Living in the shadows (1)

2. Blood-stained Hands

It was almost dark when Trix's shift finally ended. The streets were no longer packed with the early birds who were at work from 7am and the mums who pushed buggies filled with screaming kids.

Now, only the night owls were out, mainly sober but some were drunks, tripping and and laughing as their friends supported them, equally intoxicated. Paying not attention to her.

Just the way she liked it.

Nobody saw her as she blended into the shadows, her leather jacket and black jeans making her almost unnoticeable. Part of herself was tempted to jump up behind someone and yell "Boo!" loudly into their ear, but she had no time. She had to try and find Bella.

Sighing, she wandered down numerous alleyways which were drenched in the scent of vomit and vodka but mainly vape - the most popular thing to do nowadays. Apparently, samples were free and the even did a bubblegum one.

Finally she came across Bella's apartment building - it was cleaner than hers, the brick of the building ancient but well looked after. The faded and cracking window frames were peeling paint again - another job she could do to earn money. She was always looking for jobs.

It was only five stories tall, thank god, but Bella had the luxury of having the bottom one, which even had a cupboard-sized garden.

She quickly opened the creaking foyer door and crept inside, avoiding the spider crawling up the left wall near the stairs like a plague and careful not to make any of the floorboards creak or Mrs Measley would wake up and come down from her apartment up above demanding 'what the bloody bell is all that racket?'.

But when she came to Bella's door - painted yellow with a mini tree potted next to it in a clay pot, and a silver knocker which most the other doors were missing- it has been left slightly ajar, which was strange considering Polly always made sure she locked it when they arranged to walk to work together, when she wasn't doing the night shift (the Umbra Mortis was mainly open 23/7 - shut for an hour or more depending on the cleaning)

"I have a bad ,bad feeling about this," she muttered under her breath. But nothing could stop her as she pushed the door fully open and-

It was Bedlam.

It looked like someone had forced an entry, the open kitchen-diner was a tip as cupboards were left open and the contents spilling out. The floor was a mess of papers and books with pages missing, and their were jagged claw marks rippling across the floor, too.

But Bella didn't have a dog.

But when she wandered further in, nothing could have prepared her for the sight.

Bella lay in a pile of blood, her hand and feet bare feet soaked with blood. Her torso was mauled into a bloody pulp, and what remained of it made Trix go and throw up in the corner. Her blonde hair was drenched in blood - so was her face, with two slashes making an X across her face. Bloody footprints littered the floor, too, starting from Bella body and to the Juliet balcony which the glass door was wide open, probably where the killer had jumped.

Hands shaking, she couldn't help but close Bella's eyes so she looked like she was asleep. She was only in her late 20s, and 3 generations of her family had always bartended at the Umbra Mortis.

So Benedict was right.

But now blood stained her hands, and her legs gave out as she buried her head in her knees as she crawled into a ball on the floor. Bella is dead.

She had no idea how long she spent like that, but dawn broke through the windows by the time she had uncurled herself and slowly got up, wincing at the cramps that had set in.

She washed her hands in Bella's cramped bathroom before slowly shutting the front door.

And walking away.

But just as she was walking away down the alley outside the apartment, a shadow flickered into view from the still-open Juliet balcony. A boy, maybe her age, with strange black tattoos, all dressed in black. A scar rippled across his jaw from where she could see. His darkened gaze met hers, but she broke the eye contact and ran away.

"Who the hell was that?" She said aloud without realising. But to herself, she added I bet he's the murder. I have to go.

I'll be the next target.

She did not take the tube  home. She ran all the way to her shitty apartment and slammed her door shut before hastily locking all 4 locks she had installed for safety.

He would come.

He was coming for her.

That was the only thing that ran through her head, and the picture of Bella's mauled body.

It was a miracle that she finally feel asleep.

Little did she know, all hell was about to break loose.
This was just the begging.