The Saint

Chapter 1

The rain fell upon my shoes as I crossed the street. The thunder clouds darkened to match the already black night sky. At one point, I would've cared that my white shoes were going to get dirty but at this point they were beyond faded. Still, I managed to avoid most of the dirty puddles that littered the street. The walking sign faded just as I reached the other side of the crosswalk.

Of all the days I could have forgotten to bring an umbrella, it had to be during a sizable rain storm. My pants and my shirt were soaked with water from the rain. Luckily there was a low hanging roof on the sidewalk I was now on. It provided little comfort other than temporary shelter from the downpour of rain.

I pulled my phone from my pants pocket now that I had the chance to look at it without it getting wet. No new messages or emails, as if I expected anything else, but that wasn't what I was looking for. The chrome app opened quickly enough and I started my google search. According to the weather channel, this storm would likely last through the night and weekend.

With my phone safely back in my pocket, I continued my walk towards my apartment. Living in an apartment in LA was common enough as the housing prices were high compared to other cities. A crack of thunder sounded nearby and I saw a flash of lightning in the distance.

"Jeez, I should probably hurry home" I spoke aloud to myself.

I started walking faster along my route when I heard a loud bang. Assuming it was just thunder, I brushed it off. That was until I heard a blood curling scream. My head shot up and I looked all around me. I didn't see anyone around me but my body was on high alert. In the distance to my right I could hear faint voices coming from an alleyway.

"No way, it's you the-" A voice spoke.

I wasn't able to hear the rest of what they said because it trailed off in an alleyway to my right. Letting my curiosity get the better of me, I carefully made my way down the dark corridor and tried to get a better look.

"Please I have a family!" The voice said.

This time, I could see that it was coming from a middle aged man with glasses. He was on the ground cowering at somebody who stood over him.

"So did Kiara Maybank" The other person said speaking finally.

It struck me that the voice was quite feminine. A gunshot slicing through the air cut me from my own thoughts and back to reality.

"What the fuck?" I said loudly.

My conscience got the better of my judgement and I voiced my concerns. The standing figure now turned their gaze to me. They were wearing an all black outfit complete with a hood and a strikingly gold mask that covered their face up to just below their eyes. Suddenly I felt fear surge through my whole body as they stared at me. What was going to happen to me?

"Who are you?" The mystery person asked turning the gun on me.

Instinctively my hands went up as my eyes widened.

"Nobody" I said hopeful that they would let me go.

"Ok 'nobody' what are you doing here?" The stranger questioned.

"Would you believe me if I told you it was bad luck?" I said.

The stranger started to speak again but was cut off by sirens.

"Shit" The stranger breathed out.

If the incoming sirens were any indication, the police would soon be approaching the area. Sensing that time was beginning to run out, the stranger cut the distance between us and pushed the gun barrel into my side.

"Start moving" The stranger said right into my ear.

A shiver ran down my spine as I began to move forward and followed the strangers directions. Would today be the day I die? I haven't even reached thirty yet and my life is going to end? Why did I have to be so nosy and intervene myself in this shit situation?

Following their instructions, we cut through alleyways and back roads all while managing to avoid streetlights and business cameras. The winding, twisting path we were taking seemed to never end. The farther we walked, the softer the sirens sounded until they eventually faded away to the usual sounds of a city during the night.

"Alright, stop and don't move a muscle" The stranger instructed.

I came to a complete standstill and made my body as rigid as can be, kind of like a fucked up game of red light green light. Glancing around, I gathered that we had made our way to a new and secluded street. There were no pedestrians to ask for help nearby and little to no cars. Only the ones that were parked on the side of the street.

While the gun was still trained on me, the stranger made their way over to one of the said parked cars. Slipping a key into the passenger door, they opened it and gestured for me to get in. (Who still uses keys to get in their car?).

"Where are we going?" I asked nervously.

"Get in" The stranger said roughly.

Seeing as I had no other option as long as I was being held at gunpoint, I got in the car. They shut the door behind me and kept the gun trained on me while they made their way over to the drivers side. They quickly got in and shut the door.

Once the gun was positioned at a comfortable angle at me, they started the car with the key. After the roar of the engine subsided, the stranger produced some sort of clunky tech attachment and plugged it into the car radio. They fiddled with one of the knobs and turned the volume up.

"Come again Officer Grossman?" A voice said over the radio.

"They struck again sir" The man who I guessed was Officer Grossman replied.

"Damn... and you sure it was them?" The first voice asked.

".... No doubt in my mind, this was The Saint" Officer Grossman radioed back.

Oh fuck.

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head as I realized who I was in the car with. Our eyes met each other at the same time as even more fear swept through my body like a wave. Of course I knew who The Saint was and what they were capable of, they were all over the news for the murders they've already committed. The stranger or I guess, The Saint, pressed a button and shut the radio off.

"What is your name?" The Saint asked.

".... Shayne" I begrudgingly admitted.

"Well Shayne, we're going to take a drive, so buckle up" The Saint said.

I fastened my seatbelt and gulped down some air as I silently prayed that didn't mean what I think it meant.

To be continued...