[pre]Chapter 1.[/pre]
[pre]He could smell the fear on the child, from his vantage point on the roof, as it walked down the alley. It was a heady smell...full of promise; the promise of death. Silently shifting position he began to stalk his prey, delighting in its oblivious nature and anticipating the moment, the feeling; as he tore it to pieces. Just the thought made him salivate, causing his pointed sharp teeth to gleam in the night.[/pre]
[pre]Hearing the child's heart beat increase frantically he smiled as he knew it had sensed him. It would know something was wrong, sense it with that indefinable instinct all prey were endowed with...yes, the child knew it was being hunted. He saw with the keenest of eyes; eyes that told him the child was approaching a crossroads in the dark, twisted warren of alleys that it had mistakenly entered and got lost in. It was a fatal mistake. With the supreme confidence of a born killer, he knew that was the place in which he would feast on the sweetness of innocence. [/pre]
[pre]Emitting a soft, dark chuckle, he tensed iron hard muscles and prepared to spring. [/pre]
[pre]A moment passed...then another...and then a dark shadow launched into the air. [/pre]
[pre]The shadow hung for moments, seemingly defying gravity as it lay suspended in mid-lunge; a dark blotch against the blue-black sky, before plummeting down. Somersaulting in mid-air, with his tattered black cloak fluttering all about him; he was a picture of predatory grace. 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, no, he wanted to play a game. Turning his head to the side, he hissed one word: “Run.” [/pre]
[pre]He watched as the child turned without another word and ran. He smiled and licked his lips with relish, as a fresh wave of intoxicating fear flowed back to him. Throwing back his head he roared his merriment to the night sky. Oh yes, the Hunt was on. [/pre]
[pre]Wheeling about, he snarled and gave chase. Adrenalin was pumping throughout his body, energizing him; making him stronger. His forked tongue slithered out, from moment to moment, tasting the rare delicacy that is a child’s fear. With muscles pumping, veins visibly straining against his pallid, grey skin and a wild tangled mane of darkness snaking down his back; he was a chilling sight.
A keen observer might have noticed that at times his form would blend and meld into darkness, but a casual onlooker would see only a shape appearing and reappearing at odd intervals...slowly gaining on the fleeing child. He was so filled with bloodlust that he didn’t notice that for a seemingly lost and terrified child, the boy was surprisingly purposeful in his movements... [/pre]
******
[pre]Skidding around the corner, on all fours, he lunged forward; fully expecting to bite through human flesh and finally feast on his prey…only to have his jaw click painfully shut, on thin air. Scrambling upward, he looked around in confusion. Where on earth had that child gone? His scent was still there, cloying and sweet but the child himself had vanished. Senses straining, he sought all about him for a sign, any sign that the boy had been there; all to no avail.[/pre]
[pre]Throwing his head back he screamed his anger, his frustration at the unforgiving night sky. Gnashing his teeth, he stalked forward slowly, sniffing and licking the air; attempting to pinpoint the vanishing point. Following the trail, he was led back to the crossroads before the scent died; completely and utterly. It didn’t taper off, no, it ended as if it had never existed…and as he stood there, puzzled, a freezing breeze sprung up; stirring the junk at his feet and chilling him to the bone. Abruptly his hunger, bloodlust, and hunting instincts faded and another arose…he shivered as his survival instinct kicked in.[/pre]
Chapter 2.
[pre]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, he’d been robbed of his meal, and what should have been easy quarry had become elusive prey; he didn’t like such surprises- they foreshadowed change, and not in a good way. He was about to turn and walk away, when the sounds of several guns being cocked sliced through the night; quickly disabusing him of that notion. From those sounds alone, he was able to determine, that he was well and truly surrounded. It seemed he was not the only one who had noticed the advantage of the crossroads as an ambush site.[/pre]
[pre]He’d been fooled; led around on a merry little dance and now he was trapped.[/pre]
[pre]What a fool he’d been!!! He’d seen a seemingly helpless child and had pounced, without thought, without questioning. He’d abandoned the rationale; the logic that set him above the common animal, the very thing that had allowed him to survive so long…and now he was paying the price. Even as he accepted his fate, a niggling 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 couldnt see him. As if hearing his unspoken thoughts, someone spoke in a nervous voice: “Please Confirm if you have visual”[/pre]
[pre]A chorus of “That’s a negative” followed, bringing a smile to the creature’s lips; there was hope yet. 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, then sprung himself into the air; revealing his position. 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.[/pre]
[pre]Shouts and cheers of triumph resounded. Then they rushed out, faces suffused with glee, which quickly turned to dismay when they found not a body, but a trail of blood leading into the darkness. Seeing this, the confidence returned to their faces, and they rushed in; following it blindly.[/pre]
[pre]Watching from the darkness, Shadow smiled.[/pre]
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