The Conduits: Spectre

Chapter 3: The lives I touched

The sun had begun to climb to its zenith, its warm rays combed through the buildings, glinting off their windows and the cool breeze whispered throughout the city.

The shadows had shrunk back, as if they stood with their backs pressed to the western walls. A few clouds lay scattered across the blue sky like fluffy cotton that morphed into various shapes as time passed on.

Horizon city was bustling with the business of city life. Car engines spurred their occupants forward to their various destinations and taxis picked up citizens who hailed them from the busy side walk.

The smell of fuel, and the musk of the brick and concrete jungle wafted in the air above the giant electronic billboards plastered onto the sides of tall buildings, displaying the latest soft drink advertisements.

On the surface, the day seemed ordinary. However, a closeup examination of the citizen’s grim expression and anxious sideways glances were remnants of the events that transpired only days before, where Frostwalker had ravaged their city, brutally murdering almost four hundred in his wake.

The lives and damage may have been restored, at least physically but the emotional scars still ran deep. 

Valkyrie and Kara headed their way through the sparse crowds of people on the sidewalk to their destination, softly chatting away. Kara had donned a leather jacket and a fresh pair of jeans with her favourite black laced boots.

“So they are that good?” Valkyrie questioned.

“Yeah, it’s the best coffee in all of Horizon city. Levi, the owner makes divine beverages. Trust me.” Kara replied.

“Very well.” Valkyrie said with a smile.

As the girls drew closer to their destination, the delicious scent of freshly roasted coffee hit them, dazzling their senses and stirring up a craving inside them for whatever was letting off that scent. Their mouths began to water as they neared the coffee shop.

The came to a stop in front of a black door with a large glass set in its upper portion with the “Levi’s” logo on it. Valkyrie opened the door with a timg-a-ling of a bell, letting Kara in behind her and examined her surroundings.

Before them was a large L shaped counter that went around the corner deeper into the shop, it had a polished black marble top and white underneath. Various tins, jars and cashier equipment lined the back of the counter, with the wall behind it brimming with various coffee dispensers and machines.

Steel frame black chairs lined up in front of the counter and similar coloured chairs, arranged in fours around tables lined the wall by the door and the right side of the coffee shop, the window that extended down its length giving the customers a view of the wide intersection and the sea just above the horizon that hovered above one of the roads.

Customers sat with their coffee and eats chatting among themselves and small chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their light gleaming off the polished surfaces and off the white tiled floor.

Despite all these details, the first thing that struck the girls was the smell.
God that smell.

It was as if heaven had entered through their noses, and running its course throughout their bodies filled them with unnatural energy. Energy to hastily consume the source of the divine scent that caused their mouths to salivate in anticipation.

Behind the counter stood a white door with a golden handle that lead to the kitchen. It opened as the girls made their way to two empty seats besides the counter and a short, beautiful young girl with long black hair and dark eyes stepped out with a tray in her left hand. She wore a baby blue button t-shirt with a pen in the pocket over her left breast with the shop’s logo and a black skirt and polished shoes.