Debts To Be Settled

6

Tommy huffs an indignant breath as he sets his grocery bags on the sidewalk beside him. He straightens up. He shakes his hands, hoping to get rid of the dull ache starting to form in his biceps. He shuffles on his feet. He eventually lifts his heels off the ground to place all the weight on his toes. He is able to sustain this for a few moments, but gravity eventually makes a mockery of him. He stumbles forward, taking two steps before he is able to regain control over his limbs. He looks around for an observer. There is no one around on the street to look at him, and it is too dark for Tommy to see into anyone's windows. His embarrassment belongs to himself, and that coaxes the redness back down his neck.

Because of the recent convenience store shooting, the place Tommy usually goes for his groceries is closed. He thought he could tough it out, but his shoulder began to hurt. He needed to get medicine for himself, so he thought that he might as well get his groceries, as well. It would also save him from listening to the other tailors complaining that he did not get their drinks. Tommy is currently discovering that this was not as good of a plan as he intended for it to be. His shoulder hurts, his other limbs are aching, and his mind has grown weary from walking so far just to get cheap groceries. He is left with the paralyzing decision between getting food for cheap at the expense of travel distance or going to a closer store and blowing his paycheck. Decisions, decisions.

Tommy sighs. He leans back down to pick up his groceries. His shoulder protests, but the pain has become a pop-up flare that dissipates quickly. Tommy ignores it in favor of getting that much closer to the clothing store he works at. He takes it one step at a time, idly glancing at his new surroundings as if to derive some entertainment from them. This part of the city looks exactly like his part of the city- gilded exteriors and wicked insides. The alleyways are just as dirty, but Tommy thinks that is true for every part of the city including the streets of the upper echelons.

As Tommy is walking, he feels a strange shiver run down his spin. He sets his groceries down on the sidewalk, testing his limbs once more. While they do struggle, Tommy is quick to figure out that the shivering is not because he's in so much that he's shaking uncontrollably. Tommy flexes his fingers, and he realizes with a start what is going on. He's cold. It is an odd thought to be alarmed about, but the truth of the matter is that the island never gets cold. They might have a winter season, but that is a formality. It is only winter when the weather gets drier and the sun is not as intense, and it isn't even winter right now. While it is night, Tommy cannot blame the absence of the sun for this, either. The nights allow for cool winds, but nothing cold enough to cause shivering.

Tommy shrugs it off. He blames it on himself. The pain is making him delirious, and he needs to get back to the shop immediately. Tommy takes up his groceries once more. Following the light of the streetlamps, Tommy continues down the street. He doesn't think he's too far away from the shop. He should be there soon-

Something crunches under his shoes. Tommy hurriedly steps back. The grocery bags swing, pulling him back. He takes several steps to regain his balance. He stares down at the ground for an explanation. He receives one when the streetlamp's light glistens off the surface of the street. Or, on the surface of a thin sheet of ice that broke underneath Tommy's weight. The fractured parts drip with water as the ice slowly melts. The bottom of Tommy's shoe is wet, and it begins to seep inside his socks. The air is colder than it should be on the island, and the ice proves that something supernatural is going on here.

There is only one explanation. Wraith is near.

She's a hero with the government with the ability to conjure and manipulate snow, ice, and cold temperatures. She is notoriously merciless to her enemies, earning her the nickname 'Wretched Wraith.' Tommy knows about her from his favored radio show's host. Wraith was one of their favorites heroes, and she was always at the top of their list of heroes they did not want to mess with. He admitted once on the air that he tried getting an interview with her. He did not finish the story, but his tone held a great deal of fear. Tommy made sure to put Wraith at the top of his list of heroes he never wanted to cross paths with.