Shadowmen

Chapter One

“Monty Morelle, sir.” I said reaching my hand out.

The shadowhunter officer looked down at my hand with no emotion. He took it and with one swift shake dropped it. He scanned my body. I felt uneasy at first, but he was probably checking to see if I was built strong enough for combat.

“You won’t make it Miss. Try the city police if you really think you want make a difference in the world. ‘Cause I can already tell this ain’t for you.” He said in a rough voice. 

The man was in his thirties. He was dirty and looked like he has been through tons of rough training. His light facial hair and lazy eyes made him look like he doesn’t get much sleep. He was the only one in the room besides me.

The room was small and circular. The desk he stood at sat in the middle of the room that was brightly lit from the luminescent lights on the ceiling. There were only two doors in the room, one that I came from leading out into the city, and another leading into the testing center for Shadowhunters.

 I turned around and started for the door with my head down, but right as I was about to exit I heard a chuckle come from the man. I knew what I had to do.

I spun around running towards the wall and jumped off of it landing on top of the desk. The officer reacted quickly, the tired lazy man I saw was gone, and he was now looking lively as ever. He pulled out a knife and took a stab at me. I jumped over him and while doing that kicked into his back knocking him into the desk. I turned and pushed his face down into the desk, then grabbed his arm with the knife and held it down into the desk. Pinning him in place.

I didn’t know exactly where I was going from there. The man was about twice my size and could overpower me in an instant. Luckily, he didn’t. He just chuckled again.

“You got some fight in ya for a girl your size.” He grumbled. I let go of him and he stood up and put the knife back the side of his belt. “I’d let ya go on to the testing zone, but Bastion the testing coordinator is gone for the night. You’ll have to come back tomorrow morning. I’d say five in the mornin’ will do.”

I couldn’t help but smile, “Okay, I’ll be here bright and early”

“Course you’ll be here bright and early…it’s always bright.”  He said under his breath. He turned and sat at his desk and started his work again.

At that I turned and left. When I stepped outside Hale, my husky, instantly greeted me.  Hale was not a typical sized husky; he was nearly double the size. Not only was he my best friend, but also my only source of transportation.

I jumped on his back and in moments we were rushing down the streets. I looked up at the sky, it was hard to tell because of all the lights, but I am pretty sure it is nighttime. We made a couple more turns and started to cross a bridge. To my left was the city center. The giant clock at the center read 11:45. The clock marks the center of town.

We crossed the bridge and went under an arch that has a bright light underneath it. When I entered the city center there were tons of people. In this town it didn’t matter what time it was, everyone’s sleep pattern was different. It didn’t matter if it was day or night because of the constant lights.

The best part of having Hale as my ride, was that I didn’t have to obey traffic laws. I was able to fly through the crowded city streets and sidewalks and not have to stop. It was just easier. It was helpful getting from one end of the city to the other.

It was especially useful today because I live in the slum areas of the city, which happens to be on the opposite end of the city from the shadowmen headquarters. This sector is falling apart and the lights are the only thing that look nice because its mandatory for the city to keep them working properly. I live in the tallest apartment building in the area. Its nice, no one bothers it because it has better security than most places in the area.

I walk up past the front door of the building and go to the side alley. I have to sneak opal inside the building. He is supposed to stay outside, but I don’t trust other people. I take him up the fire escape. It’s a narrow fit because of his size, but it works. I live on the 7th floor. The stairs aren’t that bad, but I can hear Hale panting—he was the one doing all the work to get here anyway. Once we are to my room I slide the window open and let Hale in first. He runs straight to his food bowel that is more like a pan I leave filled with water for him.

I walk across the room, its rather simplistic. It has a double bed, a single door closet and a huge lamp that lights up the entire room. Other than that I have no other belongings.

I walk out my bedroom door and walk into the kitchen. Which is also the dinning room and the living room too. There is one bathroom and another room. It belongs to my mom. On the counter I find a note that reads, “Went to get groceries, be back soon -Mom”

Tears swelled up in my eyes. She wouldn’t be back. That was two days ago… before the attack.