An explosion blew out the windows of the building the Blade had scouted, and people screamed as they sprinted from inside. In the chaos, a man stepped out with a helmet sprouting horns and stood a few feet above the rest. She was up in a second, the phone dropped in her haste and launched herself out of the window and into the night below.

The voice continued from the phone. "If it's not for me, do it for the kids. They need their dad back- If you want to listen to your voicemail again, please press one."

Fighting through the crowd was swifter due to her helmet and the two swords strapped to her back. Even with their panic, the people scrambled out of the Blade's way as she made her way to the square.

The Blade slid across the ground to duck behind a wall and rested her gloved hand against it. Although hidden by the darkness, the peering street lights reflected off the dark bronze of her helmet.

The man with the horned headpiece, who must have been the Loki she'd heard rumblings of, stood in the centre of a kneeling crowd. Green and gold robes embellished his body, and he spoke words she couldn't hear.