FALTER

CHAPTER 37: Tales after the scorched town (3)

The robber huffed as he ran through the crooked alleyway, his shoes getting progressively dirtier as they splashed the puddles on the ground. It had rained the night before, and the ground beneath him was slippery even without the water that had pooled in the cracks. He clenched the package tighter, closer to his chest as he desperately looked back every second, hoping to lose sight of his pursuer.

But the demon in the red armour had no intention of giving up the chase. Glowing, unwavering yellow eyes coldly tracked the robber's panicked movements and flailing limbs. However, inside the metal chest plate, Imti's heart beat as fast as the criminal's.

Grizz had called Imti to the balcony the night Deepti had gotten accepted, late into the night. They had sat under the waning moonlight as Grizz sipped from his fancy glass and Imti hugged himself to avoid the chill, talking for the better part of an hour. One part of that conversation hovered in Imti's mind as the man he was chasing flailed closer to the exit, out into the blinding sunlight of Youth City.

"I don't like what you do," Grizz huffed, setting down his glass. It clinked as it hit the small glass table they kept outside. There were dead bugs on it at the moment, clearly due to the summer, and Imti stared at them. "But if you're going to do it, don't scare people."

I'm going to come out here and clean this tomorrow, Imti thought to himself. But how am I going to clean the handkerchief?

"You have to show people that you're-" The word got stuck in the man's mouth. "You're a hero."Imti snapped back to attention and looked at the man who had been raising him. He was looking up at the sky with a strained expression on his face. "How?"

Grizz sighed. He adjusted in his chair to look at Imti. The moonlight caused the shadows in his face to deepen, making him look older underneathe the scar.

"I can't tell you that. You have to decide what kind of person you want to be."

The robber reached forward, as if trying to grab the sunlight and physically bring it closer to himself, but it was a futile attempt. Imti had decided who he would be, and the demon reached out and dragged the man back into the shadows.

THUMP.

Falter stood over the criminal, the rain flickering around his silhouette, as he dropped the robber down to the gravel. The man in the wheelchair shot a disapproving glance in his direction before scooting closer to the young fellow squirming on the floor, his disappointment shining through the wrinkles the years had engraved onto his face. There was a woman holding an umbrella over the old man, her bright yellow raincoat billowing in the same direction as Falter's scarf. She stepped forward, handing the umbrella off to the man, and helped the robber get to his feet, before walking away, their shoes slapping against the inch deep water.

They were at a trailer park, where about half a dozen homes were parked somewhat haphazardly around a central fire pit. The age on them were as visible as the lines on the old man's face; streaks of peeling paint and vines growing around the windows were a common sight. Most of the lights inside were off, save for the one the duo were now walking towards off. Yellow from inside spilled out, staining the dour, rainy evening.