Rustles

Part 1

There was a rustle under ground beneath her. If it would’ve been just a cat in the pins, she wouldn’t even think twice, but the fact it was underground and she could feel it, froze her on the pavement. The vibration stopped under her for a moment she spent holding her breath and then moved on in a slow quiet rustle.

She stood there for another minute, listening carefully for any other sound that would either come from underneath the street or top of it. Had it been a mere illusion, mind playing tricks in late hours or did she just feel and hear something move there? It wasn’t in pipes that much she could make out, but that turned it to way weirder encounter, because how many things do you know that can dig through rock and asphalt? She knew none.

She kept listening, but couldn’t hear anything suspicious anymore, nothing but the usual paper scratching pin covers and animals brushing rubbish away on their search for food. She knew every sound on this street in the night time. They say to keep away side streets after nightfall. Had she any choice, she would have agreed, but she had to get home somehow.

There was water dripping from near-by pipes, but that sounded normal too, though she had just enjoyed the sound of it just minutes before. It hadn’t rained through most of the June and when the drought finally ended, there wasn’t probably anyone in the city, who didn’t enjoy the sound of something dripping in gutters.

She dared to raise her right foot and put it in front of her. Nothing followed. She repeated the action and the ground stayed firm.

“Alright,” she thought, “whatever it was, it’s gone now.” She continued as normal, dragging the plastic food bag up to her elbow, where it had been before and letting her heels make loud clicks on the asphalt.

She calmed a bit, concentrating back on the dripping sound and smoky scents around her, when suddenly she heard running behind her. Bright light painted her disfigured shadows on the grey wall next to her and she pulled herself between the pins, but not fast enough it seemed.

“Get off my way!” woman’s voice shouted from behind her. Someone’s military boot caught up behind her red heal, breaking it off and pulling her ankle up, distorting it into painful angle before the owner of the boot landed right next to her, sending the gun flying far ahead before landing hard and breaking the light.

She couldn’t see past the black belt and camouflage trousers, but she knew it hadn’t been the woman, who fell. The body was too heavy and the size of the boot she was staring at now, meant it had to be one very big man.

His companions came to awkward stop, too and shot their lights right at her face.

“Go on!” the man shouted from the asphalt, “Catch it! Don’t let it get away!”

They nodded, that much she could make out behind the lights, but instead of running after it, they quickly glanced at each other. They didn’t know where to go.

She quickly pointed to her left and they ran that direction. She felt the weight lifting from her ankle and cringed, feeling the pain run up the nerves. It didn’t feel that awful, when it was still stuck under the massive leg. 

“You ok?” His voice wasn’t caring or friendly, but she didn’t expect it to be. He wasn’t even looking at her, when he asked, but staring after his men.

“Not really, but I’ll live.” She said with spite and pulled herself up against the wall. “This street does have speed limit, you know? 30 miles per hour?”

If he even hinted responding to the joke, it was neatly hidden in the shadow. She was looking right at him, but couldn’t make out anything more than his height, which he had plenty, and his short hair on top of his stern face. The twitch in his jaw played out against the street light as if it was all his face consisted of and she refrained from joking.