AMOROUS

The night shift had ended, leaving behind a path of chilly, barren streets that Walter had been all too acquainted with during his 15-year employment. The city's forgotten secrets whispered in the shadows, echoing off the towering skyscrapers that loomed over the abandoned side of town. The air was thick with the smell of rain-soaked waste, a symphony of damp newspaper and rotting food that portrayed a bleak picture of urban decay. As the cold embrace of the night air clung to his damp clothing, Walter, a man whose pudgy build had become larger with each year of service, couldn't help but feel feelings of starvation at his insides.

His job had been exceptionally exhausting, leaving him with no time to eat, and the prospect of returning to his lonely apartment was as unappealing as the lukewarm coffee that had kept him going all night.

As he approached his patrol cruiser, Walter observed a creamish white neon sign flickering to life in the distance. The brightness was faint and almost ghostly, like a mirage in the moist night air. Curiosity peaked, he halted with his palm hanging over the car door handle. The light was strange, a beacon in the sea of darkness that he had never seen before during his many nocturnal patrols.It was as if the city had decided to expose a hidden treasure to him, a secret that had been waiting for the right time to be discovered. The sign read "Sinful Whisper" and there was a large black door beneath it.