The sun had just set. Yet, the darkness had already started to descend. The air carried an eerie chill. Every time the wind swept by , the trees shuddered, showering the streets below with torrents of dead leaves.
A lone boy walked the streets, slippery from last night's rain.
He pulled his jacket tighter around himself as a shiver passed. Rubbed his palms together for warmth and blew out a breath , instantly the wind freezed it as he watched the last tendrils dissipate like smoke. Winter was approaching .
He walked his way through a posh neighbourhood filled with manicured gardens and an aura of aristocracy in the air. Past a sleeping obese guard , his shaggy old dog and through an iron gate . As if he had stepped into another dimension, the neighbourhood at the doorstep of the rich ,was drowning in poverty.
Dilapidated buildings with boarded up windows and doors, little yellowed houses that was whitewashed what seemed like a lifetime ago , packed close together like sardines in a can.So much so that one could easily jump from one house to the other without missing a beat. Whatever shops remained were greasy , shady , makeshift shoe boxes .
Awkward electric poles sagged under the weight of the numerous cables woven together like stringy cheese. Street lights constantly flickered like an annoying headache that refused to die. Moss grew in the cracks of the pedestrian path, the streets riddled with puddles deep enough to swallow an adult foot. Loose pebbles made walking a nuisance.
Rats skittered in the alleys, Luminescent eyes of ghoulish , starving cats stared unblinkingly from the dumpsters, pawing relentlessly for the non-existent scraps of leftovers inbetween the rotting garbage.
Other than them and the soft footsteps of the boy , the place was as silent as a grave.
The boy lifted his arm in an effort to fend off the repugnant stench of stale urine ? Wafting past in waves , eyes stinging he picked up his pace, anxious to reach the next bend infront.
As he turned the corner, lungs burning he gasped. Sallowing several deep breaths before his vision finally cleared. He continued walking , almost there and at last his boots scraped to a stop at the edge of a large crater that had swallowed up quite a bit of the street.
He looked at his watch , the dim glow of the digits read , half past nine.
Just in time , he smiled.
**************
A sudden crackcle of lightning pierced the night's silence and for a brief second lit up the sky brighter than the sun. The air smelled of sulphur. Hot blasts of air came simultaneously from the boy's left and right , as trees were blasted apart , as soon as silhouettes began to appear , two from his left and three from his right , he leapt onto the highest branch of the nearest tree.
The ancient oak creeked under the weight. As the boy silently cursed, four men and a woman , all dressed in similar camouflage combat gear stepped into the clearing. One of the men, having heard the tree's groan slowly scrutinized the tree tops, staring intently into the branches of the nearest oak. The boy made the mistake of shifting his position, not accustomed to camouflage the sinewy observer didn't waste a second and flung a pebble to where the leaves had moved.
A loud screech resonated through the clearing as a wounded crow shot out from the trees and flew away to another tree closeby.
"what is it Rawel ?" the woman asked.
The sinewy guy gave one last look at the oak and said , "Nothing Dinah, I thought I had heard something just now but it was only a crow it seems."
"you are too paranoid" Dinah tsked.
"Maybe" Rawel shrugged" the bizarre occurences of the past few days has rattled me.'
"Oh yes ! A gruesome murder of two youths, who have absolutely no connection to one another other than being killed in the same place in the same time frame. But while one was be-headed the other has yet to show a rational cause death . Minus a few minor bruises,the guy's clean . I mean seriously no drugs , no hamorrhage , no weapon found no sign of nothing ! Mysterious indeed. The cops are as puzzeled as we are , that kid maybe the perfect murder the century's been waiting for ! And on the same night a guy goes missing , no trail, no body , no nothing except a sudden crater next to his home . Fabulous ! Life just got so much more interesting don't you think ?" came a voice from behind as Rawel and Dinah turned .
"Sven ! you KNOW the Outlaw forbade us to speak of this ! " Dinah hissed.
"So? Its only us here ! Its not like anyone's listenning. If there WAS a snooper we would know.Or is it that you do not trust our abilities ? You're such a tight-ass sometimes , loosen up !" Sven teased.
"Sven ! How dare you speak that way to the .." Rawel hissed angrily ,fist raised .
"What?" Sven cocked his head to the side, arms crossed in defiance. He was sick of Rawel , he thinks he's above them, the snob.
Dinah having sensed a fight was about to begin , that could risk their operation and her reputation as a leader , stepped inbetween them . Focusing her energy on the air surrounding the two men , let a spark out and blasted the two apart.
Then being the commander she was , " Rawel back off , Sven stop it , don't forget why we are here , we are losing precious time . Prepare the barriers. We have 10 mins at best, before the portal opens, to find out exactly what happened here, last night. Aweid and Ivan help me prepare for the ritual. Everyone Spread out ! "
YOU ARE READING
SHATTERED
Mystery / ThrillerWe don't realize what we have until its gone, when its gone and we can't get it back only then do we weep for our lost treasure.
