Margyn D. Warrior

Chapter 5

The rain was still pouring down hard on the city of New York and many residents had taken shelter in their homes. Once his detention was finished, he wasted no time to go home even if it was raining and it would mean he would be completely soaked by the time he reached home. While Vero was standing by the sidewalk waiting for the light to turn green. He felt a familiar chill, it wasn’t the kind that made him afraid or tense, and it was the kind that alerted him to the presence of a spirit. He glanced beside him and there it was, a beautiful slim but voluptuous woman with an afro style haircut wearing torn clothes, and bloodied. Even though it was raining, she did not seem wet at all.

"So, you must be another spirit?" He asked her casually which made the girl turn to him in surprise since she was spirit and it was impossible for humans to see spirits. “I know being a spirit means people can’t see you but just in case; you could at least carry an umbrella to make yourself less conspicuous.” He suggested nicely.

"How are you able to see me?" She asked with a tone of suprise, intrigued.

"Let's just say a crazy guy like me has his surprises. Surprises he has to keep to himself so he didn’t draw unwanted attention." He replied casually. "And you're not the first spirit I've encountered. I never bother counting."

Then suddenly, in the blink of an eye, she was practically standing in front of him. Or rather was towering over him due to the difference of height. She had a look of absolute astonishment on her face.

"Whoa, you really have one amazing head. I've never anyone walking around with natural white hair." She said while gazing at Vero's hair.

"Thanks, most jerks I run into immediately assume I'm cosplaying without asking me first." Vero explained while extending the space between them.

"Well, how many spirits have met so far? Excluding me." The female spirit asked.

"Since I was a kid? Eighteen. Maybe more? I don't know, I lost track." He replied while scratching his hair. "So what are you doing here? I know Spirits mostly like to hang around the places they die. I don't know why, but I've always been able to see and talk to spirits like they're still living beings."

"Because this is the place I died. Well, this neighborhood to be more specific." The spirit confirmed. "Years ago, I was murdered in this neighborhood by a group of heavily drunk bikers. I often see them passing through here because they like using this route very often." She explained before turning again to Vero so she could introduce herself. "My name is Penny by the way."

“Vero.” He greeted as well before she gently grabbed hold of Vero's hand then he found himself experiencing the same throbbing sensation he always does when spirits showed him their memories. Vero was able to see the memory of how she died. Although the memory was filled with images moving rapidly, Vero was able to see everything clearly. Seconds past and finally, she let go of Vero’s hand. Her memories had now become his own. “I’m sorry for what those creeps did to you. If I get the chance, I’ll make them pay for what they did to you.”

As Vero finished making that promised, their attention was called to three bikes pulling over. The girl held a vague but scornful expression. “So those are the guys, huh?” Vero said to himself before he set his bag down and approached them.

Vero walked past the first biker then stopped in front of the one in the center. "Hey, man. You like. She's my baby. I love her more than anything else." The middle biker stated proudly.

"It’s too bad a bike can't love you like a regular person." Vero retorted. Vero then pulled out the keys, which angered all three of them as they rose to their feet. "You were the one who was top of her while your friends kept her from moving and screaming, right?” He began interrogating.  “She kept struggling to get free but you got annoyed and started physically abusing her too. You three abused her for hours and then killed her. After that, you left her body her in the middle of the road without even paying a little respect for her." All the bikers seemed shocked as they looked at Vero suspiciously. "You know, I shouldn't be able to, but I can smell her blood on all three of you right now. Guess you’re one of those types that hate taking showers." He kicked the side of the bike knocking it over, which greatly angered them further.