AVIS ELECTUS

4 - THE KILLER

*LORIA*

The atmosphere was thick with smoke and the smell of fire and death mingled in the air as I wandered the empty streets of a burning city.

Through the crackle of fire, I could hear the desperate sounds of agonized voices crying for help. Of people calling my name. But as I looked around, the streets remained deserted as hot fiery flames continued to consume the city.

Then, the cries grew louder in intensity. I felt hot tears stream down my cheeks as I brought my hands up to cover my ears, not able to stand the pain that the laced the voices as they continued to call my name.

I had to put them out of their misery, but how, when I do not even know where the voices were coming from?

"You cannot help them Loria."

I turned to see a boy my age with glowing silver eyes standing amidst the flames. The fire licked the edges of his dark cloak but they didn't seem to hurt him.

"You are hearing the cries of people who are long past your help," the boy said softly. "There is nothing you can do."

I opened my mouth to speak but no sound came out.

The next thing I knew, I was choking.
.
.
.
.

My eyes flew open as I gasped for air, my lungs desperately screaming for oxygen.

I couldn't breathe. My throat felt constricted, as if I was being strangled---

No. I realized with a start. Somebody really was strangling me.

It was still dark inside my room, the only illumination coming from the faint glow of moonlight which filtered through the thin curtains of a nearby window. It wasn't much, but it was enough for me to make out the vague outline of a cloaked figure hovering above me as cold hands seized my throat in a death grip.

As my instincts kicked in, my hands reflexively moved to pry the fingers off my throat, but it was a feeble move.

Spots started dancing across my vision as my lungs continued its struggle for oxygen.

I had to do something.

Gasping, I did the only thing I could think of and reached out a desperate hand to claw at my attacker's hooded face. In an instant, the grip on my throat disappeared.

I bolted upright and sucked in greedy breaths as air slowly returned to my lungs.

The cloaked figure, already recovering from the shock of my sudden assault, moved to make another attempt and I rolled in time just before the tip of a gleaming dagger embedded itself through the mattress where I've been lying seconds ago.

Cursing, I jumped off the other side of the bed and seized the lampshade.

Yes darling, the lampshade. It wasn't as if I had any other weapon to defend myself with.

I raised it above my head, ready to slam it into my enemy's face as I waited for an attack that never came.

Instead, I felt a strong wind blow across the room, whipping the hair off my face and billowing the light curtains of the nearby window. Then, in mixture of terror and confusion, I watched as the outline of the cloaked figure disappeared in the darkness. After a few moments, the blowing stopped. 

Still not letting go of the lampshade, I inched slowly towards the light switch and flipped it on.

I blinked at the sudden brightness that assaulted my eyes before scanning the whole room for any signs of my attacker.

I found none.

In fact, except for the tear in the mattress where the blade of the hooded figure's dagger stabbed through, there wasn't anything in the room that could tell an attack ever happened at all.

Stunned and disoriented, I placed the lampshade back and sat on the edge of my bed with my heart still hammering inside my chest.

As the remnants of adrenaline subsided, a sudden surge of cold terror seized me.

What the fuck on earth did just happen?