The city lights were getting dimmer with each gust of wind. It looked as if the upcoming storm was going to swallow the skyscrapers wholly. Slight shimmers of farther away lightnings were enlightening the lacy clouds, giving them a soft electric peachy shade on the edges.
Hysianna flinched. The lightning struck close, resulting in a flashy glow, meanwhile the deafening rumble made the windows vibrate.
The woman shut her eyes closed in an instant. This was the only thing she was afraid of. Storms. She waited until the whizzing of the glass windows had stopped, and opened a copper-colored eye. The air seemed to had settled. She grew daring and opened both her eyes. The relaxation of her facial muscles revealed a peculiar figure, with a pale complexion and long, bluish black hair.
Hysianna stood up in the diffuse light of her newly purchased flat. The ambient was modest, imbued with second hand furniture. The only elements she could pride herself with were an inherited Mohtashem Kashan Persian carpet, and a blue Tiffany lamp with golden highlights. She had moved to this apartment two weeks ago, when the Hospital she was working in was demolished and all the patients were transferred to the new St. Peter Hospital, at the other side of Manhattan. Every day she would walk one kilometer through the city fumes, bearing the heated asphalt, until the well groomed garden of the hospital. But this was her job, and she was not regretting having chosen to spend a great part of her life taking care of unhealthy people.
Hysianna lifted up the phone receiver. Her fingers brushed against the plastic numbers. She started dialing the only number she could remember. A click and a familiar voice.
“Hello, this is Tom. Not home. Please leave a message.”
“Tom. I need to see you. Right now. Please come at my place as soon as you receive this message. I need to s-“
A click followed by a beeping sound, then everything was dark. Hysianna put the receiver down. The lights had gone out, and it seemed that it had affected not only her place, but the whole city. The lightnings seemed to had stopped. She fumbled around the room with her arms stretched in front of her, in search of a flashlight. The Persian rug felt slack under her bare feet. Her hands were groping in the darkness as her wide open copper eyes were searching for the slightest trace of light. But everything was black.
A weak rustle somewhere in the room made her jump. She stopped, ears perked, and held her breath. Too afraid to make a move, she just waited. Thirty seconds passed, and she was starting to feel numb. She could not hold her breath anymore. Maybe she was just imagining things. After all, it was the twentieth floor of a highly secured building. There was no way someone could have slinked inside.
Hysianna breathed out heavily. She had scared herself for no reason.
A muffled footstep noise and a gloved hand on her mouth. She started struggling in the manly grip, but it was no good. She felt a sting and a sharp pain on the side of her neck. She didn’t try to resist. This was impossible, she thought. Why would somebody do this to her? She felt the unwanted liquid scatter into her veins, as she collapsed into the gentle grasp. Too gentle for a man who just injected sedative into her neck.