Undercity: Manifest

Chapter Three

It was after one in the morning when Sadie's shift ended. Tony offered to close the bar down so she could go home knowing she would be walking. The stars and moon barley lit the sky, despite the deep night, the streets were well lit and overflowed with music from the late-night bars and clubs. This area of the Northern District was always alive with activity and filled with people going about their evenings. It was a stark contrast to the poorer area where Sadie lived. The streets grew gradually quiet, and light seemed to be sucked from the air as she drew nearer to the bridge passing between upper and lower North. It served as a prophetic reminder that she was below those who resided nearby and frequented her place of work.

Her footsteps were the only discernible sound as made her way down the final street adjacent to her flat. The buildings were a mixture of new and old, housing people who generally worked lower income and manual jobs. There was little beyond a strained sense of community which Sadie believed she would not find anywhere else. There is something to be said about the distant bond of those who share struggles. The jagged paving beneath her feet was a comforting imperfection and a reminder of home.

She was about to turn the final bend in the street towards her flat when she heard footsteps join her own. It wasn't unusual for other people to be returning home from work at this hour, so she wasn't immediately concerned. That was until she felt a hand grip her shoulder and spin her around with an overwhelming force. Her foot caught on a raised paving slab, and she fell, her knees slamming into the hard ground. She let out a whelp formed of both shock and pain.

Looking up, she saw that her assailant was masked and holding a knife. Fear gripped her instantly and all pain was forgotten. All she could focus on was the glint of the blade in the dull light from a streetlamp. 

Her body froze.

'Hand over your money and phone'. She didn't hesitate as she reached for her bag on his command. It would hurt later to have lost an evening's pay, but her life was more important. As for her phone, she could live without that. Living, that was the goal.

Her hands shook uncontrollably as she handed him everything he asked for.

Please let it be over now.

'And the necklace'. His voice was harsh and filed with a promise of violence if she did not comply. Yet she couldn't help her hesitation. The necklace was the one thing she had of her mother.

'P... Please not that, I'll give you anything else, but not that'. Her voice was quiet and pleading and she hated it. She barley got the last word out before his hand, the one holding the knife, crashed into her face rendering her stunned.

'Hand it over!' The act of handing over her necklace stung more than her face ever could. She could barely release the clasp due to the numbness of her hands and incessant shaking. Somehow, she managed it feeling the loss of its presence as soon as it left her skin and passed into the man's hands. It was like a thread snapping inside her chest.

Sadie's skin was on fire. The shock felt different to the last time she experienced it. Last time she was numb, but now she could feel the loss burning her from the inside out. She let out a scream and as she did, she felt the tension and fire release from her, and the man flew back off his feet into the wall of an adjacent house. His body thudded to the floor. 

He was conscious but clearly stunned. Sadie remained on her knees watching through blurred vision as the man slowly rose to his feet before running away down the alley.

What the fuck was that.

Some lights flickered on as people were awakened by the noise preventing her from fully rationalising what had happened. There was enough light for her to notice something flickering on the ground by the wall. He dropped her necklace. 

Slowly, she pulled herself to her feet using the wall behind her as support and moved to pick it up. Despite everything she was feeling, her first instinct was to put it back around her neck. The second the clasp caught it was like everything snapped back into place and Sadie felt herself again.

She barley let out a sigh of relief when blue lights filled the alleyway and surrounding area. One of her neighbours must have called the police. It was as close to daring to step outside to help as people would get this late at night. It was better than going home and calling them herself. She couldn't risk waking Emilie and worrying her. 

Best to get this over with now.

....

After insisting she didn't need an ambulance, Sadie settled into the open door of the first police car and waited to be questioned. A young officer with blonde hair and a gentle face arrived shortly after. It was clear he held authority over the others, despite also being in uniform, as they moved away and scanned the area for evidence.

'I'm Ben.' He stated before continuing. 'How are you doing?'

What a stupid question-she couldn't keep the thought at bay but hoped her face didn't give her away. He seemed kind and she wanted this over.

'Fine'. She supplied. His face hid nothing. He could see straight through her bravado but didn't comment which she appreciated.

'Can you tell me what happened?'

Sadie went over the attack pausing only when Ben asked her to clarify something or questioned her further. He allowed her to take her time and didn't push when she was unable to offer any details which could identify the man who attacked her. She left out the part where the man flew back and hit the wall. She couldn't make sense of it and wasn't about to wind up under a psychiatric hold. She had clearly had her brain rattled from his backhand- that could be the only explanation.

'We're nearly done'. His comment was aimed to reassure her and despite everything, it did. 'I just need to take a picture of your necklace for evidence'. He noticed the hesitation written over her face and continued, 'I don't need to keep it. Just take it off for me to take the image and you can have it straight back'. Sadie had explained the importance of the necklace when she went over the attack and he seemed to understand why she was reluctant to let go of it for a second time.

She nodded as she unclasped it and handed it over. She felt the loss as soon as it left her hand. Ben's eyes scrutinised her softly for a moment and his expression was unreadable. It was the first time he had made her feel even slightly uneasy since they started talking. He walked over to the front of the car leaving his eyes on her for the briefest of moments before finally turning his back to her. She sank back into the seat finally feeling her energy depleting.

'All done.' Ben's voice roused her, and she took the necklace from his extended hand as soon as she registered it was there.

'Thank you'. She replied as she re-did the clasp for what she hoped was the last time.

'No problem. I'll walk you home'. Sadie nodded in reply and lifted herself out of the car. Her legs were steady, but she still didn't feel herself, so she accepted his offer.

It was only a matter of minutes until she reached the bottom floor of her block of flats and buzzed herself in. They had both remained silent on the walk until saying a brief goodbye to each other as she made her way through the lobby. The last she saw of Ben was him pulling his phone out of his pocket to make a call as he exited back onto the street.