The Package: Pursuit

Durendel has many Dark alleys for many dark deeds. The massive hive of steel support beams and buildings is an ever stretching labirynth of rooftops and alleyways. To some, this is where evil grows and to others, this is where home is. It is in one of those very alleyways that a young man is running with all haste...

Zzzzzz!

Adrian sucked in a sharp breath as he felt subtle and startling vibrations come alive within the confines of his coat. Again it came, as expected, and lost its startling effect upon the wary creature that carried it. Adrian's footsteps came to a halt as he fumbled for a brief moment in his pocket and shortly procured a small black mobile. His golden eyes pleaded with the object to speak its purpose when text on the small screen scrolled into view. Adrian mouthed the word on the screen; his thin and pale lips accentuating each syllable in a whisper

“Alpha.”

It was a word that held weight in his mind whenever it was spoken. In this case, it could very well have meant any number of things; none of which Adrian cared for in any way. Thus, a strange insecurity welled up in the young man's body every time he slid open his phone to hear that all too familiar voice.

“Do you have the package?”

The words sounded cliché to young ears and Adrian smirked ever so slightly, briefly revealing the shallow angles of blade-like teeth.

“Insecurely, yes.”

Adrian's voice held surprising depth and calm that belied his shaking hands.

“How hot is it?”

Adrian thought for a moment.

“Twenty degrees; Maybe twenty five.”

The next words that come over the line sounded less confident and more upset; the voice rose ever so slightly as it cursed in a string. Adrian winced his silence and awaited a sound tongue lashing that seemed inevitable. No lashing came, however, and the voice returned to a strange calm.

“Too hot.”

“The baker-”

Adrian ceased his speaking abruptly, however, and put his hand over the phone speaker to mask his sudden gasp. Vertical pupils dilated to near circles as the sound of footsteps clattered about the previously taken path over rooftops and into alleyways.

“Serpent?”

The voice inquired with a cautious whisper.

“Serpent!”

“Pursuit.”

Adrian said with a low whisper. However, as he finished speaking, the footsteps went silent and the only sound he could hear in the terrible darkness was the dull thrumming of his heartbeat pulsing in his ears. With a quivering hand, Adrian slid his phone shut and slipped it gently in to his breast pocket. A figure emerged in silence into the light at the end of the alley, drawing Adrian's fearful gaze.

The perpetual darkness of Durendel was never sated and ever thirsty for more victims. Even the artificial lighting around and through the city did little to quell the darkness within the cracks and crevices. It was a bastion for life but, conversely, a breeding ground for organized crime and murder.

Adrian held his breath as the figure, covered in heavy armor, seemed to gaze down the alleyway directly toward him. For a long moment, the figure appeared intent on finding something down the dark alley but would venture no further, lest it meet something more deadly than its prey.

Moments passed and Adrian was still a statue, perfectly still and breathless righ up to the moment that the silhouette disappeared beyond view. When his breath finally did come, it did so in a nigh explosive manner, bursting forth with all haste before quickly rushing back in to recuperate his oxygen deprived lungs. The young man thanked his lucky stars when he felt the figure was gone and started off towards a more secure location. It seemed Alpha was right again; it was too hot. Adrian needed to let things cool a bit before the operation could truly take shape and continue. The only question that remained now was a perturbing one indeed. Where would Adrian Endari go?

Adrian's thoughts came to a screeching halt as a loud bang, accompanied by a short and high pitched hiss, resounded down the alleyway. The bullet whizzed by Adrian's head and he clenched his teeth together in a sneer, silently cursing his fate as he began to run. His legs, strung with whipcord muscles, carried him faster and faster until he passed the realm of human speed. His coat whipped backwards as he moved and the repetitious sound of more gun-fire pressed him to even further feats of supernatural speed.

An answer to prayer came in the form of an intersecting alley that Adrian saw as his only good luck that night. Leaning back and going down on his hand in an attempt to slow down, Adrian tried to make the corner before he simply flew past it. Alas, as he moved into the passage, he met the opposing wall with great force and stumbled about for a moment. He recovered quickly enough and retained enough of his feral finesse to continue running.

Many moments later, Adrian burst out of the alleyway and found himself quickly on and open avenue. Every which way, people walked about the sign-lit streets, moving home, to work, or maybe to shop or eat. Whatever it was, Adrian knew and only cared one thing: these people were not looking for him.

With a quick flip of his collar to mask his appearance, Adrian composed himself and started to wade his way slowly into the steady moving crowd. It was late in the day and no one was in a particular hurry, especially in this laid back section of town. In a way, despite its soaring crime rates, Adrian preferred the lowest tier of the city; people were always humble and held a certain air of self reliance.

A perpetually amazing thing; what poverty does to people.

With a deep sigh that only drew a few curious glances, Adrian sank deeper into the crowd and felt relatively confident that he would be fine from here on out. That, however, was also his last mistake and he felt a sharp sting in his back. Goosebumps and a wave of shooting pain rolled up Adrian's spine and the world spun for an endless moment. His mind raced to all conclusions of doom and death before he could think no more and his body fell flat upon the pavement.

The last thing his waking mind registered was the hot sting of the pavement on his cheek and the heavy step of a looming figure moving towards him.