There is a place. In this place a battle for supremacy between Man and Monster goes on unnoticed, unabated.

Darkness crawled over the twinkling city, overcast by a turbulent mass of clouds. Shadow looked up; it was a good night for killing he thought. Lightning flickered above, revealing him as he stood atop a ramshackle building, peering down. The heady smell of fear wafted up, exciting him, making him drool. The source of his excitement walked on, oblivious. Shifting silently, he began to stalk the child.

The child's heartbeat increased frantically, making him smile. The boy was now aware of him. As if acknowledging this the little boy looked around fearfully. He watched intently as the boy approached a crossroads in the dark, twisted maze of alleys that he had entered and gotten lost in.

He chuckled softly, tensed and prepared to spring.

A moment passed, then another, before he launched into the air.

He arced gracefully over the gap between the two buildings, tucking into a smooth somersault. He landed lightly, amid the steamy clutter of human filth, with his back to the stunned and terrified child. He could have ended it there… but that wouldn’t have been terribly exciting. He wanted to play a game. Turning his head he hissed, “Run.”

He watched as the child turned and ran. He grinned and licked his lips with pleasure, as a fresh wave of intoxicating fear flowed back to him. "I'm going to kill you" he whispered.

Wheeling about, he snarled and gave chase. Adrenaline pumped through him. The graffiti covered walls blurred as he sped after his quarry. The hunger in his stomach and the bloodlust overriding his senses spurred him on, eating the distance between him and the child until he was close enough to see each strand of blonde hair, smell the sweat drenching it, and hear the frenetic tattoo beat out by the boy’s heart.

The boy turned his head back and his pupils dilated in fear at what he saw. In that moment Shadow saw himself reflected there; a forked tongue slithered out of a face hidden within a wild, tangled mane of darkness that snaked down out of sight. A monstrous, muscled form covered by a shredded cloak that rippled like a sinuous snake pounded forth; intent on death. The sight shocked him to a standstill. The boy, seeing the creature drop back a little, put on a fresh burst of speed: whimpering with fear and hope.

The whimper penetrated Shadow, making him shiver as it reached the most primal part of him. With a fresh roar he lunged back into motion.

At times his form would blend and meld into darkness; a shape appearing and reappearing at odd intervals...slowly gaining on the fleeing child. He was so filled with a lust for blood that he didn’t notice that for a seemingly lost and terrified child, the boy was surprisingly purposeful in his movements...

******

Skidding around the corner, on all fours, he leapt forward, expecting to rip into tender flesh—only to have his jaw click painfully shut, on thin air. Scrambling upright he looked around in confusion. The boy was gone. His scent was still there, tantalizingly sweet, but the child himself had vanished. Senses straining, he sought all about him for any sign that the boy had been there, all to no avail.

Gritting his teeth, he stalked forward slowly, sniffing and licking the air; attempting to locate the vanishing point. Following the trail, he was led back to the crossroads before the scent died. A whispering breeze swept through the alley and it was then that Shadow felt the first touches of an unfamiliar emotion: fear.

Chapter 2

He stood, silent and still, letting the night wash over him; concealing, caressing him with its velvety darkness. He didn’t like how things were turning out, the whole scene stank of wrong and what should have been easy quarry had become elusive prey. He was about to turn and walk away, when the sounds of several guns being cocked sliced through the night, stilling him instantly. From those sounds alone, he was able to determine, that he was well and truly surrounded.

He’d been fooled; led around on a merry little dance and now he was trapped.

He’d seen a seemingly helpless child and had pounced, without thought, without questioning. He’d abandoned reason, the logic that set him above the common animal, the very thing that had allowed him to survive so long…It was then that Shadow felt rage, an uncompromising anger that possessed his being. As he prepared to attack, suspicion wormed its way into his mind…and as it did he noticed something- the silence. It was not one of anticipation, or triumph; it was a silence that spoke of hesitation, indecision and fear. It confirmed his suspicion; they couldn’t see him. As if hearing his unspoken thoughts, someone spoke in a nervous voice, “Please confirm if you have visual”

A chorus of, “That’s a negative” followed, bringing a smile to the creature’s lips. As he stood there, an idea slowly took shape in his canny mind, it would be costly but it would work. He went down to the floor, bunched the muscles in his legs, and then sprung himself into the air. The response was immediate; rapid bursts of gunfire from all four sides, shattering the night silence. Several bullets slammed into him in mid-air, spinning him about, stealing the impetus from his lunge causing him to slam into the ground gracelessly.

Silence reigned.

Then shouts and cheers of triumph resounded. Moments passed. Then they rushed out gleefully, only to be dismay when they found not a body, but a trail of blood leading into the darkness. Seeing this, the confidence returned to their faces, they reloaded their weapons and strode forward.

Watching from the darkness, Shadow smiled.

I need help fixing this, If you have any thoughts please post them.The last part needs some massive redoing, it will, infact be entirely different from the version I wrote before. I'm posting in installments so its easier to critique. All comments welcomed and appreciated.